Symone Says

Both "At Our Best: Building Youth-Adult Partnerships in Schools" by Gretchen Brion-Meisels et al. and Kristy Luk et al.'s article, "Why Couldn't That Have Been Me?: Reflections on Confronting Adultism in Education Organizing Spaces" stress the importance of youth voices and challenge adults to rethink their roles in education. However, they both miss the boat on addressing the systemic barriers that really hold us back. Both articles do a great job of highlighting how vital it is to empower young people. "At Our Best" emphasizes how youth-adult partnerships enhance engagement, showing that when students feel heard, they are more invested in their learning. Luk et al. tackle adultism—essentially how adults can stifle youth voices—and they make a strong case for genuine collaboration. This resonates with me because when youth and adults actually team up, learning gets way more interesting and impactful. That said, let’s talk about the elephant in the...

Just a few months ago, I found myself grappling with a deep depression that felt all-consuming. I convinced myself that I could handle it on my own and didn’t need help, but that mindset only made everything worse. Eventually, I reached a breaking point that forced me to confront the reality that I couldn't do this alone anymore. The turning point came when my therapist intervened and decided to take me out of work for a week. I was on the brink of being involuntarily admitted to the hospital, which was a frightening thought. Thankfully, I had an incredible support system around me that helped me navigate this challenging time. My family truly rallied during this period. They visited me at home when I couldn’t get out of bed, their presence a comfort even in silence. Just knowing they were there—sometimes just listening on the other end of a phone call—made a significant difference. We’d have long pauses where we didn’t even need to talk; just hearing their breathing reminded me th...

 Growing up in a Black Episcopalian church was a unique experience that really shaped who I am today. It wasn’t just a place to go on Sundays; it was a vibrant community where our culture and values shone brightly, free from the usual influences of whiteness. Here, I found a sense of belonging that was all about us—our stories, our music, and our traditions were front and center. The way we worshiped was so different from what I’d seen elsewhere. Our sermons were powerful and relatable, often filled with the rhythm and passion of African American oral traditions. They spoke directly to our lives, connecting our personal experiences with the bigger issues we faced. And the music? It was everything! From soulful hymns to energetic gospel songs, the church was alive with joy and celebration, making every service feel like a party where we could really express ourselves. What stood out even more were the values we embraced. We learned the importance of community and service, not just w...

Educational Journey Map My journey through life is rooted in the paths of my ancestors. I have my grandparents to thank for my parents’ interest in caring for others, which in turn taught me to do the same. My paternal grandparents had four children, my father being the youngest. Though they were technically counted as a family of six, my grandparents were notorious for opening their home to anyone who needed help. At their highest count, they had nine children living with them. Everyone in their neighborhood knew that their house was where anyone could go for a hot meal or a warm (or cool) place to sleep. Conversely, my mother was raised in an abusive home by my maternal grandmother, as my maternal grandfather spent my mother’s childhood in prison and passed away when she was a teenager. The experiences my parents had as they grew up shaped the adults they became: my father emulated his parents’ caring and supportive nature, while my mother strived to make everyone feel loved, protect...

 "In this frame, young people are situated as individuals with emotional, physical, academic, moral, and social potential." -From I Know What I Believe: Using Theory to Prepare Youth Workers - This quote from the reading really resonated with me because I think it is so important to make space for youth to be authentically themselves. I believe it is a disservice to the youth for the adults or mentors who work with them to pigeonhole the leaders of tomorrow (and sometimes today). While there is nothing wrong with viewing Youth Development through differing lenses like Risk, Resilience and Prevention, Civic Youth Development, and Social Justice Youth Development, I find that using the Positive Youth Development lens allows for more agency from the very beginning. This viewpoint reminds me of the approach used at DCYF, which we call a "strengths based approach." A strengths-based approach gives people the opportunity to focus on the assets they already see in themselv...

 Reading Katie Johnston Goodstar’s article, Decolonizing Youth Development: Re-imagining Youthwork for Indigenous Youth Futures , left me feeling a mix of disappointment and self-reflection. As a member of the Narragansett tribe, I’ve often felt a bit out of touch with the deeper aspects of my culture, so diving into this article was both eye-opening and a little uncomfortable. It felt like I was looking at something that I should be more connected to, but I didn’t quite feel like I belonged in the conversation about Indigenous issues. Goodstar’s discussion about how Indigenous children and communities are treated hit home in a way I wasn’t expecting. While I could relate to some of her points due to my upbringing, I didn’t realize until reading her work that many of our family practices are actually tied to my Indigenous roots. For example, the way Goodstar described Indigenous kinship systems, where children are cherished and not seen as burdens, perfectly matches my family’s app...