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Quote #1: “Through a commitment to social justice, a deliberate practice of care, and a vision of learning in community, we prepare quality youth workers who are ready to lead with youth to make a better world”.

- I just really like this quote because it shows the ways that this youth development program teaches its’ students how to lead with youth in order to make this world better and give youth more of an opportunity to succeed. Just the fact that we as students in youth development learn so much about different ways to lead with youth puts us at the forefront of how generations of youth turn out when they are adults. I feel a sense of responsibility to teach and nurture all youth in my work as a youth worker and I think that all youth workers are important parts of a child’s life. I think that when we graduate and receive our degree in youth development, I think we will all be fully prepared to begin out journey working with youth of all ages to help them succeed, however that looks to them.

Quote #2: “These ideologies are not pure or fixed — a philosophy can grow, change and develop over time — and many youth development organizations reflect multiple ideologies across distinct programs or initiatives”.

- I really like this quote because some people may think that they only identify with one ideology but that isn’t the case most of the time. The fact that a philosophy can change over time is really beneficial for all youth. I also think that it is very interesting that many youth development organizations use multiple ideologies. There are many people that work for the same organization and not all of them could have the same ideology that they use. Overall, I just think that it is very beneficial for youth to be introduced to all the ideologies because they are all important for youth to develop into well-rounded adults.

Quote #3: “In one frame, participants develop athletic skills through engaging in rigorous and targeted training drills.  For the most part, coaches direct and maintain power.  In another frame, athletes develop a range of social, emotional and physical skills through engaging in games and practice”.

- I think this quote is important to think about because it is talking about different approaches when it comes to sports. Some coaches are stricter and they focus on developing athletic skills through hard work and drill. Whereas, the other approach focuses on developing social and emotional skills through games, which is a lot more fun than drills. When I think about the youth worker that I want to be, I feel like the second approach is better for most children because I think it is better for children to learn these skills through having fun versus being pushed to their limits. I know from experience that the drills approach is not the correct way for most children because it doesn’t allow them to be creative in the way they build relationships.