YIA

"It's critical for young people to be at the center of change in every community."

 Youth in Action describes leading with their connection to the community. They talk about how youth aren't given enough credit for the things that they do in their own community, and that we as a society should appreciate them more. YIA feels that youth should be connected to every aspect of their community in order for them to thrive as individuals, which I feel is our goal as youth workers as well. They also have a strong will to defy the stereotypes in which "urban" youth are perceived to be. It was also interesting to read about how YIA uses "plus delta hot seat" which is similar to our YDEV "plus delta minus." It seems that YIA has come up with many creative and innovative ideas to give back and support "urban" communities and its youth. YIA goes beyond lecturing and homework that is given out to students in classroom; they strive to dig deeper into the lives and feelings of youth and see how they feel about what is going on in the world.
"I like that I'm part of a place where there are so many different opinions. The trust, respect, and opinions make us stronger." This statement stood out to me because it seems that the youth who are involved with YIA feel accepted and comfortable in this environment. Comfortable enough to open up to people which they don't get to do at school, and I feel that is the most important part of what we do as youth workers, reaching beyond the classroom to help these children.



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