What are the characteristics of a Youth Worker?

                                           Seven Characteristics of Youth Work 

1.  Youth Workers are educators. Unlike teachers, workers engage with youth in different ways. This may be through a love of music, dance, photography, sports and etc.... Like teachers and administrators, youth workers want kids to confide in them. They want to aid them in whatever problems they may be having. Sometimes the only way to do that is to step away from the formal or prepared curriculum and become creative.
  I for one, have a hard time confiding in adults. Mainly teachers, principals and counselors. I feel that could never understand them. In ninth grade, I attended PASA ( Providence After School Alliance ) with a friend. Initially, I was not excited and felt the environment would be no different than high school. One youth worker in particular made my visit not only enjoyable but meaningful. His name was Jeff. He came across more like a friend than a principal or a teacher. When I spoke, I felt as though he actually cared about what I was saying. He was creative. When he planned activities they were not only fun but they also had purpose,

2. Youth Work is a social practice.Youth Workers want their kids to interact with one another. This strategy not only strengthens the relationship between the worker and the youth, but it also helps kids/teens develop and assess their attitudes and behaviors being around people their own age.

3. Youth Workers are also known as advocates. Some youth are cast aside and are not given a voice. We live in a world that has given certain people privilege. In my FNED 346 class, we conducted an activity known as SWAMP. We found that privilege centers around the following people;
S- Straight
W- White
A- Able- Bodied
M- Men
P- 

As future youth workers, it is our duty to ensure that all of our "students" are given a voice and are heard by society. How are we going to help our youth/children function educationally and socially if we do not speak about the inequalities within education and employment. Actions speak louder than words. We can't just say, "There are inequalities within our society" and leave it at that. We have to be willing to; go all the way to Congress, try to write new legislation and assemble with other agencies to make a change. 

4.  Youth Work is a welfare practice. The goal is to promote the safety of young people. Before I took Crime and Criminal Justice my freshman year of college, I never believed the following saying,
     "The more time a child has on his or her hands, the more likely they will experiment in negative
        behavior".
  My initial way of thinking was wrong. My professor at the time, JoAnn Niksa, a probation officer with DCYF felt it was necessary for us to know that the more time a child or teenager has that is not being used productively, the more chances that he or she will engage in negative behavior.

5. Youth Workers engage with youth in a variety in different settings. Some youth workers may work in a juvenile training school, a school or a recreation center. In these  different environments, youth are learning in an innovative, non-traditional manner. Connections are made between the youth and the youth worker.
 
6. Youth Workers seek to strengthen the voice and influence of young people. Without the help of my Youth Worker within the Providence After School Alliance, I would have never known of my rights as a student. I was always told you never question an authority figure. Even if you disagree with them you keep your comments to yourself. Jeff made me realize the more I remained silent, the less power I would have. My voice would never be heard unless I took the initiative to speak my mind freely.

7. Youth Workers works with young people holistically. Youth Workers work with kids because they know these kids are dealing with a lot. They are in need of something. Something that must be addressed early. We as youth workers are not only the voice(s) of our kids, we are their confidants. We are able to do what their principal or teacher might not be willing or able to do, establish a relationship with them.