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Blog Post #8

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 wisdom of intergenerational work" which is a philosophy I am trying to bring to the current organization I work with! Lastly, another quote that was significant (there were many but I will end off with this one) was "It is not our youth that are inadequate, rather it is the structural imbalances of power that limit their opportunities." This quote is powerful because it acknowledges the systemic corruption yet still gives youth the self-empowerment to know that although some systems may work against them they are worthy and capable of great things. All in all, YIA truly seems like a great organization and I am so grateful to have read this article. 

Comments

  1. Victoria RestlerNovember 9, 2020 at 5:43 PM

    Thanks for your post Dana. I'd love to know more about how you are trying to honor the wisdom of intergenerational work in your current role.

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