The World is endless!

Strengthening The Youth Development/ Afterschool Workforce   About 20 years ago parents, educators, and policy makers saw Afterschool Programs as "nice" but not "necessary". After years passed, research had come in that Afterschool Programs actually reduce teen pregnancy, crime, and substance abuse. After School programs also help with development and academic success. After reflecting on this article, I understood the rise of Youth Development Work. There is a need for Professional Youth Work, that provide the best quality practice. As mentioned in class, Youth Workers are not "Glorified Babysitters", as some people might think. Youth Workers come with different backgrounds and experience. Youth Work can start from early age as 16 years old. For example, I worked at the Boys and Girls Club at the age of 16 and through this work I developed a passion to work with young people.I plan on continuing working with youth throughout my life. The Ideology o...

  Middle School Bullies  A of Injustice in my life was in Middle School. I could honestly say was the worst time in my life. It was in the 6th grade when I started to get bullied by some girl who was part of the popular 8th graders. Everytime the girl would see me in the hallway would laugh and make side comments. Make fun of me and asks why I would wear the same sweater everyday to school. The emotional abuse got to a point I would skip class and sleep in the bathroom. All my friends turned against me when they found out the "popular girl" did not like me. I was all alone and had no one to turn to or talk to. Until the day came and I got into a argument with the bully and the police had to break the argument. My mother got called into the office that I have got into a fight and was suspended for a week. I could remember the exact word the officer said, "Your daughter is not an Angel". This time was a time of injustice. I did not receive any emotional support fr...

Youth Development Group Advising  As an event I got to attend our YDEV Group advising on a Wednesday during free period. Students from the YDEV major gather together to recieve help and advice on courses they need to take in order to graduate. The advising started with a bug in question (just like we do in class) and everyone goes around and introduces themselves. The bug in questions was " What kind of animal would you be and why?". The bug in questions allows people around you to get to know more and another side they might not know about. After the bug in the facilitators were walking around the room to check in with each student and see if help was needed on finding a class. I went around and asked if help was needed as well. I sat down with one student who was worried what professor she should take the class with.  I honestly felt some sense of responsibility, when I was asked the question. But, I referred the student back to what fits her personality and does she ...

Youth Development Ideology After taking the Ideology test the lowest score was on Positive Youth Development . I completely resonate with the meaning of creating a positive space for youth to speak what they believe and what are their concerns. Focusing on Youth strength is my moto, everyone has good in them and potential. Sometimes you need a role model or supporter there to remind you how great you are! The case study on sex ed is a conversation youth need to have. When you do not discuss some things that is natural to the human body, curiosity can lead down the wrong path. I'm that Youth Worker who loves to discuss issues that not many people feel comfortable to talk about and bring awareness. Knowledge is power, and if you do not have the knowledge then you can make negative choices.

Brain: I would say my heart is in my brain. It is the center of emotions and where I need to remind myself to take of myself. Working with Youth, you can sometimes create an attachment. Always in the helping role, but you have to remind yourself to take care of your mental health. Arms: As a Youth Counselor, you are juggling with checking in with a hand full of youth. You are either calling them or texting them to check on their well-being. Dress : I love to dress very modest, at the same time modern and youthful. It is the first thing people see, it can sometimes send a message to youth what is your sense of style. The youthful and modern part is I want to be approachable and not be seen as a "strick christian". Shirt (Transparency): For this part I do wish I could of cutting it out. Decided to color it yellow as a representation of Transparency. It is the part of me who likes to be open and honest with the Youth I work with. Feet: Fianlly, my feet is a represent...

After reading the article "Nice is Not Enough: Caring For Students Of Color". It really showed me that caring goes beyond just being "nice" with students. It is making a long lasting relationship with students, connecting their home culture with the learning done in class. Being an inclusive teacher is a caring teacher in this article! Now, In the article "Mapping Interconnected Care" by Restler. Teachers in this article show care to their students by being a role model and Representing groups who are either discriminated or marginalized. This article really brought out the meaning of being Transparent with students. Sarah, spoke about how students would asks her why she doesn't wear a skirt. Instead of probably getting offended by the question, she took that moment to educate and be open about herself. Students love when a Teacher is transparent and is honest with who they are. This builds a sense of trust culture in the classroom. To continue, I...

For last week class we attended a student-centered research conference where their were different workshops available to attend. The first session I was honored to attend was " Student Ownership through Student Voice: An Investigation of Student Agency in and beyond the School Walls". In this session, the main focus was a way of how educators can engage students in thinking about policies that need to be changed in their schools and the community. The first Presenter, Carlos Hipolito-Delgado. School Counselor and currently a Professor at the University of Colorado in Denver. First asks the crowd, as he talks loud to make known his presence in the room. He starts off by asking, "What are some policies you believe impact youth?" and "Your name and where are you coming from?". This question immediately brought me to actually focus on daily issues and concerns youth have. My response was related to a group of youth I have worked with last year. " Youth ...

At first I felt uncomfortable to play hide and go seek with my little cousin. I tried to hide real good! all I could think of is where am I going to hide my big self?! You could easily spot, but with a child they could easy hide under a bed. The first P, I applied here is permission. I had to allow myself to play regardless of my body size. I needed to allow myself to become a small child in order to play hide and seek. Remind myself, to not play rough and keep it simple. The Second P, Process. I really needed to process every move and hiding place I was going to choose. Hiding under the bed would of been a huge obstacle for me. So, I decided to hide behind a door. Which was a good place to hide, and easier place for me to hide in while making it hard for a child to probably find me. Third, Passion! This is a big one for me. You need passion when you are playing especially with a child. You start to imagine things, pretend you are hiding from a villian. If the game is adventurous...

Casey Family- Mr.Good  The school bell rings and Miss.Lorenzo asks the class to line up. 7 year old me grabs her Dora book bag and runs to the line. Mami (Mom) came to pick me up from school and drop me off at Casey Family. I can not wait to see Mr. Good! I know we have a field trip coming up soon. It's still summer and Mami brought my bathing suit. Mr. Good said we are going to the pool and to not leave the group, we must stay with each other. Mami kisses me good-bye "Te amo mi hija, disfruta mucho" (I love you my daughter, have a lot of fun). Mr.Good would always take us on field trips, during the fall time we went to the Mystic Aquarium. My cousin Yohanny was there too and other friends from school. We got to see the big white whale and some penguins. My favorite part was the whale, Mr.Good never left our side he always stayed with us. My mother had given me a camera that day, you know those cameras, where you press a button on the top then flash. I couldn't wa...

On September 25, 2018 I was able to attend the panel discussion at Rhode Island College. for "Resisting ICE and Deportation Crises. A week before the event even started, flyers were seen around campus containing language targeting undocumented students and telling the Public to report them to ICE. Thankfully, the VP of Community Equity and and Diversity Anna address the issue and many of the flyers were removed from the campus. On the Panel were 2 young individuals who shared their experience on coming to the US as refugees and having to flee from difficult issues in Asia. They were able to find support in a network called AMOR, which is  Alliance to Mobilize and Organize the Resistance. The AMOR, help in immediate legal services to protect people who possibility trying to be deported by ICE and other law enforcement agencies. In addition, the services they provide are psychological services, supporting and tracking incidents and victims of hate crime, and protecting their...

THE TEN WORDS THAT DESCRIBES YIA 1. Influential 2. Powerful 3. Inspirational 4. Risks Taker's 5. Youth Engagement 6. Nation Changers 7. Role Models 8. Emotionally Intelligent 9. Uplifting 10. Courageous

Song #1  Halleluyah by Jotta  I am 15 years old  I am at church with my friend I am feeling accepted, loved, and finally free

Blog Post #3 After reading Professor Bogad article on “Framing Youth: Writing ‘Youth’ in Social Context”.  The word that kept coming to mind was “self-fulfilling prophecy”. A term I learned in Education psychology. Assumptions can become self-fulfilling in a teens life, especially being socially immersed into believing you are “incomplete”, “emotional”, “inexperienced” and “hormone-driven” (pg.1). In the leadership world, the skill you mostly hear that you need to succeed is emotional intelligence. According to Dictionary, emotional intelligence is having the capacity of being aware of your own emotions and have the ability to control them (dictionary 2018). This puts some teens at low-stakes in being in a leadership position. Earlier, I mentioned self-fulfilling prophesy. This came to my mind as I read the chapter on “Framing Youth” on page 4. A young actress by the name Katie Holmes, poses on the front cover of “LIFE” magazine. Alongside a headline that says “The Secr...

K-  After school programs were designed to basically changed specific behaviors a child or teenager were facing and keep them out of trouble. The focus were mostly Gang violence and Teen pregnancy. You were told how to say no to drugs and to have safe sex. The expectations aren't always realistic on how to approach the situation.  L- I found very enlightening the " Resiliency Research " on page 7. Researchers started to focus on " What helped the child succeed, instead of focusing solely on the Problem itself". This leading to strengthening the work they were doing in providing the best service to the Youth.  M- I would like to learn more on how budget funding from the government affects some of the runnings of these programs. 

Hey! My Name is Marleni, and I am YDEV Major with a concentration in Children and Families Mental Health. Something I am very important to me is staying in touch with God. Having faith has helped me overcome depression and anxiety I have had to face through my childhood years. Now, I know I am not alone and I don't have to fight alone. For over 6 years now I am depression free! Anxiety, still creeps up on me once in a while but I have learned through seeking help at the Disability Center and L4L on how to manage and overcome. I'm happily engaged and will be getting Married in August 2019. The Theme is Sunflower. After school, I run a online business called "Modern Design by Marleni", I design business cards, stationary wedding Invitation and birthday Invitations, plus event flyers. Helps me keep my mind active and make other people happy while doing it!