Danas YDEV Blog

     Chillaxing resonated with me on many different levels. First off, when the young artist Alicia from New Urban Arts drew a young black girl with a bandage on her hand, arms off to her sides, head down, and a quote that stated "do I still have time to grow" I was amazed. The artist was creative in her work and developed a piece that was eye-catching while at the same time posing a very important story and philosophical question with room for interpretation. Also, I found it interesting that this quote came from a Kanye West song as just recently I have started to listen to his music and I have found that his creative expression also poses themes and stories that can be shared amongst a wide range of people. I truly believe that great artwork allows you to delve into the creator's vision while also being able to connect deeper within yourself, both artists Alicia and Kanye do this with there work.  Another resonation I had within Chillaxing was from the letters t...

BLOG POST #9: What questions, reflections, learnings stick out to you? How do you share your identity/ies in youth spaces? How are your identity(ies) affirmed or not?       To focus on identities within a youth space, I have to say that I think this is an interesting question and subsequently had to ponder upon it. Overall, I believe the way I am perceived varies greatly from youth to youth and from setting to setting. For instance, in some youth settings, I held leadership positions that required me to focus more on program logistics and management while in other instances I held positions where I work directly with the youth. In all honesty, I believe that the best identity and perception I get from youth is when I am in direct service and where I am able to connect most with them. Recently there was a youth volunteer at my workplace who was crying due to personal life circumstances. One of our staff members had a conversation with them although at that moment, I f...

How do these chapters connect to your own experiences and beliefs? My first acknowledgement of Youth In Action was through my job at PASA (Providence After School Alliance). Working as a Program Operations Associate within PASA's office I frequently had to go through organization files and specifically YIA stuck out to me. When I took Intro to YDEV with Pegah I immediately recognized the organization's name and soon learned that for a period of time she was the Executive Director! Reading the Chapter that she wrote really brought to life what YIA is all about. For instance, the great description of the organization's structure and home really gave me a visualization of what their community looks like from the inside. A quote that they have written on the outside of their building that stuck out to me was "Youth lay the foundation. Providence Grows." Another quote and philosophy they work with is the idea that their adult-youth relationships should "honor the ...