Youth workers’ work is very diverse because it depends on the settings, the population and the ages. However, the goals are the same which they are for the benefits of youths. Youth work should have an impact on young people’s lives via processes of developments, enjoyments, taking parts voluntary, with relevant learnings based on young people’s expressed needs and interests. The work with young people is very challenging because they are apprentice adults, on the verge of a new life and the workers are the trainer teaching them the skills needed to become qualified adults or fully functioning.
For me, I work with immigrant youth and their families. The major goal is to help them adjust to America’s life. The paths to the goals are so difficult for us and for them because they didn’t come to this country by choice but they were obligated by their families whom are escaping from wars. By transitioning from country to another, this generation has faced many pressures, has experience discomforting confusion, disquieting irritations and perplexities. We find the adjustment to be difficult socially and economically. They have to be engaged into a new world including new friends, new neighbors, new schools, new languages and new environments. They had to flee to another country to refuge while waiting for the welcoming approval by the US. Some families they had waited for years before they came to America. They waited between five and nine.
I will describe my work and the dilemmas I faced with young people over the span of last week. Because the youth and their families whom I work with live in shelter, they really become frustrated when others find out where they live. One of the families I work with lives in the scatted site and the father called asking me to go to his house immediately. When I got there, the mother was laying on the floor, the sixteen year old child crying and the father was confusing and didn’t know what to do. He told me that the son didn’t want to go to school and his mother started crying because she was concerned about him and after she talked to him for a while then she laid on the floor.
Actually, the mother was having seizures but they thought that she is anxious and bothered by her son returning from home before the school ending. I called the ambulance and took care of the mother and at the mean time I calmed the child down and told him not to worry because we will take care of everything after we take care of his mother. After the mother was taken care of, I started talking to the son to find out what was happening. He said that one of his schoolmates found out that he lives in shelter and he dislikes that very much. He also told me that in Iraq, they don’t have shelters; if somebody lost his or her house they either live with families, friends or make shading tents. I was able to convince him that in The US, most of us can be at risk of losing our houses or our jobs and in these cases, we may go to shelters. I also told him that not only refugees go to shelter but even Americans. After that, I had to go with him next day to school and talk to his guidance counselor and explain the situation.
The second day, he was involved in a big fight and caused more frustration for the adult faculty trying to break up the fight. They called me again because the parents speak no English and therefore they have my phone number in his file. They suspended him for one day and he was required to bring one of his parents. I had to talk to him again and explain that in this country, it’s different from Iraq where you can knock or hit whoever gives you hard time. For the homework, he doesn’t do it under the pretext of his poor English. To improve that area, I talked to him about after school programs and we registered him in Boys and Girls Club.
For young people, communication works for most of them very well. They also like to hear and see concrete examples. Thus, at the after school or at the club, they will see others who do their homework before they start playing so he will do too. Helping youth gain a voice and encourage integration into wider society, will also internalize work and learning as genuine life options. Youth workers in partnership with parents should pay attention to any changes that have occurred around youth and what or who have influenced them and this will guide us to help them more. For example, if the changes are positive, we will have them continue but if they are negative, of course we will do our best to help them leave it.