The history of primary supports includes organizations such as YMCA, YWCA, Boy Scouts, and 4-H Clubs.
This sector is supported in various ways depending on how large or small the organization is. Large organizations are: "governed by volunteer boards that make all decisions about programing and services and elect representatives to national boards". However, the small organizations do not have a lot of money and therefore they depend mostly on volunteers to do most of their work.
Primary supports teaches youth workers that it is important allow youth to have their own voice and to allow them to: "explore their own talents and possibilities, such language as to involve, motivate, engage, empower, challenge, enhance, nurture, inspire". Youth workers must always put youth first and ensure they the center of attention of every primary support.
I completely agree with you Katelyn. As youth workers, we are the people that are there to help guide and support the youth on the right track in their lives. We have to help them make their own appropriate and right decisions based off what they are going through in their everyday lives. Unlike the adults that tell the youth where they have to go and what they have to do in life to succeed, youth workers give youth the option to decide and voice themselves for them. The only person that can make the appropriate choices for us are ourselves, not anyone else.
ReplyDeleteAs youth workers children look up to us and we set the stage for how they will act and behave when interacting with primary supports. When we let children know that their talents are important they feel like they are truly being seen, maybe even for the very first time. Youth workers make a huge impact on children when it comes to guiding them to find their voice.
ReplyDeleteIndividuality is such an important component of today's world. As young people, its all about discovering who we are, what we like, what we want to do. It is our similarities and our differences that bond us together or push us apart. If we are not able to explore and voice who we are, or who we want to become, what is the point? As a youth worker, it is going to be essential to help foster these growing minds...without putting them in a box.
ReplyDeleteGroups like the YMCA and Boy scouts are great and certainly help children and teens find a voice of their own. As youth workers we want the youth we work with to find their voice like you said. Having groups like these available to help with that and to help build personal/social skills,and leadership skills are a wonderful asset.
ReplyDelete