Since it's founding in 1997, the CYC-Net discussion group has been asked thousands of questions. These questions often generate many replies from people in all spheres of the Child and Youth Care profession and contain personal experiences, viewpoints, as well as recommended resources.
Below are some of the threads of discussions on varying Child and Youth Care related topics.
Questions and Responses have been reproduced verbatim.
ListenI have the privilege of working with adolescent girls ages 11 to 14, many who have been labelled as aggressive and am continually amazed as I watch them open themselves up to each other and to me as a Child and Youth Care worker.
The agency I currently work for has placed value and priority upon these young lives and recognizes their potential and has created a full time position for me to design groups where these girls have a safe place to explore personal growth. The message that I focus on through a variety of mediums is, "It is better to be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of someone else" (J. Garland). Exploring this topic through experiential learning, creative expression, and critical examination of what the media is saying has proved to be an eye opening experience for these young women. Inevitably I have girls who plead with me on the last day to re-admit them into the program. I do agree that by creating a structured and safe place for the girls to explore topics such as self esteem, choice, boundaries, media, communication skills etc is absolutely essential. In addition I believe that each session needs to be built upon a 'strengths perspective' with a facilitator who is both relational and knows how to keep sessions relevant to their needs.
Debbie Pauls
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Hi Debbie,
This sounds like an empowering service and much needed. More strength to you and your agency.
Peace
Jeremy Millar
The Robert Gordon University,
Scotland
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Hi Debbie,
I save all the posts from CYC-Net for references. We are all a great resource for each other.
I just read your post on your groups. I too have started to facilitate a social emotional learning group for girls between 12 and 13. We are on our third session. The first session we worked on was group cohesion. The first session was a lot of fun which encouraged the youth to share based on the value of respect and courage. The second session we worked on the concept of feelings: vocabulary and expressing feelings. The group certainly went through a storming phase. Usually I see this behaviour in the third or fourth session. Although, I do realize that the girls had conflict prior to our group. (we are in a school based program) Anyhow ... there are two individuals that clearly have mental illness with one of them having their own full-time worker. These girls compete for attention and will often get it with negative behaviours. I did notice that there was more cooperation when I played the game feeling charades which got me thinking that when they have space and time for attention they respond in a positive manner. I am looking for more activities that utilize this media. We will be doing a lot of role playing which I am sure will provide positive attention for the girls.
I have looked at my facilitation skills and also realize that I could tighten up when it comes to the girls who are acting out as it affects the other girls. I also wonder if I use the acting out behaviour to challenge new behaviour. This would mean I would have to sway from my agenda. (The plan is the plan until the plan changes right). My concern is that the school district has only given me 4 session during class time to do our workshops. The school counsellor is putting in a proposal for 8 sessions.
I really feel that we need to work on group team building before we get to more of the deeper work but I am really limited on time. I was hoping that you might have some ideas or activities that will do both. Do you have activities that focus on conflict resolution and I statements? I am trying to find an I statement activity that focus on NOT using the You statement...for example, I am feeling angry when you call me names. Instead, I am feeling angry when I am called names.
I realize that I am all over the place. I am feeling a bit scattered about how I should plan my next workshop. I would really appreciate links, resources and ideas that my peers have used in the past.
Chantelle Syrette,
BA HSD
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Hi Debbie,
From what I have read it sounds like you and the agency you work for is an amazing place and opportunity to empower these young girls, equipping them to face the world with a better understanding of who they are, what their value is and exploring relevant topics that affects their daily lives. I definitely agree with you that each session needs to be built upon a “strengths perspective”...which reminds me that one of the four core essences of Child and Youth Care is where workers build on the existing strengths and abilities that each child or youth has. It is vital for us to do so in order for each child/youth to feel encouraged, inspired and hopeful in what they have to offer. I love the fact that you believe that creating a structured and safe place for the girls to investigate topics that are relevant to where they are at in this point in their life (choice, self esteem, media, communication etc) is essential. I have done volunteer work with adolescent girls ages 13-17 and I have found that those are all HUGE issues in all of their lives that they have common ground on – the biggest being self esteem and media (linked in a very big way). So I just want to encourage you in the way that you are going! It’s a challenging road but the girls will never forget the work that you are putting into them and the skills that they are leaving with. You are instilling hope, truth and love into their lives where the results would hopefully be where they are free to be the woman that they are destined to be!
Take Care!
Amanda Emerson
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Racoon circles
PA or Project Adventure
Circle of Courage
RA or Relational Aggression
Jane Zicarelli-Knaub
Behavioral Services
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With a group of teenage girls on probation for a variety of reasons, I used role play situations that I knew several of them had in common. All it took was one to object to my using "her" circumstances for them to all open up and realize they were not the only one with a given problem. The group was much more effective then, and the role play gave them a chance to try on authority's shoes (mom, dad, cop, etc.).
Sheri McGuinn
