Hey everyone! My name is Casey and I'm a fellow Youth Development major who can't wait to graduate in the spring!

I am 21 and my birthday is December 30th and I'm an only child! I live in Cranston and went to Cranston High School West and I have also lived in Scituate, Providence,and North Providence. I currently have three jobs keep me very busy. I am a shift supervisor at CVS, I work as a clerical assistant at the Alumni office on RIC's campus and I work at St. Paul's school in the after school program and as a teacher assistant in the pre-k 3 room. I am also the president of my sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon, which is like another part time job that I love.

I have about eight years of experience working with children and my first job was working at a day care. In high school I was in the child development vocational program and my love for working with children grew. When I came to RIC I was declared an Early Childhood education major and minoring in special ed and I soon realized a classroom setting was not where I wanted to be. I was enrolled in a course called eced 290, one of my early childhood courses, but there was a lot of social work involved in that class and that is when I discovered Youth Development. Now that I am graduating and have my internship in an after school program, I finally know that this is where I am supposed to be. The people who I have met through the Ydev program and the professors who have inspired me all have made such a difference in my life as a youth worker.

The picture above is myself and my sorority's leadership team. It is composed of the president and 6 vice presidents who each have unique leadership roles.

The picture above is my papa and I laughing and being silly. He was my best friend, he passed away in 2005 </3

The picture above  is of my and I and it was taken at our beach house in Narragansett. I am an only child and we have a very close relationship. I tell her everything and trust her with me life. 

The picture above was taken when I graduated from Cranston High School West in 2013. I am with my mom and grammy who both been my biggest support systems in my life so far.

The picture above is me with my two best friends, Amanda and Quizia. I have known them since I was in 4th grade because we attended the same Catholic school and still have remained friends. 

The picture above is of my dog Zoe! She is a pitbull mix and she is about 5 years old! We rescued her from a shelter in 2012 and she is the biggest sweetie you will ever meet!

My YDEV Story!

What is your Youth Development Autobiography (aka My YDEV Story)?

As I was graduating high school and entering college I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I was in the child development program, babysat, worked at a daycare and did volunteer hours at the Trudeau center in Warwick. All of these experiences involved children, and being a teacher was my goal and at the time, I thought if I wanted to work with children teaching was my only option, I was wrong. I came to RIC as an early childhood major with a minor in special ed. As I was taking my required courses for my major and doing small practicums in early childhood settings, I started to realize I was going into a career to basically teach students how to test. Meaning, everything was revolved around making sure the students were where they should be for their age level and grade level and also making sure they were prepared for every standardized test. This was something that I was not enjoying any longer. In my ECED 290 class it incorporated social work and I became very interested in social work that involved youth. This is when I discovered Youth Development. I was talking to a friend about how I wanted to work with youth and liked social work but I did not want to be a social worker and she suggested Ydev. That day, I emailed Corrine and set up an appointment to learn more about the program and I was hooked. When I took my first Ydev class it was nothing like my early childhood classes. We had meaningful discussions and assignments where we weren't tested on competence, we were challenged and taught to think critically and view youth differently. I also love that with Youth Development I can take my degree anywhere and there are so many different possibilities and opportunities I can have. My ydev journey will never end as long as I continue to expand my knowledge and take my education further to advocate and lead with today's youth. 

Youth Worker & Youth Spaces

As a young child my mom worked long days and long hours so I spent most of my time in after school programs and summer camps. In elementary school I attended a Catholic school that was very strict. I had at attend the after school program many time throughout the school week and from that experience all I remember is that we had snack, did our homework and played with toys and games. The women that ran the after school program were teachers of the school and looking back on it, it was just like babysitting. I also briefly remember summer camp at the ymca, I believe I only went for two summers.

In 2011 I got my first job at a daycare and i cared and looked after the school aged children. I would walk across the street and pick them up from school we'd go back to the daycare they would have snack and do their homework. When all that was done I would usually facilitate some type of fun engaging activity that included all of the children that were between kindergarten and 5th grade. The woman who owned the daycare center was not very nice and the kids feared her and that is not a goof type of a safe youth space.

Starting my senior year at RIC this fall I received a paid internship at the St. Paul after school program. It has been about two weeks since I began and I love it, the children are great and my mentor is fantastic. I am still getting to know the students and their personalities and I also want them to get to know me so that way we can develop a mutual respect for each other. I have so many great ideas that I am beginning to implement in the program. For example, I have been changing the way attendance is taken and snack is distributed and some things have worked and others have not.

Teenagers

Adults, the media, celebrities and social media can all influence a teenager on how they should look, how they should act and what the "typical teenager" should be and look like. Speaking from personal experience when I was a teenager (which was not that long ago), I fed into the stereotypes and preconceived notions that became ingrained in me. Some of these would include wearing makeup, being "boy crazy" and always keep up with the newest trends. Bogad discusses what "the cumulative cultural text of youth" is and how teenagers become susceptible to the things they see in the media, read in magazines and also what they are told by adults. As a society we have put teenagers in a confined box because of their "hormones" or "detriments" that we can be suppressing something great. There is always opportunity for learning and growing and providing teenagers with chances to lead will do nothing but empower them and educate them.

7 Characteristics of Youth Work

Explain the SEVEN characteristics of Youth Work as defined in this chapter.

Youth work is an educational practice

When working in a youth setting there's always opportunities for learning. Youth workers create spaces where there is room to voice opinions and ideas without being judged. When peers speak up and ask questions it engages other students to listen and learn from their peers. This can prompt conversation and ultimately lead to a learning opportunity.

Youth work is a social practice

I was drawn to Youth Development because of the social aspect. "I love that youth work has elements of guidance and advice giving, it helps to relate to the youth in the setting on a more personal level." During my time as a young person I had a babysitter who was a role model to me for many years. She began babysitting be when I was 4 years old until I was about 10, she was more than just a babysitter she was my friend. She always encouraged me to do my best and was my biggest fan. My mom was a single mom and worked a lot so my babysitter was with me most of the time. The connection we had and the bond we created is something that I will never forget and I would love to be a type of role model or mentor to youth in the community.

Youth workers actively challenge inequality and work towards social justice

When embarking on my journey as a Youth Development major I realized just how diverse youth spaces can be. I went to a private school as a child and a predominantly white high school. I think it is an inedible experience to be exposed to many people of many cultures which helps to promote diversity. Since youth spaces can be so diverse it can lead to opportunists to allow youth to find and use their voices to promote change.

Where possible, young people choose to be involved
In a classroom environment youth have to participate in lessons and activities that they may not like or enjoy and that can be challenging. Children will learn best when they are interested or can relate to lessons or activities. In youth spaces it is always a safe space for anyone to say how they feel, to be themselves and engage how they want to.

Youth work seeks to strengthen the voice and the influence of young people
When I was in middle school, once a week we had the choice of different activities to participate in like scrap booking, sewing, gardening and a few more. My 3 best friends and I did not enjoy any of the activities that were offered so we asked if we could start a recycling club and luckily we had an awesome teacher who said yes! We collected recyclable materials around the school and had bins in each classroom that helped us collect materials. At the end of each month we would put on plays and used all of the recyclables as our people and props. This helped our voices to be heard and influenced our peers, teachers and families to recycle!

Youth work is a wellfare practice
I strongly believe that youth work is a welfare practice and the social work part of the major has helped me to understand that better. Youth can not meet all of their needs or goals all of the time. Being a youth worker means that we will work collectively with youth and develop action plans to meet their needs and goals, no matter how big or small.

Youth work works with young people holistically
I think that when young people are working with other young people they can learn from them and also understand that if they are going through something that they are not alone. As a youth worker it is our job make sure we are sensitive to any situation a youth might be in an what factors attribute to that. I love the word holistically and I have been treating myself in that way by meditating over the past few months and it is something I would love to bring to a youth space.