YDEV Ideology

I got positive youth development which didn’t surprise me at all. I got the same result the last time I took this quiz which was about a year and half ago. My values when working with youth definitely align with the beliefs of positive youth work. I believe that all youth have assets it’s just a matter of finding them, and sometimes making the youth aware of them. If these assets don’t exist then as a youth worker I try to incorporate positivity in what I can control. So, the biggest thing I can control is the environment and space I bring the youth into. It is always a priority as a youth worker to create a safe space for the youth to feel comfortable to go out of their comfort zones. When addressing an issue with a youth I like to frame the conversation a certain way. I always like to address the youth’s strengths before addressing the “issue” or something they might need to work on. I’ll never forget a conversation I had with one of my wrestlers. This particular student was known for always getting trouble. He would start issues with the other students and talk back to the coaches. Towards the end of last season he really started to take wrestling seriously. There was a tournament he wanted to attend, but it was only for the serious and committed wrestlers. He knew it was up to the executive director who got to go the tournament. He told me to put in a good word for him. He said to me, “I’m not a bad kid, sometimes I just make bad decisions”. This broke my heart. I had hoped we didn’t give him the impression that he was a “bad kid”. There is no such thing as a “bad kid”. That interaction has stuck with me, and made me think about the language and discourse I use with the students.