Narrative

 Yoooooooooo,                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                           Narrative Letter

 I was asked to find something I wanted to change or enhance in relation to my profession. For the final of the CURR 501: Digital Media Literacy course. Most youth are thrust into the US education system at the age of 5. A system that is cold, structured, and rigid requiring assimilation. Composed of large buildings, housing uniform and at times archaic structures and teachers who do not resonate with the youth they are intended to serve.  I want to change the way youth feel about coming to school when entering alternative education. 

I believe the YDEV anchors are tools to assist youth in achieving their educational goals. To do so within my program I have developed a digital survey for participating youth. Which elevates the individual needs of the student.  Allowing the staff to properly configure plans of learning, support and engagement for each student. This tool will be used in conjunction with my Youth Development MA capstone project.  My Youth Development MA capstone project examines how and which of  the youth development anchors inform educators’ beliefs and practices in non-traditional education settings.

 

My development both personally and professionally coupled with an increasing passion for youth development. Facilitated in my examination of the impact I had on  youth I had served and how that impact could be elevated. In effort to satisfy my wonderings surrounding my impact and its validity, I began to seek out ways in which to  ensure youth I presently serve and will serve in the future would receive a deeper and more impactful experience resulting from our partnership. 

Spending a large portion of my professional career in non-traditional educational environments (K-12). It was clear my YDEV MA capstone would focus on some aspect of education. Which aspect(s) specifically was the real question. Deeply believing in education and its benefits, while understanding, education to many youth in spaces I have served is unbearable. As I brainstormed, organized and revised my ideas for roughly a month. I decided; I would  examine the presence and relationship of the YDEV Anchors and in non-traditional educational spaces. More importantly, how the anchors inform educator practices and shape the student experience in education.  

Ensuring my research was structured and pertinent. I developed a question to guide my research efforts. The purpose of my capstone titled: Values in Education examines and strives to answer the question. How do youth development values inform educators’ beliefs and practices in non-traditional urban education settings? In developing this capstone research participants were recruited. Qualitative and quantitative data collections were used in the forms of research participant survey and interview completions. 

Data received was collected, analyzed and synthesized. Upon completion of the above an informational brochure was created, showcasing some of the data findings. The brochure is intended to be a tool used by adult education programs serving youth ages 16-22. In effort to destigmatize the general equivalency diploma commonly referred to as (GED) to potential youth participants. Education matters and YDEV’s anchors assist in making education equitable.