Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Adultism: How Is It Affecting Your Youth Work?
At Summerhill I am not bullied and I am safe and I have freedom of speech. I am given responsibility, I have the opportunity to look after myself, choose how I want to learn. By being given these opportunities, I can be what I want. Which is perfect and every child’s dream.
Alex C. – pupil
Imagine my surprise when coming across the words above from a young person describing their school. I've written numerous articles and blog postings on the issue of adultism, but recently came across an awesome post that I wanted to share. The blog can be found HERE, but the post I came across was this one ---->http://adultism.blogspot.com/2008/02/anti-adultist-authors-and-schools.html where she talks about the school Summerhill. Summerhill, in England, was established in 1921 and calls itself an alternative "free" school. The model this school uses is the epitome of Advancing Youth Development theory which highights the value of putting services, supports and opportunities in place for young people to be able to do and think for themselves.
I recently left work with a youth-serving foundation that did not find value in my method of work that viewed youth work from this standpoint. The lasting visual of my time of work at this place was an image of a co-worker of mine snatching food from high-school seniors who were hungry after being in 8 hours straight of mandatory programming. As my former co-worker remarked to me, "they know the rules, and they aren't allowed to have food now."
My response to this outlandish adultist enforcement of a rule made with no pre-thought was to simply ask her, "Is this what you choose to do with your power, deny a child of food?"
Her offense and surprise at my question led me to question how often do we ask those in decision-making capacity why they choose to use their ability to make decisions in a way that is confrontational, punitive and in no way in promotion of providing a service, support or opportunity for the young people we are paid to serve.
My challenge to those of you who work with young people is to use my example as a reference to refer to when we consider how we speak up as advocates for youth. Often, it is not always only our actions, but also our questions that can promote change.
Alex C. – pupil
Imagine my surprise when coming across the words above from a young person describing their school. I've written numerous articles and blog postings on the issue of adultism, but recently came across an awesome post that I wanted to share. The blog can be found HERE, but the post I came across was this one ---->http://adultism.blogspot.com/2008/02/anti-adultist-authors-and-schools.html where she talks about the school Summerhill. Summerhill, in England, was established in 1921 and calls itself an alternative "free" school. The model this school uses is the epitome of Advancing Youth Development theory which highights the value of putting services, supports and opportunities in place for young people to be able to do and think for themselves.
I recently left work with a youth-serving foundation that did not find value in my method of work that viewed youth work from this standpoint. The lasting visual of my time of work at this place was an image of a co-worker of mine snatching food from high-school seniors who were hungry after being in 8 hours straight of mandatory programming. As my former co-worker remarked to me, "they know the rules, and they aren't allowed to have food now."
My response to this outlandish adultist enforcement of a rule made with no pre-thought was to simply ask her, "Is this what you choose to do with your power, deny a child of food?"
Her offense and surprise at my question led me to question how often do we ask those in decision-making capacity why they choose to use their ability to make decisions in a way that is confrontational, punitive and in no way in promotion of providing a service, support or opportunity for the young people we are paid to serve.
My challenge to those of you who work with young people is to use my example as a reference to refer to when we consider how we speak up as advocates for youth. Often, it is not always only our actions, but also our questions that can promote change.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Using Social Media to Interact with Your Youth
Working with youth today often requires a set of skills that probably did not exist decades ago. One of the phenomena to pay attention to today is the high use of social media that is used constantly to build social circles, maintain social circles and communicate trends, ideas and overall general information.
Chances are that you have not only heard about the online social network Facebook, but probably have an account of your own. If you don't have a Facebook account, know that the youth work will most likely have one that they've had for a while now. On this account, they share personal information, post photos and visit this virtual spot more than once a day. What an ideal space to interact with your youth and communicate information you want them to know about.
But, beware. Like face to face interactions with your youth, there is a need to respect professional boundaries when using social media to outreach to your youth. Here are a few:
(1) Don't share too much personal information about yourself on your profile that they students can access
(2) Don't allow students access to post items on your profile that are inappropriate (i.e. risque photos, etc.)
(3) Communicate with your youth online within a work oriented time-frame-- i.e. 9 to 5-- to establish a boundary on your time.
(4) Be responsible with what information you share online. Be mindful that any interaction with your youth online serves as automatic documentation, so anything inappropriate is recorded for later retrieval.
SOYA founder Khadijah Ali-Coleman will be interviewed by BAP Living Radio host Ananda Leeke on June 7, 2009 as part of Leeke's series on Women in Social Media. Ali-Coleman is content manager of the site http://www.liberatedmuse.com/. Read more details about the interview HERE.
Chances are that you have not only heard about the online social network Facebook, but probably have an account of your own. If you don't have a Facebook account, know that the youth work will most likely have one that they've had for a while now. On this account, they share personal information, post photos and visit this virtual spot more than once a day. What an ideal space to interact with your youth and communicate information you want them to know about.
But, beware. Like face to face interactions with your youth, there is a need to respect professional boundaries when using social media to outreach to your youth. Here are a few:
(1) Don't share too much personal information about yourself on your profile that they students can access
(2) Don't allow students access to post items on your profile that are inappropriate (i.e. risque photos, etc.)
(3) Communicate with your youth online within a work oriented time-frame-- i.e. 9 to 5-- to establish a boundary on your time.
(4) Be responsible with what information you share online. Be mindful that any interaction with your youth online serves as automatic documentation, so anything inappropriate is recorded for later retrieval.
SOYA founder Khadijah Ali-Coleman will be interviewed by BAP Living Radio host Ananda Leeke on June 7, 2009 as part of Leeke's series on Women in Social Media. Ali-Coleman is content manager of the site http://www.liberatedmuse.com/. Read more details about the interview HERE.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Top Five Tips for Youth Workers
Those who work with young people aged 11-17 years-old are called Youth Workers. The work of a youth worker is multi-tiered and is involves managing several roles. For those just starting out in youth work, often, it becomes tricky with successfully managing those roles and providing appropriate services, supports and opportunities for the youth they serve.
Below, find links to SOYA articles on the top five tips for youth workers to be successful in the field:
Be An Adult
http://soyaonline.blogspot.com/2006/07/say-it-loud-im-adult-and-im-proud.html
Blurring Professional Boundaries
http://soyaonline.blogspot.com/2006/06/blurring-professional-boundaries-in.html
Help Youth Help Themselves
http://soyaonline.blogspot.com/2006/06/youth-as-facilitators-making-it-norm.html
Positive Peer Pressure
http://soyaonline.blogspot.com/2007/12/positive-peer-pressure.html
http://soyaonline.blogspot.com/2006/07/say-it-loud-im-adult-and-im-proud.html
Blurring Professional Boundaries
http://soyaonline.blogspot.com/2006/06/blurring-professional-boundaries-in.html
Help Youth Help Themselves
http://soyaonline.blogspot.com/2006/06/youth-as-facilitators-making-it-norm.html
Positive Peer Pressure
http://soyaonline.blogspot.com/2007/12/positive-peer-pressure.html
Nip the Drama in the Bud
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
2009 Healthy Teen Network Call for Proposals for Upcoming Conference
Healthy Teen Network's 2009 National Conference Celebrating Healthy Teens and Young Families: 30 Years of Making a Difference
Call for Proposals
Call for Proposals
Healthy Teen Network's 30th Annual Conference, Celebrating Healthy Teens and Young Families: 30 Years of Making a Difference, will attract more than 400 professionals who work on behalf of adolescents and their children to reduce teen pregnancy, promote positive decisions regarding sexuality and reproductive issues, ensure healthy pregnancies, and support teen parents to raise healthy children.
The conference will be held October 21-24, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency in Tampa, Florida.
Download the Workshop Proposal Materials
Deadline: April 10, 2009 (5 p.m.)
Program administrators, advocates, childcare providers, family planning providers, youth workers, educators, nurses, physicians, midwives, social workers, school officials, researchers, and others are invited to share their expertise at this multi-disciplinary conference.
Download the Workshop Proposal Materials
Deadline: April 10, 2009 (5 p.m.)
Program administrators, advocates, childcare providers, family planning providers, youth workers, educators, nurses, physicians, midwives, social workers, school officials, researchers, and others are invited to share their expertise at this multi-disciplinary conference.
Please visit the Healthy Teen Network Conference web site to download the application, view Healthy Teen Network's Mission Statement, and get assistance with the conference theme, focus areas, and objectives.
Conference workshops are organized into five tracks:
Organizational/Coalition Capacity Building
Policy/Advocacy
Programs
Research/Evaluation
Management/Administration
Within those focus areas, workshops will be classified according to the following topics:
Primary Pregnancy Prevention
Reaching Marginalized Youth*
Youth Development Approaches to Reduce Risky Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults
Supporting Youth (ages 10-24) and Their Families
Collaborations Effective in Promoting Healthy Teens,Young Adults, and Young Families*
The Role of Technology in Working With Youth*
Secondary Pregnancy Prevention
Promoting Successful Teen and Young Families
Building Capacity and Sustainability in the Field
Mid-to-High Level Management Skills*
Management/Administration
Reaching Marginalized Youth*
Youth Development Approaches to Reduce Risky Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults
Supporting Youth (ages 10-24) and Their Families
Collaborations Effective in Promoting Healthy Teens,Young Adults, and Young Families*
The Role of Technology in Working With Youth*
Secondary Pregnancy Prevention
Promoting Successful Teen and Young Families
Building Capacity and Sustainability in the Field
Mid-to-High Level Management Skills*
Management/Administration
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
SOYA Founder is New Sexual Health Educator with the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Generation to Generation (G2G) is a groundbreaking program that seeks to address the high rate of teen pregnancy within the Ward 8 community of Washington, DC. The program brings together mothers and daughters along with other female caregivers and mentors in weekly meetings to encourage intergenerational conversations that are essential to aiding teenage girls in making healthy life decisions. Complete program overview
The Generation to Generation program uses a unique approach to achieve positive results within the community it serves. In addition to our own educational workshops G2G uses various comprehensive sexuality curriculums and youth leadership development resources. G2G encourages teenage girls to put honest thought and effort into their futures to delay becoming parents during their teenage years.
In addition to facilitating conversations on issues of sexuality and reproductive health, G2G also seeks to empower its participants with activities that promote both cultural awareness and an increased level of self-esteem. Review educational workshops
SOYA founder, Khadijah Ali-Coleman has been selected as a workshop facilitator for G2G. To bring Khadijah to your school, church, nonprofit or group in Ward 7 or Ward 8, contact her at SoOurYouthAspire@yahoo.com.
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