Problem Focused Services

In presenting the problem-focused services. This article explains the organization/social structures for youth in the juvenile justice system while connecting it to the case workers to the nature of their work. The article mentions about inadequate funding, lack of autonomy for both youth and case workers, as well as societal attitudes and beliefs effecting juveniles. The inadequate funding is best explained by the following quote for our reading.

“The magnitude of the caseloads and the expense of creating management systems to support the range of tasks required of either child welfare or juvenile justice programming means that most of the private organizations providing these services are driven by economies of scale to be fairly large. As with schools, the magnitude alone challenges the capacity of these systems to be responsive to individual circumstances, interests and needs” (p. 216 )

For the above quote, it should be noted the accountability on behalf of our political-economic system that allows community welfare programs go underfunded. The author summarizes the lack of autonomy due to bureaucracy, funding, and the adversity of the youth circumstance. Lastly, the authors mentions how societal attitudes and beliefs put juveniles into rigid programs that focus more on social control rather than treatment, empowerment, and care that youth’s need. As the following quotes states, “However, public sentiment about young delinquents (as well as adult criminals) has turned harsh, and rehabilitation efforts that are not dramatically successful are often judged failures.” (p. 215)

What I feel should be taken from the article presentations of problem-focused services is that these services are often driven by society’s relationship with victim blaming. The justice system aim to correct not treat. Lack of funding in schools, juvenile programs, and youth development programs explains government (thus society) lack of support towards youths who behaviors are symptoms of an environment that is ill fit for their development. It also should be said that problem-focused services are not prevention oriented.

Juvenile justice is still part of the larger justice system. The justice system has been criticized with profit making intentions. I feel that there is a correlation from juvenile justices to the privation of prison. This is well explained in the book, “The New Jim Crow”.

Here are some links:

Great summary > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Jim_Crow

This online documentary of The New Jim Crow explains the profit motives, policies, and racism that is in our prison system. > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McZOXzlnC2U

Digital Natives

First, I need to make a confession... I am a geek, a gamer, and a advocate for the digital natives. My two best friends both majored in computer science, one doing VERY well at a start up company right now for just having an undergrad. My relationship to technology is humbled due  to the exposure from my tech friends. They also tell me all the time that their understanding of computer science is very limit compared to others in their field, this puts in me in awe. I am also humbled by the computer sciences discipline with the degree of mathematics, coding, and "language" that is needed to perform in the field.

Prensky and Wesch are rite on the money when explaining our generation, the digital natives, relationship to education, thought processes, and brain development. I find this quote from Prensky very relevant, "Children raised with the computer 'think different from the rest of us. they develop hypertext minds. They leap around. It's as though their cognitive structures were parallel, not sequential'" It can be argued that the digital generations are better equipped with conceptual memory and less adapted in working memory. I have an opinion, as many digital natives do, that education should teach concepts and processes and not facts, solely on the principal that the internet exist as an information search tool. It is going against human progress to deny the Internet's role in constructing knowledge.

The authors discussed video games that support brain development and can be used as educational tool. The copyright date on this article is 2001, the video game culture has change, immensely. I will comment on this quick only because it is very relevant in youth development.

My "self-care escape" hobbies is competitive gaming in Real Time Strategy (RTS), Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), and trading card games. Competitive gaming is a real culture, with real competition, go google around with keywords Esports or Major League Gaming. This article provides a very simplistic over view of competitive gaming http://blog.gamershive.com/fundamentals-competitive-gaming-part-2/

Regarding MOBAs, the previous linked article said that an international tournament will have $1.8 million dollar prize pool. For a different MODA, another  article reports 18 millions views for an all-star game. http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/07/11/league-of-legends-drew-18-million-viewers-for-its-all-star-game/ Most these viewers are young digital natives, many in high school, who look up to these pro gamers as one would do for pro athletes and actors.

These competitive games have steep learning curves that separates the casuals from the pros. Competitive gaming have fundamentals such as game knowledge, hand-eye reactions, mechanics, in-game decisions/reactions, team dynamics, character roles, that can get very sophisticated; thus explains pro gaming.

On terms for YDEV: competitive gaming is real for many youths, and is a extracurricular activity that parallels areas in sports and performing arts, even though it may not yet meet formal criteria. As YDEV professionals, we need to support youths passion in the established gaming culture into a enviroment that serves youth development goals and outcomes.

 A little extra
Here is one small example of gaming fundamentals http://passthejelly.hubpages.com/hub/League-of-Legends-10-Key-Fundamentals.

This guy is the RTS guru of Star Craft. See how popular he is and how in-depth his game analyze are. http://blip.tv/day9tv

A World Where Youth Hold the Power

The article, In a World Where Youth Hold the Power by the Youth in Action (YIA), has the main idea of youth empowerment. The word power was emphasized in the article by Oredola when explaining social inequality to the systemic challenges that disadvantage families and youth face. The word power was emphasized even more by the relationship that youths have with power. The authors states, “As a young person of color, you can view yourself as powerful or powerless within the systems that impact you.” (p.48). The authors continues its narrative on how YIA empowers its teenagers with opportunities in leadership, conflict resolution, team work, advocacy and many other essential civic-social skills. The personal stories that the YIA authors give all pertains to YIA means of empowerment, and the outcomes of empowerment.

The YIA model resonates with my own experience in the City Year New York: Young Heroes program. This program had East Harlem middle school students engage in variety of service-learning topics that relates to the community that the Young Heroes live in. Topics such as: homelessness, gun violence, drugs, bullies, etc… My role in this program was curriculum coordinator/ team leader. I was partnered with seven other corps members in order to provide quality programing and mentorship to our Young Heroes. Our team of corps members made it a priority to empower the youth in our program, to give them a voice and knowledge to feel powerful in their community, a community that is social-economical oppressed. These service-learning topics were deeper than addressing social justice issues, these topics were the means for our Young Heroes to explore their strengths, styles, and attitudes to the realities they live in. I can confidently say that the Young Heroes program parallels the YIA model in how they both empower youth and give them the opportunities to grow in the communities they live in that schools could not previously provide.

Oh, and here is a photo of my City Year team. I am going to Facebook my service leader and see if I can get pictures of some of my Young Heroes.