Skip to main content

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.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog Post #3

BLOG POST #3: What are the visible and invisible rules/ codes of conduct that govern Marcus’s school and classroom? Some visible rules that govern Marcus classroom are to take a bathroom pass when using the bathrooms, to sit outside of the group circle or in a chair if you can't sit still, come to school on time (especially in Marcus's case because this was a time for him to be seen and acknowledged) and to raise your hand when trying to speak in group settings. Marcus had some more invisible rules in the sense that rules would be a little bent for him in order to get his attention and give him acknowledgment in the classroom. For instance, when he would blurt things out during discussions the teacher would do his best to still acknowledge him. On the other hand, when he would half answer a question she would try to assist his thought and praise him for what he did accomplish rather than scold him for not completing it fully. How are they similar/ different to youth spaces tha...
3 comments
Read more

Blog Post #6

Social Justice Youth Development in Action I see the theme and focus of Social Justice Youth Development in many youth spaces. I truly believe that our generation and the ones coming after us truly understand the importance of speaking up about social justice issues and taking direct action. On a personal note, I follow many Instagram pages that have strong advocacy for topics such as LGBTQIA support, sex-positive/sexual health education, mental health awareness, and so on. Many of these pages are nonprofits that support programming for youth to have a voice and enact change in their lives and overall communities. Some of these accounts are, sexpositive_families, getrealmovement, and of course my past and current organizations that I work for pasa_afterzone, astrogram401, and nathan_bishop_cheer. I wanted to mention social media because the impact it has made on younger generations has helped promote there need to step up and create fair and just relations between themselves and the co...
3 comments
Read more

Blog Post #10

     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...
1 comment
Read more