Blog Post #5

 I have to say that this is a really good song and it has a lot oft happen to people who come from other countries true things tha. I'm Dominican, so stuff he says in there are things that I've been living with my family. I know how it feels to have the pressure on you, not just from our goals but also from people. When Nina sings the part that she said, like she feels she let everyone down, it made me think of myself when I'm struggling and think that I cannot do it anymore. I just think of my mom and just do it, thinking of her.

I connect to that feeling of trying to be strong while quietly bouduting myself. Sometimes I feel so stressed about little things and think that I will not do it again, but I just think that I wouldn't let my family down and people who support and love me. But my favorite part was the idea of stop and breathe because I've been doing it and it's been working really well. The point is to not let the pressure weigh you down.

I feel this song would connect to every first-generation college student and face the same pressure as Nina did with her family and loved ones. https://www.pellinstitute.org/news-impact/blog/breaking-barriers-challenges-faced-by-first-generation-college-students/?utm_source=chatgpt.com I found this article where they talked about college students, especially first-generation, and all the challenges they have to face. 

This musical was really good because I feel that it is showing that Nina's story is not just a musical but something that a lot of us have been facing. There are people who are trying to succeed while also trying to breathe, and sometimes that means learning to pause and “breathe” even when the pressure is heavy.

Blog Post #4

 Youth Work

After reading this textbook, I have taken a quote with me: "Youth work requires a lot of experience to understand that their own values, beliefs, and experiences shape the way they work with young people." I really took this quote with me because working with kids, especially little ones, requires passion, so we can understand them and the way they are feeling at times.

Thinking about "what happened, why it happened, and how to do it better" connects theory to real-world work because sometimes I don't do things, thinking that I will do it the wrong way, or thinking about the way people will see it, but as youth workers, we have to think that way, but not necessarily that caind of way. As my second Idea, I have "youth work is valuable" because it is not just about activities and programs, it is about working from a foundation of respect, participation, and passion.

Key Vocabulary:

- Participation: Making sure young people have a voice to make a decision when it comes to activities, and not just being told to do it.

- Inclusion: we always need to make sure young people feel welcome and involved, no matter where they are coming from.

- Empowerment: Helping young people feel confident and able to make their own choices about their lives.

Blog Post #3

My Values

 Connections: I found an article,  “Setting Boundaries in Latino Culture: Balancing Family and Self Care.” It describes how many Latinos feel pressure to always put family first, sometimes at the cost of their own mental health or personal growth. The article shows that growth doesn’t have to mean abandoning family; on the contrary, true growth means learning to care for yourself so you can show up better for your family. This relates directly to my values: being there for my loved ones (Family), while also pushing myself to develop, set boundaries, and grow (Growth). It gives me a good example of how to live out both values together in real life.

Blog Post #2

 My OTS Experience 

       When I first came to the United States, I started middle school. I had just come from another country and didn’t know the language. Everything felt new and overwhelming, but I joined a group to support during and after school with my homework, where I also got to do artwork. This program became a safe place for me to adjust, make friends, and practice English without the same pressure I felt in regular classes. The adults who worked there, tutors and coordinators, were patient and explained things step by step, making me feel supported and not left behind. This connects to McKamey and Restler’s ideas about how Out-of-School Time (OST) spaces can help young people grow, build relationships, and feel included, especially those who need extra help outside the classroom.

     I searched OST experience and found a similar idea in an article called "From Access to Equity: Making Out-of-School-Time Spaces Meaningful for Teens From Marginalized Communities" by the Wallace Foundation. It explains that OST programs should not only provide access but also create welcoming, supportive spaces for students from diverse backgrounds, like immigrants and English learners. This connects to my experience because my school program helped me feel included and confident as I started a new school journey in a new country.

Identity Map

 

Blog Post #1

 Reflection: 

      When I was reading this book, I felt both aware and challenged. Some of the ideas about racism and privilege were things that I already knew, but the way it was written made me think more deeply about my own role in making change. It reminds me that anti-racism is something we need to keep working on, learn about it, and understand, and not just leave it.

Connection:

   This connects a lot to Allan Johnson’s idea of “saying the words” and talking openly about privilege and power. In the book, he pushes readers to name racism and privilege so we can change it, which is exactly what Johnson argues that silence keeps the system going. I also saw a good example of this in my service learning site: when a teacher talked directly about fairness and why some students might not have the same opportunities, it really made the class reflect. That moment felt like a “tap on the glass,” just like Leslie Grinner says, we started to see what’s usually invisible. This is something I learn about in my FNED-246.