https://padlet.com/juliatesta17/6fwbcjbce3vzo2j5 YDEV 501 // Fall 2020 // These pieces are some of my favorite things that I did over the course of the semester. To me, they feel like celebrations of the youth workers, educators, mentors, and youth I have encountered in my life. Everyone talked about in these works constantly inspire me and push me to be a better youth worker and person whether they know it or not. (YDEV is on my EJM so everyone in this class is included in that as well! Every class spent with you folks is truly a gift.) These pieces also talk a lot about freedom and what that looks like in various forms. I still feel very new to the field of youth work and I am constantly learning from the readings, videos, webinars, and (most importantly) from everyone in this class. I can confidently say that I approach youth work differently than I did during week one of the semester and these pieces are evidence of that. en-us 2020-12-10 19:28:24 UTC 2020-12-10 20:56:45 UTC hello@padlet.com juliatesta17 https://padlet.com/juliatesta17/6fwbcjbce3vzo2j5/wish/1007732551 This was probably one of the most unique projects I've ever done in a college/grad class. I liked being able to go back and really see all of my years of school laid out in a neat little package. It also helped me better understand where my love of youth work originated and why certain things affect(ed) me more than others. The theme of that piece was freedom and when I had it verses when I didn’t. That’s really the theme of all of the pieces I chose for this portfolio and how freedom looks in many different ways – in youth workers, in youth ‘doing the work,’ so to speak, and in the classroom.]]> 2020-12-10 19:36:29 UTC https://padlet.com/juliatesta17/6fwbcjbce3vzo2j5/wish/1007732551 juliatesta17 https://padlet.com/juliatesta17/6fwbcjbce3vzo2j5/wish/1007735360 I absolutely loved every moment of creating this. The five people highlighted are some of the current and former youth workers that inspire me daily to be the best I can be in many different ways and I 100%  would not be here without them. Being able to reflect on the various experiences I had with all of them with a YDEV lens was really cool and it helped me understand why they did/do what they do, even if its not conscious (like putting theory into practice, various YDEV ideologies, etc.)]]> 2020-12-10 19:37:05 UTC https://padlet.com/juliatesta17/6fwbcjbce3vzo2j5/wish/1007735360 juliatesta17 https://padlet.com/juliatesta17/6fwbcjbce3vzo2j5/wish/1007737071 This blog post really made me miss my students in Lewiston. Most of them were underclassmen and are still navigating the public school system and I know this year has been incredibly tough on them and the return to normal seems further away than ever, but they’re still doing the work. Granted, it looks different than before, and despite it all, they’re still working together to create change. They truly embody what BLM in School is and what abolition in school looks like.]]> 2020-12-10 19:37:29 UTC https://padlet.com/juliatesta17/6fwbcjbce3vzo2j5/wish/1007737071 juliatesta17 https://padlet.com/juliatesta17/6fwbcjbce3vzo2j5/wish/1007738833 I chose to include our facilitation plan because, for me, abolition as a practice in schools/youth spaces is something that wasn’t on my radar until I started in this class. I had only recently started doing deeper research into abolition in non-school spaces - primarily prison abolition – this year. Being able to connect with Katie and create this plan and then hear the conversations the class had was a really incredible and important experience for me. This class has been really important to me and it truly is the highlight of my weeks and I’m so sad that it’s over!!]]> 2020-12-10 19:37:54 UTC https://padlet.com/juliatesta17/6fwbcjbce3vzo2j5/wish/1007738833