Youth Work Is... Thinking About Identity

Throughout my college experience at RIC I have learned about race and my own racial identity in my Fned, Swrk, Gend and Ydev classes. I have also learned about it while being a member of the Black Student Union on campus. I remember some experiences for me being really uncomfortable because I identify as both Black and White. I feel like there were things I didn't feel comfortable saying because I would be judged or looked at weird especially when talking about being black and what that means to me. I feel that way because of my light skin. I felt and sometimes still feel that who I am to speak on certain issues/topics when I personally haven't experienced them but then I realize my voice/opinion matters and I speak up. It took me awhile to learn that regardless of my skin color my voice still matters.  Also, because of my light skin at times I feel like I can't or shouldn't identify as a black woman because I don't look like what I'm "expected" to look like. In some of my social work classes that were filled with predominately white students and max 2 BIPOC I always wondered why my white classmates rarely spoke up when we discussed racism/oppression/slavery, etc. "I really wish the White students would talk more. When I read these articles, it makes me so mad and I really want to know what the White kids think. Don't they care?" I can relate to this quote because I wondered the same thing in class. I know racism can be a challenging and uncomfortable topic to discuss but I feel it's very important for people of all ethnic backgrounds to discuss. The white students in my swrk classes rarely ever spoke up if not called on. I always wondered if it was because they were uncomfortable, if they didn't know what to say, if they had prejudices, if they didn't believe in racism,  if they just didn't care about the topic or maybe they felt how I used to feel and they felt like they shouldn't or couldn't speak on it. 

Being part of a Black Student Union and being light skin has been very difficult for me. I have struggled with my identity because of it. I questioned my blackness and my whiteness. "I find myself thinking: "I didn't mean to be White, I really didn't mean it." I am starting to feel angry towards my race for ever using this advantage towards personal gains." I can relate to this because during meetings/events I sometimes used to hate myself. I hated myself for being white. I hated that I couldn't change that I was white. I hated that I couldn't change the color of my skin. I hated that people viewed me differently because of my skin color. I hated that I felt I didn't belong because of the color of my skin. There were so many times throughout the last two years that I felt like not returning to the organization because I felt I didn't belong and although it took me over a year to finally accept myself, I am so happy that I stayed and became a member of the eboard of the organization. I am so happy because I came to terms with who I am, what I look like and accepted myself. 

"I feel that because of this class, I have become much more aware of racism that exists around. Because of my awareness of racism, I am now bothered by acts and behaviors that might not have bothered me in the past. Before when racial comments were said around me I would somehow ignore it and pretend that nothing was said. By ignoring comments such as these, I was protecting myself." I have always been bothered by acts and behaviors but I didn't always acknowledge the ignorance. Because I struggled with own identity it was hard for me to speak up but I also realized I was protecting myself. At times when I would be part of a discussion and racial comments were made towards white people I wouldn't always call people out on it because I didn't want people to think that I was "protecting" white people. I feel like if I were to go against what people said about white people or defend them I would get looked at differently or judged. Since then I realized that I shouldn't care how people view me. Now, if someone makes a racial comment about anyone regardless of their ethnicity I speak up.

Marcus: On Being Good & (Dis)ability

 Visible and Invisible rules/codes of conduct that govern Marcus's school and classroom

A visible rule in Marcus's classroom is that the students have to raise their hand before they speak. Marcus struggled with this rule and would sometimes yell out and interrupt Emily why she is speaking. Knowing Marcus means well and is just sharing his thoughts, Emily would still allow him share out. Another visible rule within the classroom was a "take a break" table. Students would go to the table when they were having a difficult time in the morning. I think having a space within a classroom for students to break is a great idea. There is also a "buddy room" that was another space for students to go and take space. I thought having a break space outside the classroom was a good idea just in case they want to be alone. Also, I thought it was great that offered another space for a break before going to the principals office. Marcus at times was a lot to deal with and I think Emily did a nice job being patient with him. An invisible rule I think could be that the rules were kind of broken for Marcus because he had more of a difficult time. 

Similarities/ Differences to youth spaces that I know

The rules and codes of conduct in Marcus's classroom are similar to youth spaces I know in a few ways. A daycare I used to work at had a space within the classroom where students would go to take a break if they were misbehaving or needed space. Another similar rule was students had to raise their hand before speaking out. There was two students in the classroom that really struggled with raising their hand and would always call out. The teacher responded the opposite of how Emily did. The teacher would give them a warning and then tell them to go take a break which I didn't agree with. A difference in Marcus's classroom and the daycare is that there wasn't a room outside the class for students to go to. In other youth spaces I've seen some have break rooms and some don't. Depending on the youth space students raise their hand to speak or just share out when no one is speaking. In some youth spaces I see some staff who are really supportive and resourceful like the ones in Marcus's classroom and in other youth spaces I see staff who do the bare minimum. 

How might these rules connect to Ferri's discussion of norms, normalcy and dis/ability?

The rules in Ferri's discussion connect to Marcus's rules because in the Ferri's article it states that the school is designed to take what makes someone different away from them and I think Marcus's school does a really great job with providing support and great resources to make him feel more like he belongs in the classroom. The teacher allows him to kind of do his own thing while still doing what he has to in class. 

Stereotyping Our Youth

End Adultification Bias 

In the video "End Adultification Bias" there were many stereotypes about black girls and women. One stereotype that adults gave them was that they are too loud, aggressive, angry and their actions were seen as threatening and disrespectful. Another stereotype is that black girls needs less nurturing, support and less protection. This video revealed a lot of important facts such as Black girls are 2.7 times more likely to be referred to the juvenile justice system. Black girls are 20% more likely to get charged with crimes. Black girls face higher standards.  Adults hold black girls more accountable for their actions while white girls are given sympathy. 

 One girl said "Feel like as a black girl we can't make mistakes". Why should anyone have to feel like they can't make a mistake due to their skin color? Black girls are "always supposed to know better. " Why do black girls have to know better and white girls can make mistakes and it's okay? If a black girl and white girl made the same mistakes they should have the same consequences and treated equally. One does not deserve harsher treatment because of the color of their skin. One girls shared that people already assumed she was "cussing people out, drinking and having sex" just because she's black. Young black girls are stereotyped before they even know it. Adults see them as less innocent and more adult like starting at the age of 5. 

                                                                     

The stereotypical black child is raised in poverty and is more likely to be exposed to crime, drugs, violence with limited adult supervision. This leads adults to think that because of their upbringing that they are going to be on a certain path/making bad choices vs the stereotypical white child who is raised in a middle/high class area and is more likely to not to witness crimes, drugs and violence. Because of that adults seem to think they're innocent and can't do no wrong. 

 

Child Development Core Story, Part 2: Serve and Return

Serve and Return describes the fundamental adult-child interactions which helps babies reach their full potential. The interaction between adult and child doesn't always have to be verbal, it could be feeding or bathing. Studies have shown that a child surrounded by responsible and caring adults will start elementary school with better social skills, be able to focus better, better emotion regulation than a child that lacks positive adult attention. Talking with your child or even playing peekaboo will help they learn new words and form a language. Without healthy brain architecture kids are at risk of falling behind and never catching up. 

A woman in the video stated she encourages parents to build scaffolding for their children. The support doesn't have to be just family, it could be the entire neighborhood and community. I think it's important to understand that every parents situation is different. Some parents may not be financially stable and may need to work multiple jobs to pay the bills and take care of their children. Some parents may be single parents and they have to work a lot to provide for their child and because of that they spend less time with their children. Because parents spend less time with their children they are often stereotyped as a "bad parent" because they're not interacting with their child the way they should be. I think its important for children to have adult-child interaction because its benefits them in all aspects but that interaction can come from family, friends of the family, teachers, etc. 

A memory where I experienced prejudice as a young person/Adult- There has been several times where I have been with some of my black friends and I would say something or act a certain way and they would say "thats your white side or thats how you can tell your half white". 

Youth Development Guide: K/L/M

What I already knew:

- I already knew about the three elements that has an influence on youth development, such as family, school and community-based programs. 

- I learned what the deficit approach is in another class but I learned more about it from reading the article.

What I learned:

- I learned that "deficit approach" was to target and "fix" specific problem behaviors, such as teen pregnancy or drug abuse. 

-I learned that the deficit approach failed because the approach focused on changing specific behaviors and not young people's basic developmental needs.

- I learned about the Leading the Youth Development Movement. I learned that the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development helped shift the thinking of policymakers nationwide, through publications focusing on how to effectively support young peoples healthy development. 

- I learned that due to the three elements: family, school and community-based programs they realized that young people deemed "at risk" need the same kinds of rich and wide-ranging supports and opportunities for healthy development that are more readily available to young people in middle class communities. Regardless of what "class" they are in all students should have access to the same resources and opportunities. Why did they not already know that regardless of the class the students are in they should all have equal support, resources, etc?

What I want to know more about:

-What I never understood is if there is as much money as they say there is going into schools, why are youth development programs not in schools? Where does all the money go?

- Why did they solely focus on the "negative behaviors" and not the underlying needs that could be contributing to their negative behaviors?