Color Blind or Color Brave

In this TED talk Mellody talked about race and racism.  She talked about her own life experiences and how she was treated differently because of her race.  One example she talked about was she went to a birthday party and when she came home her mom asked her how she was treated instead of how was is, or did you have fun and at the time she didn't understand why her mom was asking her that.
One key point that she makes is that racism has to be addressed and talked about in order for change.  Many people feel uncomfortable talking about racism so they do not bring it up and if it is brought up then they change the topic or don't say anything.  Acting like it doesn't exist isn't a good thing because it does exist and needs to be changed.  Another thing is we should not ignore the fact that people are different races and ethnicity which is what this ted talk made me think about as well.  I know so many people who say, "I don't see color."  I don't like when people say that because first of all it's not true unless you're color blind and second why would you want to ignore someone's whole culture?  Color s beautiful, there's more to it than just the pigment of someone's skin.  I understand what someone is saying when they say that; basically they are saying that it doesn't matter to me what color your skin is, I am not going to treat you any differently, therefore I don't see color.  When someone says that though, I don't think they really realize all that that statement entitles and people can actually find that offensive.

Youth Work is Leading With

I believe that the YIA model is very important and should be used everywhere.  This model allows the youth to lead with which means they have a say in what's going on.  They are no just being ordered to do something; they can voice their opinion and make a change.  It should never be just the teacher having control of the classroom and the kids have no say in what is going on.  In fact if the kids do have input then they are much more likely to pay attention and show a lot more respect to the teacher.  The youth likes this model because it makes them feel like their opinion actually matters. Everybody has their own opinions and own ideas so they should be able to share and contribute with the class.
I can relate to this because I do much better in classrooms where the youth gets to lead with the teacher.  Having options for a students is huge and when we know that what we say and how we feel actually matters, we have way more respect for that teacher.  I have had teachers before who do not care how I do or what I am doing and it shows.  Those teachers do not get respect from the students and usually rarely pay attention.

What is Youth Work?

Youth work is working with young adults and children in many different forms to overall make them a better person.  We work with them to help develop their social and educational skills and to find their voice.  A lot of the time youth work is found in inner cities and poorer communities where people cannot afford certain programs and higher education to help them succeed and provide them with opportunities.
I have had a few different opportunities to work with youth in the past and also am currently.  I have volunteered at West Broadway Middle School and also Alfred Lima Elementary.  At West Broadway I would help all of the kids in the classroom and at Alfred Lima I was assigned to one kid that had a learning disability.  I learned a lot from these two different experiences and am very grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of that.  Not only would I help the kids with their homework but they would tell me about their life and ask me for advice on anything.
Currently my experience with the youth is at Beat the Streets which has been my favorite experience so far.  I coach them to wrestle but I am also their mentor and someone they look up to.  If they need a shoulder to cry on, I'm there, if they need help, I'm there, and when they need to be cheered up and gain confidence I'm 100% there for them.  I am always telling these kids to have confidence in themselves and to never doubt each other or themselves.  We are all like one big family on that team and I don't know where any single one of us would be without each other. 

Internship Project

   For my internship I am working at Beat the Streets as a wrestling coach at Nathanael Greene Middle School in providence.  I work along side three other coaches and we have 50+ kids on our team.  Most of the kids are boys but I am proud to say that almost 20 of the kids are girls.
   We have practice on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays for 2 hours.  Each practice before we start wrestling we condition for 20 minutes.  For my project I am going to condition with just the girls and design a workout with them while coach Silas and David coach the boys; coach Arianna will be with me.  This has never been done before where the workout has been split into boys and girls but I believe that it is a good idea to check in with the girls and I think that this is something that will make them even more motivated to stay on the team.

Introduction

My name is Laura Johnston, I am in my last year at RIC which is year 5 for me.  My major is Youth Development with a concentration in health and wellness.  When I get out of college I want to be working with people in the fitness field because that is what I am most passionate about.  Over the summer I started wrestling to get myself ready and prepared for my internship this fall.  I coached middle schoolers at Nathan Bishop Middle school and will be coaching at Nathaniel Green middle school in the fall with Beat the Streets.  I also vacationed to New Hampshire this past summer and hung out with friends.  In my free time I like to listen to music, workout, and go out with friends.