Center For Resilience

After reading Ilana's blog I was so inspired to write my own. Her passion for youth work and getting the children involved has pushed me to new levels in my own youth work and it is always exciting to see how excited she gets about a new project she is working on. As for my own youth work my passion as well is to get children involved in their specific communities that they identify with. In the dance world in Rhode Island everyone knows everyone. Our studio is a very "tight nit" community and we are built on a foundation of family values. We do our best to get our children involved in community service work, outside performances in the community, and trips to spread the word of what exactly it is that we do. In the dance setting we are in a "classroom" but it is more of a leading with youth type of system. We work together as a team to achieve a desired goal that we may be setting for that week. We have a program of assistant teachers and demonstrators within the studio and they work directly under us and learn how to run classes, choreograph dances, teach children of all ages, etc. Though we all work together the children are aware that I am "in charge" of what goes on in the room.

After watching the videos on the Center For Resilience I have learned and watched techniques on how to get children to "re-set" and get back on track in their school day. Techniques that I wish could have been introduced to me at a young age. I have known one of the speakers in the testimonials for my entire life and know how much he has a passion for empowering all children around him. Sending children who are having trouble in the classroom to the office is not solving the problem. It is just pushing it off to the side rather than taking direct action. These techniques have proven to help children stay on task and believe in themselves and what they are doing.