#Playbox: Welcome guest into your space.

at Nov 28 we have class at the Youth in Action site. I felt very challenged to create a playbox without knowing exactly the size of classroom we would be. I made up this game where I divided the class in 2 groups. the group would choose one of their members to be blindfold. I created a mine space and gave 1 questionnaire for each group. Each group would also have one student assisting the blindfolded student. The goal of the game was ask a question in a way you were would be guessing the answer. If the person said YES, the team would be able to give the blindfold person a instruction to move without stepping in the mine. Example: You don't like oysters? if the person said “Yes, I dont”, the group could say “Okay, name of the new guest, move one step to the right”. 

The goal of the activity was being able to say the name of the guest enough times that everybody in that group would now her/his name, and also being able to know a little bit about the guest. :)

#2 HBS holidays lanterns

I had the opportunity to participate of this event of kids from second grade from HBS school. I do coach kids with different ages but I rarely interact with them outside of the soccer field. What I found amazing about this event is that I could see a lot of the things I have learned from YDEV courses. The way the teachers talked to the kids, and always assisting them but not doing the work for them. Also, being able to treat each kid differently and being patient with their personality. I worked with 2 girls and one of them gave me every instruction to build this lanterns with so much detail that it was scary. It is funny how we are not used to listen to kids being so mature, or more important, how we do not teach kids to be this way although they are more than capable to be. The other girl was so sweet and although she was not that great on building things, she was create on giving attention to guests and helping them as much she could. I really enjoyed working with the kids . I believe the teachers and instructors are doing an amazing job with all he kids. 

#1 Event: Light on after school conference

At lights on after school conference I was able to attend 2 amazing lectures. First one was about Advocating in school and the second one was about non profit organizations. Although I am not a teacher I really enjoy both lectures. The first one give me a lot insights about the importance of everybody in staff being in the same page and believing in the same philosophy. Also, it gives up some guidelines to help us to get the community involve to advocate in the school issues. It gave us options on partnership that can be created in the school environment. I had never seem schools logistics in this matter so it was very interesting. The second lecture was about to non profit: Rosie’s girls and Downcity design. This was about advocating for change through partnership. This lecture was just amazing. I did not how many people are out there trying to help the community and finding way to get youth to grow and learn life skills. I was amazed with the strength and faith both women had on their organizations and how passionate they were about their work. It gave me hope that one day I would be able to start my one non profit organizations. I have this hunger to help the community but I never new how to start, so this lecture definitely helped me as youth worker. 

#8 YDEV anchor.

Community and Care.

After reading Victoria dissertation I do look with a more flexible view towards my teaching style and other people style. We are not the same and we did not grow up in the same way. Also, our priorities are different. At some point I thought I was not able to show care to my players. I am very serious coach during activities and act like a kid outside of the field. I am afraid my kids could think I did not care about them, because I do. Way too much. I realize I show my care on the way I talk to them, I treat them as ay other human being at any age. Also, my care goes through my expectations. They have big dreams now because I was able to make them believe then can play in a different style and play in any level they want. My care is also shown through empower them to become strong girls and women. 

This goes vert along with community anchor. Accepting differences, overcome mistakes, treating failure differently, being aware of how much you can influence others, respect your peers and play for them. I still feel I want to go beyond this and help them to see over this spoil wall that they live. This will definitely be one of my plans for next year. 

#7 ideology inventory

 From the Ideology inventory I learned that I lie on positive values and also critical. Although I got the scores towards positive, and I am very proud to be a positive persona and positive influence for youth. I also know that after years work wit youth my teaching philosophy has shift towards critical as well. I feel lately I become more fan of a the critical analysis of learning than actually the exciting part of it. I still treat my players with positive mentality, but also concentration, determination and focus is a huge part of my sessions. 

I hope one day I can excel my teaching and being able to have a better balance between critical and positive. I feel a lot time the external fact influence on how we treat the kids. How much pressure is under the work and how much freedom we have. My work became more critical when I had less time with kids, so every minute become crucial. Also, the urgency of the work. I still try to keep the positive environment when I feel the energy is low, but definitely need to improve in this aspect. 

How do I care?

# how do I care?


Similar to Pep guardiola, one of my biggest inspiration, I follow my passion and do I  love.

Keep learning is a big thing to provide the best for youth.

Emotionally engaged, I care for the level of expectations and try to think about all players and find ways to get the best from all of them.

I worry about the way I talk, dream and act in the purpose of caring and how could empower the in the girls.

I care through motivating creativity and creating a safe and smart space.

Watch this video of my hero:

Care me!

"ANY DAY COULD BE THE DAY WHERE YOU DRASTICALLY CHANGE SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE FOREVER" (pg. 234)

The articles shows that there are several way that teacher show care and care about students. Some teacher believe in their abilities to impact students life, others are just "being there" to guidance and support the student. Some of them advocate for their beliefs to support other students beliefs. Others don't hide their differences with the expectations to show that being different can also means being successful and still have a sense of community 

"We really can impact some children where they live in a way no one else can and maybe no one else ever could"/ 

Some teachers believe their appearance shows how much they care about their students. The nicer they dress more important it is. Other teacher would like to provide something the students probably don't have outside of the class room, such as love, friendship, support, organization  and cleanness. A learn area should be clean, organized, and safe.

On my work site I see caring been shown as personal relationship. Very close relation coaches with players with a lot respect. Just today I had a parent who asked me to meet with his daughter to talk about her anxiety. I sad for 1 hour to talk to her about how sometimes she can't leave the car because she is so nervous to play the game. Other times I believe we show care through the way we talk to them, and how out of our way we go to help to provide knowledge and structure to help them o succeed.

My personal youth business (SKEFFIT) is starting a partnership with a charity youth project in Brazil. The goal now is helping the girls from FC Boston understand and support different cultures and backgrounds.

Also, making sure they appreciate what they have here and everything their parents works so hard to

provide. They should try to do the same towards other communities and other kids with needs. 

Youth Development Autobiography

I never liked kids. I am the youngest of my siblings, I had never held a baby until I was 23. I used to say I was extremely afraid of kids, and somehow they would be attracted to me. They would come with their big eyes and crazy needs and comments. I just couldn't take it. When I graduated from college I got a job as a soccer coach. It was the only thing I had experience on. For my biggest fear, my boss asked me to work in this program called "Sweet Feet". It was my worse nightmare. I had to coach any soccer for 2-8 years old kids. I did an awful job in the beginning, I couldn't talk to them, everything was so hard, it was exhausting. Each session only last for 45 minutes but it was the longest 45 minutes of my life. However, my boss was the kindest person ever. At some point I started coaching older kids and slowly moving up the ladder. Then finally, I felt in LOVE (pic bellow of my first tournament).

It was like I meant to be there. They brought back my passion for the sports and daily taught me how to be a better person. I have been coaching  for four years now and I had the luck to have the best mentors and bosses ever. They taught me about development and educating human beings. The importance of professionalism and organization. Taught me how to be patient with kids and understand that we, as educator, have no clue whats going on their lives, and we should try our hardest not to take personal. My life now is all about my little humans.

Guess what? 3 years later I could finally run a program for 6-8 years old ( the age I fear the most)!! We rock! I couldn't had done that if I didnt have my mentors to constantly guide me.

"Mauer im Kopf" - The Playwork Primer (Wilson, P. 2010)

"The wall in the Head"

What risks are we actually denying to our kids?! Is risky even bad thing?

Listening to "Risks and Childhood" podcast where Amy Fusselman talks about childhood risks through the leans of playgrounds, I can't help myself on realizing I havent actually payed that much attention on nowadays playground. Although I am not THAT old, and taking consideration I come from a sub developed country, playgrounds still looks like this for me:

Probably not black and white image for me.. I can't see this picture and not make a bet on how how long is gonna take until someone falls down and hit their head in that ramp?!!?!?! What happened to me? or as the listener of the podcast added, I am also "regulating all the fun in the playground because I don't want a lawsuit"?! How much can we change our minds about what is safe and what is not, or what is risk and what is not. I really enjoy listening Amy talking about this argument of risky versus fun, and the fear of dying while playing in a play ground. Not to mention her observation about the lack of signs or the need of signs like this:

I believe that in past were stronger. Not only physically but also mentally stronger in result of the risk they took. As Wilson asked the reader to go back to our childhood and think about our most vivid childhood memories of play, and he says "chances are you were playing outside with no adults present" (pg. 10). I would add "... also in a very risky and memorable environment". Perhaps now we are creating a super secure playing environment but also all weak-natured from overly caring.

"I am not going to sit on the grass. There's dirt under there" (pg. 9)

Regardless of biophobia or this untouched child mentality. Is this really acceptable? 

Is there any other way to play with not getting dirty and being outside? Having this type of thought make me a little bit more opened about the concept and the introduction of a "Playwork". I agreed with Wilson, "the playworker are aware that in an ideal world they should not need to exist" (pg. 8). Reading majority of his pages, I still struggled to accept the whole idea of playworker. Although, the author does a fantastic job describing and exampling what a playworker is and what role they have or can have in the society. I still did not believe this is necessary. Then I started researching pictures of modern playground and I saw this:

 I know its a computer fake pic, and of course, probably trying to sell the idea of the playground. This pic, instead of making me feel safe and happy with the advance technology and the awareness of possible dangerous hidden in the old style playground, I look to it and make me want to leave?! Its like one of this things in life you would probably do it just because the rest of the world is doing as well (like watching Game of Thrones). 

I don't feel excited looking at this. It could easily look fake just be like this legos here...

It sounds/seems/smells equally boring. 

Perhaps, we do need to adjust to the difficulties globalization and civilizations brought to us, and this includes the way we guide our kids to play. I like the description Wilson made of playworker role "This means that playworkers do not try to educate, train, tame, or therapeutically treat children in their time and space of play", and they are there just to help the kids to have the best time that they can, maximizing the short time they have, and maybe squeeze a little bit from their raw creativity and their lack of imagination that unfortunately kids now have. 

Excuse me, open your head and let me play. 

This whole attitude towards what adolescent is suppose to act and/or how children suppose to play, almost telling kids that playing is wrong. Making kids more antisocial and extremely connected to their materialistic and static world. Wilson quotes Lindsey Hanley analyzing the "Mauer I'm Kopf" expression, and how this fear and this controlling system build walls of limits of what we believe is possible of and for ourselves, which the expression translates "the wall in the head". In my head, playing means freedom and freedom means flying (... who never?) in the playground.

Framing Youth: Writing ‘Youth’ in Social Context. Bogad, L (2002).

We are constantly changing. Psychology, physiology, biology, spiritually, astrology (and any other ology ) all have their generalized stages and phases that humans go through (or should go through) in life. The chapters presented from Dr. Bogad book gives us a great deal about questioning youth framing or, I would say, youth labeling; or Dr. Bogad quoted from Hine (1999): "The artificial concept of teenager".

Although I would love to talk about so many different topics after reading her chapter, I keep thinking about this expression: "The Artificial Concept of Teenager".  Just like Delpit argued in her chapters about rules and code from the "Culture of Power", I can't stop thinking if adolescents and the whole adolescents being vulnerable, angry, insecure, hormone boobs, and/or arrogant may be just another part of the social power norms. Well said in the book, the society is ignoring social, cultural, and material contexts; additionally, restating dominant ideas about how adolescent should be or should act according to white middle-class boys experiences. Dr. Bogad finishes saying "thus, the familiar characterizations of adolescence are, in fact, about race and class." (pg. 7).

Relying on what we already know is merely reproducing what we already know. 

I was talking to my best friend this week, and she was watching some video of charity work in Mozambique. The video was about orphan kids, who their parents happens to die when they are really young and there is no support for them. Consequently, kids are living by themselves when they are teenagers 12-14 years old ( Watch the video of Childs Life in Africa  ). Another example is the movie Lion, where the kid tried to survive at age 5 in the streets of India. The movie showed a shocking reality of many streets kids in extremely scarcity situation ( Please, watch this video about the reality of kids in Mumbai).

"Different voices carry different weights" (pg. 2)

I am not denying the existence of hormone changes or the difficulties that adolescents go through. I am just wondering if the society did not imply acceptable behaviors or expectations to certain ages shaping concepts and/or common mystique. Perhaps, if you leave the american culture environment you couldn't apply the same concept or ideas.

Youth Workers - Seven is the magical number

An Educational Practice

Educating young people is a practice and a learning process not only for young people, but definitely to youth worker. It requires different approaches to adjust to each individual to create a trustful relationship between worker and young. As a youth soccer coach, I try to be aware of differences between players. Players can come from different level of skills, can have different personalities, can have different believes when comes to soccer, can go through different issues at home, can be in a different growth phase... So many things to take as consideration before approach the player as a personal and as a player. The informal education the book talks about is definitely part of my philosophy as a coach, where I try to influence the players to think and live the game throughout different opportunities and activities, and hopefully bringing the learning and mentality to the real world.

Social Practice

The social practices is focused in the idea that young people generally is more open to learn and trust when they can relate to their peers. I truly believe this extremely important when young people has a visual and close example of what they would like to become. Youth workers have the opportunity of being not only an educator but also an idol for young people. I use my personal experience in the daily basis in my work. It is nice to see young players trusting your work and dreaming to be similar to you.

Social Justice

Getting out of the bubble, and being aware of social injustice, but more important, the youth worker have the ability to promote ethical attitudes, and sense of community. As the book mentioned, this characteristic of youth worker is crucial and important for the society and a whole. Youth worker should be able to lead as an example, not oppressing, intimidate, or exclude. Helping to improve young people's ability to reflect and critical analyzing situations. My personal case, my goal is to learn and teach how to respect other through the sports. Music and sport have this beautiful and magical thing that bring us together and breaks prejudices and discriminations.

Young people should be involved

This part of the book, they talk about how nice would be if young people was involved in youth work voluntarily. However, young people tends not to attend less formal youth groups/clubs/work as much they would if it was school or places that they are compelled to attend. Instead of fighting the willing of young people to attend less formal environment, why not improving the work making a "distinc and positive contributions" at the places they are compelled to attend. That is why my job is so important. In theory, young people comes to soccer practices voluntarily. They make friends and they enjoy being there. If we are able to create a healthy and consciousness environment, where players are also involved in the community and developing as young leaders. I believe this could be great.

The huge influence
"Empowerment, participation, active citizenship and democratic engagement", the book mention this as influences the youth work can potentially have in the young community throughout their value work. Youth worker can help young people understand their role in the society and give them power as well.



Holistically and welfare practice


This part of the book talks about the difficulty having a pre-determined welfare-oriented goals and the actually promotion of informal education. Especially when working in different agency context. Youth work should take in considerations that these people are young, and majority of the times they cannot control their environment or their influences, which causing a lot challenges in their lives. The book talks about that it is possible to have a balance between education goals and welfare interventions, and being able to also have an positive impact in the community.

Who is this girl?

Who?

Hey, my people.
If you have any curiosity to know who I am feel free to read this awesome bomb I will throw to you. If you do not care to know who is writing this blog, just skip to the next paragraph (I promise I will not take this personal). My name is Nadima Skeff, but I would rather be called "Skeff" or "Skeffy". Although I believe my last name is pretty legit, the only reason why I am asking you to refer to me as Skeff is because 7 years ago when I moved to United State of America from Brazil, no one could say my first name. Skeff sounds like Steff, so Skeff it is forever! As I mentioned, I am originally from Brasil, moved here when I was 20 years old after getting a full ride to play soccer in a University in Georgia. Back in the days, soccer pretty much meant everything in my life. I spent my whole life playing soccer. It was my priority and nothing could keep me away form the ball. I battled against prejudice and any type of obstacles you can imagine. I was fortunate to play in the Womens National Team and even more fortunate to come play in America, where women soccer is a big deal. I played 3 years in School, as athlete I become an All America player and recently inducted to Armstrong State University Hall of Fame. As student, well.. not as exciting, I graduated in Health Sciences (boring, I know!). Once I was out of school, no idea what to do besides soccer. I decided to start coaching. Eventually, I got a Master in Kinesiology in Sports Nutrition which it has helped me tremendously in my work.


What are you up to?

Currently and for the last four years, I have been lucky enough to coach soccer for living. I find it fascinating and one of the best jobs in the world (if you dont agree, please, dont kill my vibe). Spend pretty much everyday of my week (including holidays) teaching , mentoring, and learning from tiny human beings. If I could I would only spend the time of my life with animals and kids. Summarizing, what am I up to? having the best time of my life in a daily basis.

"Learning is the only thing that the mind never exhaust, never fears, and never regrets" Leonardo da Vinci

After spending beautiful days down in Savannah, Georgia, I ended up in the cold snowy oystery Newport, RI. My style of coaching start changing. Although I am very intrigued about the physiology part of the game, I started to be more curious about the educational/psycological/leadership part of coaching. Dealing with so many different personalities, and NEVER giving up in any of my crazy creatures that I called "players", I realized I needed more than just physiology to make them the best they could be. Coaching goes beyond the four white lines, I am very happy to find a school with education background that has also focus in youth development. I am very passionate about coaching and helping "my kids" as much as I can. I believe these kids teach me so much, and I just hope I can reciprocate the same to them.



Cool... Do you do anything else though?

YES!!! Since I stopped playing, I decided to get out of this grass bubble that I lived from so long. I do yoga in daily basis, and I am super into exercising, wall climb, read, and eat like a pig. When I am not busy with any of these things, I spend all my free time with my MVP Ronaldo- my cat, my life, the reason of my existence (yes, he has a soccer player's name).