Blog 1

Gwen Sharp's article is about child labor, and how the past effected adolescent development. Times have changed a great deal since 1900s.  In the 1900s children working was a normal thing.

School came in secondary. Today children are not expected to work, but are expected to attend school. Children in the early 1900s had responsibilities like adults today have. Children today do not have the same responsibilities. The laws that were made have restricted children from having these forms of responsibilities.

This article makes me thinks of how different things have become over the years at least here in the states. In some countries children still work at an early age, such as Guatemala. To these children working is the norm because that is all they know. School isn’t not a priority. I found the article to be interesting, and the pictures said a lot.

 Contexts mapping, from my understanding has to do with organizing the different aspects of yourself in your life, also what is expected of you as well as the roles you play in the different situations.

Mitch had Julian do that so that he could understand that one does not find their self over night. I learned that there are four stages of identity Foreclosure which is finding a sense of self. you think you know who you are but have yet to explore more. Diffusion is when the person does not have an established identity, nor is actively searching for one. Moratorium is active searching for one's occupational, religious, ethnic or other form of identity. Achieved is when the person is comfortable with whom they are and no longer needs to explore. I feel like I am between two of these identities. I am between moratorium and achieved.

My Context Map

Work:                       School:                Home:
   Hard worker             Student             Guardian
   Knowledgeable         Procastinate      Role model
                                                               Aunt
                                                               Big sister
  

What is Youth Empowerment?

FIGURE I SHARE THIS VIDEO I LIKED IT

YIA

After reading A World Where Youth Hold the Power and Watching the video gave me what I guess one could say hope. Many adults view our youth as trouble some. They are viewed as immature beings with really bad mood swings and hormone problems. they are individuals without voice. when one thinks of youth we are thought to automatically think negative.

 It is great to see programs that aim to change the view of youth. In Youth in Action these youth have a say. Youth are put in a more positive light. Instead of hearing people tell them they cant, they hear a you CAN. In YIA youth find their voices. They are given the opportunity to become leaders. a quote that I really like was "Teenagers run our organization and are part of every decision, from approving our budget to choosing the color of paint on the walls to hosting the 2011 Free Minds Free Peoples conference this past summer!!”

This gives the youth a sense of pride. The youth feel included in what’s going on around them. In YIA the youth have a voice, which to anyone is important. They learn to speak up for their rights. It is nice to see the wonderful impact YIA have on their youth. Marlie Chatelain who is 17 and a board co-chair said “I like that I am part of a place where there are so many different opinions. The trust, respect, and openness makes us stronger.”  This statement shows that with a great support system anything is possible. With more programs like these change can happen and over time the view of youth will begin to change.