Real Voices, Real talk

(Promising Practices)

   

I attended Promising Practices last year and really enjoyed it, and this year the result was just the same. The panel discussion was great and to hear from so many varying and unique speakers was an experience worthwhile within itself. This year I attended a session called Real voices Real talk, and within it we heard from a Principal, Student, Director, and Mayor of North Providence and the program that they were running. This program in its particular location is offered to any youth within a particular age frame, and community. They spend the school year and the summer coming up with plans and ideas for their community and they execute their plans after bringing it by the adults involved with this program. What I liked most about this was that the adults in this program never expected too little of these students, they backed them up 100% regardless of how bizarre and outrageous the students felt that their ideas were. This reminded me of one of the Five ways that Teachers can help us do our best, where one of students loved that their teacher did not doubt them but encouraged them and also their fifth way was to “Encourage them to spread their wings”. As adults, we have to learn to give youth range over their mind and we just help them to guide the plane when taking off. This session just further proved that if we give youth the right tools and help them along the way that they can push limits that we may have never imagined, we have to work as a whole to provide a great future for them and those after. Promising Practice is a definite must for anyone who is planning on working with youth. It is an eye opener and full of different opportunities to explore different realms of teaching and educating youth.