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.