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 thisAs I was working with a small group of students at school they began to
talk about staff they really liked and staff that they didn’t care for.
I wanted to find the positives in the conversation so I asked them what
makes a good teacher? One girl gave the example of a teacher that
helped her to pass a course and believed in her. The other girl
said, “Mrs. ____ never liked me.” That was her perception and how
she was feeling.
I guess I’m now really thinking about the qualities that I want to be
known for as a Child and Youth Care worker and those I need to work on. I am
currently a student and am wondering what others in the field believe
are the most desirable qualities to have. It will be interesting
to hear from you all, I continue to grow as I take part in this Child and Youth Care community.
Cheers,
Judy
BC Canada
...
I strongly believe that we are a product of what we are perceived to be.
The fact that one of your clients liked a teacher who liked her speaks
volumes. Do we not all thrive on positivism.
Of course we are going to try harder if we feel that teacher/or
care giver be lives in us and likes us. By this I emphasise care
as well, because too often showing we like a student amounts to us
providng them with the fish instead of teaching them how to fish. (to
borrow an analogy).
Giving them the answer or telling them what to do does not show care
instead it emphasises dependance. When we lead and coach
students/clients, we must allow them to make their own mistakes and
allow them to grow from them as we did. Without mistakes, there is
no learning. To show one cares is to be their to help after they
make their mistake and coach them through other approaches that may have
worked better... it is NOT stopping them from failing.
This shows them that despite their success/failure we are there
for them. Our support does not end when one does not succeed but
rather we show them we "like" them or care for them, whether they
succeed or not.
To me that is showing and caring and assisting them in becoming well
adjusted citizens.
Davina
...
Hello Judy,
I feel one of the most important qualities a Child and Youth Care worker, or any person
really, can have is respect.
Now, respect can be a huge vague word, so let me explain. I am
talking about treating students as we would like to be treated ourselves – to be listened to; to be understood, or at least attempting to
understand; give full and undivided attention; acknowledging feelings;
to feel like we matter and provide support. I feel caring is a matter of
respect and that can go a long way in developing positive relationships
with those we are trying to help.
Take care and thanks for the discussion.
Peace,
Ann Marie Beals
...
Hey Judy
I'm a first year in this field and I'm not sure how I could help but I'd
like to share some of the characteristics I loved about my favorite high
school teacher: she was kind, gentle, funny, never judgmental,
corrective in a non-critical way, honest, kept promises, cared about our
opinions and most importantly she allowed us to be ourselves.
Sine Majozi
...
Hi Judy,
My son (12) was standing in the room while I was reading your post, so I
asked him your question. His reply was this: "laugh more and tell me
less". Maybe we need to make sure we all take a reminder course on how
to just be a kid again. I know some days I could use the reminder. See
you Tuesday!
Lina Thompson
...
Hey Judy, it’s great you’re reflecting about what makes a good teacher
and Child and Youth Care worker. I think it’s immensely important to be real and non
robotic when working with children. While still respecting boundaries, I
think it’s important for a teacher to appear real to a child in order to
gain their trust and respect. At least from personal experience, I know
that the relationship I had with a teacher whom I knew bits about his
family and personal life was much stronger than the relationships I had
with ones who appeared to only be a teacher and lived in their
classrooms. As for relevance, the stronger relationships allow for
students to feel comfortable asking for help or seeking out a role model
when home didn’t function well. Though I am not yet a Child and Youth Care worker, nor
have I been involved with any Child and Youth Care work experience, I can infer that the
relationships I had with certain teachers would be similar to the goals
of relationship building between some workers and clients.
Emily Vieira
BC, Canada
...
Hi Judy,
As you know I am not currently in the field as I am still a student like
you, but from just past experiences with high school teachers, I believe
a Child and Youth Care worker should resemble some of the same qualities of a specific
teacher I once had. She was a very kind fair and honest teacher who did
not talk or treat us like children, she treated us like teenagers and
was age appropriate. Youth always want to be treated like their age or
sometimes even older and not younger. So as a Child and Youth Care worker, I
believe to be a good worker, you have to always keep in mind that youth
need to be treated as you would like to be, because then respect, trust
and communication will flourish faster. And also, always keep in
mind yourself. Us Child and Youth Care workers tend to be the over giving type of people
who put others before ourselves, sometimes we need to take a step back
and reflect on ourselves to reduce burnout so you CAN give all you can
for the children, youth and families that need you.
Teela Allen
...
What makes a great youth worker is when you have passion about your job,
you care for the children, understand your role in the child's life,
that you are not just their teacher, you can be their friend or a
sister/brother they can count on too, and flexible, and respectful to
your client and his/her parents.
Wendy
...
Hey guys,
I just wanted to make a comment about what makes a good Child and Youth Care worker. I think it's really important always to have an open
mind, and always to remember what is in the best interests of the child.
Sometimes there's so much going on with the child and/or the families
that we forget what's important and our judgment becomes clouded.
Also I would like to agree with Ann Marie, because I think respect is
very important in this field. You can't get respect without giving
respect.
Prab Verdi
...
A great Child and Youth Care worker is passionate about what he/she
does, genuinely cares about their client, is dependable, tries to help
improve the life of the client and is a positive influence in his/her
life.
Anonymous
