Since it's founding in 1997, the CYC-Net discussion group has been asked thousands of questions. These questions often generate many replies from people in all spheres of the Child and Youth Care profession and contain personal experiences, viewpoints, as well as recommended resources.
Below are some of the threads of discussions on varying Child and Youth Care related topics.
Questions and Responses have been reproduced verbatim.
Listen to thisHi,
I am currently enrolled in a Child and Youth Care program and am extremely curious
about the combination of outdoor rec programs and Child and Youth Care practices. Would
anyone be willing to share with me their experiences in this area?
Sharon G.
B.C., Canada
...
Hi Sharon,
in response to your question about links between Child and Youth Care practice and
outdoor programmes, I can tell you that for many children this can
indeed be a very useful and productive combination. We are – largely
because of the perfect location of our house – a unit with a specific
emphasis on outdoor and recreational activities for the children in our
care.
May I draw your attention to our website at
http://schlossleonstein.beepworld.de/whatweoffer.htm , where you can
find further information.
Kind regards,
Manfred Humer
...
Power to Be in Victoria BC has a great program.
Most of the staff are Child and Youth Care workers.
www.powertobe.ca
Jennifer Jenkins
...
Hi Sharon,
I highly recommend that you check Craigwood Youth Services website.
www.craigwood.on.ca It is
a youth treatment centre in London Ontario that has a very strong
outdoor program called The 6 Rivers Wilderness Program. It is an
experiential, adventure-based therapeutic program designed by the
Craigwood staff. It's an excellent program.
Bev Anderson-Thibodeau
London ON
...
Hi Sharon
I just heard about this program on the news, It sounds very interesting.
http://www.takeahikefoundation.org/?page=program
Carrie McDermott
...
From: John Rogerson [mailto:John.Rogerson@viu.ca]
Sent: 05 March 2010 08:18 PM
Sharon
A number of students in the Child and Youth Care Programs at Vancouver Island University
(VIU) combine Child and Youth Care with PHED courses including outdoor recreation.
May/June this year Child and Youth Care and PHED student will be involved in a 6 credit
experince taught jointly between Child and Youth Care and PHED. Despite the
evolving scope of Child and Youth Care practice, being with children, youth and families,
continues to be a primary approach to care that is a part of our
professional history and identity.
Been a few years since I have had the rewarding experiences of being
with children/youth in the outdoors..transformative experience for me,
for sure and I expect them (:
Hope others with more recent experience will find time to comment about
this important 'context' of practice.
John Rogerson
...
Hi Johnfrom VIU,
What is the goal of the students combining Child and Youth Care with the PHED?Are they
purposefully trying to develop or experience an outdoor rec type
contextto further integrate this aspect of care into their professional
practices as CYC's?
Thank you forsharing,
Sharon
...
Thank you Manfred, for sharing that link. It sounds likethe program
offersmany activities that envelope a person's needs to explore,
create, and share experiences with others in a community setting that is
presentwith the group care home setting.
What do you see happen when the children in your care have access to the
outdoor rec activities? Do you notice a change in them at all?
Can you share any success stories?
Thanks again,
Sharon
...
I am not sure if you are looking for a community response but I'd like
to add some thoughts I have on the benefits and challenges to the use of
experiential recreational programs for youth development.
Generally rec programs as they relate to adventure learning and such in
my experience can be provide great short and long term benefits for
individual and group outcomes. Cost and accessibility and life-long
participation in some recreational activities in the adventure realm
though are not always accessible for urban and low-income populations of
youth. Too in terms of wilderness adventure based experiences we
often must deal with cultural obstacles to engaging in learning
environments for some historically oppressed groups. There are many good
recreational opportunities to be had in urban contexts that involve very
little overhead, training and insurance and can produce good outcomes
especially those aligned with cultural norms of many of the populations
these youth come from. Dance, music and drama, while not traditional
recreational programming offer many accessible opportunities for
experiential learning and growth for youth and groups of youth and
intergenerational family groups.
Just my thoughts...
Peter DeLong
...
Thank you Sharon,
There are certainly several benefits, which is why we do it! In addition
to physical and senso-motoric improvements, especially in their
coordination, we see a significant increase in the children's self
esteem. Conquering fears, experiencing and pushing personal limits,
mastering (new) tasks, all these things lead to a personal growth in the
young people. We always reflect on these experiences with the young
people, so they can transfer some of the learning into other parts of
everyday life. On top of that we notice improvements in their
concentration, general fitness, and in their ability to feel and become
aware of their own body and its needs. A lot of our activities require
working together as a team, which of course promotes that skill.
Most importantly, the children have a lot of fun during the outdoor
activities and we see many smiles whilst out and about, e.g. when
paddling on the river. As the majority of our children and young people
come from very deprived and sometimes abusive backgrounds, we find it
wonderful to (at least for some time) watch them as children without
worries enjoying themselves.
Manfred Humer
www.schloss-leonstein.at
