YDEV501

In Profiles, Key Moments, and a Continuum of Youth-Led Participation , Pegah Rahmanian discusses Youth In Action’s (YIA) approach to youth development as a refreshing, collaborative method that emphasizes partnership rather than adult silence. While many youth-led models often quiet adult voices to let youth lead independently, YIA takes a different stance. It encourages building open, supportive relationships between youth and adults. This approach recognizes that balanced adult involvement can be invaluable for nurturing young people’s growth, confidence, and self-awareness. What really resonated with me is how YIA prioritizes the adult role as one of guidance and awareness, staying attuned to each youth’s unique strengths and readiness for leadership. Rather than remaining passive, adults in YIA actively connect with youth, learning about their talents and goals to recognize key moments when they can gently push them or help them step out of their comfort zones. This level of engage...

In the introduction to Pleasure Activism , Adrienne Maree Brown redefines activism as something that can center pleasure, joy, and personal satisfaction. Traditionally, activism is seen as a full of sacrifice, struggle, and self-denial, but Brown challenges this by proposing that pleasure can fuel social change in a sustainable way.  Something Brown  suggests that resonated with me is that adopting this perspective in fields like youth work could help alleviate burnout. By prioritizing joy and play, we can resist the capitalist pressures that often seep into social work and activism, such as the demand for constant output and sacrifice. This reimagining of activism as something inherently enjoyable allows for a more empowering approach, where the focus is on genuine connection and the simple but profound act of feeling good. Brown’s perspective is a reminder that activism and social justice work don’t always have to be painful or draining; they can be fueled by joy and communi...

On October 9th, 2024, just a few short weeks ago, I lost my grandmother. It was one of the worst things that has ever happened to me. My grandmother was truly an angel on earth, and losing her hurt more than anything. My heart was breaking, but the endless support I received from those around me slowly began to help me heal. The systems in my life allowed me to rest, with support and care coming from all directions. Everyone around me showed their love and compassion, giving me the comfort I needed to heal. I’m not someone who typically rests. I live a chaotic life but these systems didn’t just allow me; they forced me to stop and feel my emotions and take time to care for my mental and physical health. Usually, I look for distractions when life gets hard, avoiding confronting things head-on. However, this time was different. I had to take time to process, heal, and care for myself. From family and friends to work and school, I was met with unwavering love and support. I was given the ...

  I choose to  listen to the Freedom Readers podcast featuring a discussion between Kimberlé Crenshaw and Ibram X. Kendi. The conversation talked about the role race plays in society and the importance of discussing and teaching children and youth about race from a young age.  One major takeaway for me was the idea that when young people are exposed to their own history and see people who look like them in the curriculum, they feel more integrated into society. This resonates with Kendi’s personal story, where he reflects on how discovering authors like James Baldwin and Zora Neale Hurston later in life transformed his love for reading. He believes and many can relate to this that had he encountered these authors earlier, perhaps in high school, his relationship with literature would have been profoundly different. This reinforces the notion that representation truly matters, particularly in educational spaces. When students see themselves in the narratives they read, th...

  How does whiteness and white supremacy culture impact the youth and educational spaces that you inhabit? What does it look like? Feel like in your body and movements? How does it sound? Taste? Slip by or call out? Whiteness impacts my everyday educational setting. Looking back at history, higher education was originally created for wealthy white males. College wasn’t intended to be for everyone, and you can still feel traces of this today. Most recently, in my line of work, the Supreme Court overturned Affirmative Action, meaning college admissions offices can no longer consider race when making admissions decisions. This was devastating for the world of admissions. The government has essentially decided that race no longer matters and that a student’s identity should not be a factor in these decisions. However, colleges are still allowed to use legacy status favoring students with familial ties to the institution, in their admissions process. How is that fair? Colleges were orig...

In my journey map, I identify key moments that have shaped both me and my educational journey. I began my roadmap in elementary school, where I had my first formal introduction to schooling at an elementary school in West Warwick, Rhode Island. During this time, I faced several setbacks, starting in the second grade, academically. I struggled greatly and quickly grew to dislike school. Each year, I was evaluated for learning disabilities or reasons why I was unable to comprehend certain materials. In the second grade, I was formally placed on an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). Because of my ILP, I was separated from my friends and taken out of class during certain times of the day. I was always placed in collaborative classrooms with an extra teacher. I was constantly tested and evaluated to determine my academic standing. I was repeatedly told that I wasn't meeting expectations, that I was falling behind, and that I wasn't good enough. This created significant educational anxi...