Kristen Carter

       When I started at CCRI I wanted to be a nurse, a radiologist, and then I decided Social Work was for me. I then transferred to RIC in 2015 with a social work major. Later in 2015 my mom received a phone call from DCYF that my cousins were being removed from their home for reasons I don’t want to get into and they needed a new home. In the middle of this everything changed for me and my two brothers. I was not living at home anymore but it changed a lot of things for my parents and brothers. They couldn’t do or go anywhere out of state without permission from the boys Mom (which does not make sense to me because she doesn’t have them anymore so why should she have a say in anything). The boys couldn’t even get a haircut without moms permission.      I was 7 classes away from graduating with a bachelors degree in social work and this whole situation with my parents and my cousins and how the biological mother treated the social worker for DCYF made me want to change majors a

Youth In Action gives the space for youth to share their stories, practice leadership, and to create change in their communities.       They  serve as an open and safe space where youth can voice their opinions and experiences, and are given the trust and respect to creatively apply their unique talents within their own lives and their communities they do this  by building power, leadership and action amongst youth in frontline communities, they believe a more efficient and safe world is possible. They focus on youth becoming their best possible selves.       They lead with core ,  Immersion, and Collective.    Core  works with youth to tell their story and deeply listen to others stories Immersion  explores facilitation and peer education. Focused on social development, youth discover what strengths they bring to a group. Collective  celebrates legacy and stewardship through a member owned model    

     I do not have much experience as a youth worker. During this past summer I worked at a sports camp. I was a lead camp councilor and I worked along with a few junior councilors. I enjoyed working at this sports camp even though I am not an athlete by any means. The campers were ages 6 to 13. All we did was play games from soccer to dodge ball and even some ice breakers in between. They did not enjoy the ice breakers very much. According to the youth they were boring.      In the “Shall we play?”article some of the 6 p’s were used. Passion definitely because most of the campers had a passion for sports and they used that passion to teach others how to play. Also participation, everyone participated even the councilors. The last week of camp there was one camper that did not play most of the games but he participated in a different way. He watch and told the councilors if someone was cheating.       In the “Dramatic Role Play” article the junior councilors were role playing (th

     Youth is “a tribe apart” according to Hersch. Youth has their own customs, language and rituals. All of what I stated above is different with each generation of youth. Some of the things my brothers say and do it very different from when I was a child.        “Youth are in-transition, finding themselves, hormone-driven, emotional, inexperienced, and always in opposition to the adults in their lives.” I believe that being a teenager can be awkward because in essence you are finding who you are going to be but I believe that awkwardness is a rite of passage.       Every youth has a different voice and a different way of using their voice. “Secure the weight of their voice through repetition, reproduction in mainstream text, popular culture and “scientific” studies which naturalize them as a part of the “common sense” of American culture. I agree with this. Youth learn to use their voice because of the media I believe. Magazine and television show them this. That is where they

                According to Youth Work Preparation for practice by Jason Wood, Sue Westwood and Gill Thompson the seven characteristics of youth work are youth work is an educational practice.  Youth work is a social practice.  Youth workers try to change inequality and they work towards social justice. When it is possible the young people choose to be involved. Youth work is strengthening the voice and influence of young people. Youth work is also a welfare practice. Youth work works with young people holistically.                 Youth work is an educational practice. In a sense youth workers are educators that take part with young people in a different environment than a traditional class room. Youth workers use different methods than teachers and activities to encourage informal education and learning. We build open and trusting relationships to create learning and the youth get the chance to choose to engage in that learning experience rather than having no choice in a classro