What’s Next?
Is my cactus dying? What a question? But, I’m serious. When I turn my computer on to work in the morning, I worry. Is my cactus dying? I can see the plant where I left it in March, atop a bookshelf in the center of my office. The question matters on more than one level. It matters because it proves I underestimated what this time at home could mean. It matters because the ceramic planter in the shape of a bird is a symbol of a beginning, specifically this job a year ago. The cactus matters because somehow it means I was complacent in what I allowed myself to worry about, not realizing all my determination and intentions still come with vulnerabilities and the fear that my efforts to reach youth, in outreach, aren’t stretched in the right directions.
A former colleague in Guatemala once told me she loved the rainy season, because it made her feel good about staying home. This year I also sensed that the late spring lessened the excitement that existed in the form of anxiety or frustration around the question of what “What’s next?” could look like. Spring was an intensive two months of professional development working from home. Much of this self guided education was focused on how to support youth, especially in their social and emotional well being. One particular piece of advice that repeated was the reminder that adults should give youth the space to mourn what they lost. I found this to be true also for my adult colleagues; mourning was needed, and a cool and rainy spring cooperated. That advice was a place to start, when we started staying home, but the pause carried with it the danger of not getting started again.
Moreover, when I indulged in the distraction of the “possible” loss of things like the cactus I abandoned in my office or the programming yet to be planned, something else happened. I realized my mourning had turned from what was actually lost, to that of what had not yet occurred. While the current pandemic is a glaring example of this tendency, unfortunately, it is a trap youth workers can fall into during the most normal of times. Assumptions we make working with youth about which dreams to encourage or even expose youth to in the first place hold us back. We ask youth to dream, but we don’t dare. We might hold others back from our shared goals because of the path they want to take to get there. Or, instead of offering a variety of roads through current situations and possible actions around barriers, we don’t even open the door to leave the house. Because, well, it’s safer that way.
Memorial Day went by and summer arrived, at least unofficially. I am still working from home. The breeze more like oven breath on my screen porch is no longer relaxing. I am not a parent, but as an educator, this change means the endings of school years. For graduating youth, it is the end of their final school year in a particular school. As an educator summer always meant an interim of exploration and engagement, professional development and summer enrichment.
In her recent article, “Don’t Let COVID-19 Rob Grads of the Celebrations They Deserve”, Chandra Thomas Whitfield states, “In my view, those rites of passages are so much more than that, especially for Black and Brown kids. We learned early and often that opportunities to be celebrated or positively acknowledged publicly are often fleeting at best for us in American society—especially when sports or entertainment are not involved.” Unfortunately, her words are all too accurate as riot footage rolls of youth instead of honking caravans or an online cap and gown parade.
We return from the summer months, always somehow changed. Growth. Trees and flowers rising and expanding in summer heat. Instead, the world is literally on fire. Lungs burn. Buildings blaze. Now, youth and adults are faced with both individual mourning of what wasn’t and collective mourning of what is.
But, I remind myself, a cactus knows how to thrive in conditions that are against growth. So, I imagine it alive, waiting. Resilient. Something that Rick Miller illustrates in his book, “Positive Youth Development from the Trenches.” Words like “hope”, “optimism” and “success” are defined by the culture in which we live, the culture we create. In his book Miller writes that belief statements unite, while mission statements divide. “Children succeed when surrounded by adults who believe they will succeed.” (22). Now more than ever, we, those organizations that create the culture in which we are supporting youth in all of their endings, beginnings, always and nevers, need to be united in hope, but also in action.
For both youth and adults, without imagination there is no action. For this reason, despite recent events, I did not alter the resources included in this blog post. They remain focused on the future, all the futures, that our youth should continue to imagine possible. But, as I stated, summer is a time for professional learning and planning for the year ahead. To that end, I am honored to be a part of planning committees for Racial Justice programming in the Rock County area. Moreover, the privilege afforded me in those roles takes on an even greater responsibility because in our systems, the power structure favors adults over youth. Youth-Adult Partnership seeks to ensure that youth are not only recipients, but also, creators. So, I turn to them and ask the most important question, “What’s next?”
RESOURCES
First, and foremost, I recommend reading “Youth Development from the Trenches”. Rick Miller’s text reminded me of how important the belief, but most assuredly the awareness, of what could happen next is for youth development. His priority is the relationships adults provide and the focus adults must keep on the culture of youth work those relationships maintain. Miller emphasizes how much youth lose when the focus is on fidelity in the maintenance of the organizations themselves, not their outcomes.
Second, watch the PBS Educator Connect: Empowering Students to Create Change. “There’s never been an old folks revolution,” states filmmaker Stanley Nelson. Enough said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMh6p554l3E
“Make Your Youth Program a Pathway to Higher Education” by Joanna Tzenis can be found on the University of Minnesota Extension Youth Development Insight. Whether or not youth are involved in 4-H, the essential elements for youth achievement remain crucial: passions connected to concrete experiences, belonging, engagement in future planning that includes possible barriers and steps to address these obstacles, shared imagining of the future with those who support them. You can read the entire article here: https://blog-youth-development-insight.extension.umn.edu/2020/01/make-your-youth-program-pathway-to.html
The power of imagination in becoming goals and action steps not only applies to the individual youth, but also benefits their communities. Reading about the scholarship winners awarded by the Living Standard and Green Schools shows asks us all to reflect on not only if we believe in youth imagination, but what we can do to listen to their visions. Watch the videos here: http://livingstandard.org/latest/high-school-seniors-lead-on-sustainability/ These youth are an example of what happens when Youth-Adult Partnership meets STEM.
If you’re looking to be not only the supportive adult but also the adult that opens the horizon for youth imagination, these project briefs can help you help youth understand what their interests of today can become. University of Missouri Extension provides ‘Project Briefs’ here https://extension2.missouri.edu/catalogsearch/result/?q=Project+briefs Each brief includes skills to develop, connections to the community, possible leadership opportunities, college and career connections and further resources to explore.
Lastly, for those of you interested in exploring what that horizon might look like virtually, considering our current experience during the pandemic, you might find 2020 Ed Tech Trends Focus on Equity an interesting read. Their topic headlines include: makerspaces, esports, augmented and virtual reality. Read the full article here: https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2020/02/2020-ed-tech-trends-focus-equity?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202020-02-07%20K-12%20Education%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:25572%5D&utm_term=Education%20Dive:%20K12
