Articulating A Helping Philosophy In Child And Youth Care

Running Head: CHILD AND YOUTH CARE 1

Articulating a helping Philosophy in Child and Youth Care

Name

Institution Affiliation

CHILD AND YOUTH CARE 2

Abstract

This paper examines human change and how it has evolved over the years. The paper

discusses my philosophy orientation to helping people. It highlights what I intend to do and what

I need to work on to achieve these dreams. The paper further illustrates the ways in how a human

change in the society and gives a reason as to why people change. The article links up the ideas

that have been discussed the chosen study. Additionally, the paper provides points on how

children and the youth can change for the better. The research paper finally discusses the

implications that this philosophy has for my current and future practice including addressing

diversity and social injustice.

CHILD AND YOUTH CARE 3

Articulating a helping Philosophy in Child and Youth Care

Introduction

Child and Youth care has developed distinctly over the past several decades as a unique

field (Hutchison, 2008). Before this area was developed, many allied professions worked

towards promoting the well-being of children and youth. The current organizations work to focus

on children and youth through the use of strength-based, ecological and holistic approaches. This

is done through the use of active engagement with youths, children and their families across

diverse and multiple settings. Children and youth have become more susceptible to the ever

dynamic world, and care need be taken for this generation despite the growth of technology and

peoples ebheaviour.

Several atrocities have been carried against children and the youth in various countries

(Strauch, 2003). These countries are mired in constant violence, but those individuals who suffer

most are the children. Young girls are the next in line to suffer most when such scenarios

happen. These are the people who will steer the country forward in future, but they are treated in

an erroneous way. My philosophical orientation to helping is based on reconstruction or social

reconstruction. This philosophical approach teaches the youths and children how to deconstruct

elements of construction around them and to change it to be essential for them (James, 1995). I

believe that change is essential in the society for the betterment of the children and youths. In

articulating a helping philosophy in child and youth care, I plan to allow for a supervised

exploration. My orientation to helping lies in situations that are both realistic and meaningful to

the child and the youth. The overriding goal of helping these individuals lies with my style of

placing myself in the same situations as the children and youths.

CHILD AND YOUTH CARE 4

Human change

Human beings have been changing both in behavior and look for a long period (Jones &

Creedy, 2008). Change in human beings is dynamic. Human change is when a person’s

personality, character, or behavior suddenly or spontaneously change. For example, a person

may change from being humble to being rude in a matter of weeks. A good example is people

that have migrated from rural areas to urban areas. The environment in urban areas is totally

different from the rural life. One aspect of urban areas is the way things are done. Every person

is in a hurry compared to people living in rural areas. Life moves slow, and most of the

individuals living in such places can identify everyone living in the area. However, in an urban

setting, such an individual discovers many avenues to interact, different cultures, traditions, and

survival techniques.

The new environment is what triggers that change. The way such a person will talk will

change suddenly for such an individual to fit the urban lifestyle. This is common for people that

migrate from one country to the other where they have to adopt the lifestyle of that nation.

Human change for me, therefore, is how an individual reacts to a different setting or

environment. The change may vary from one individual to the other depending on an

individual’s personality. Human change starts from a young age for an individual (James, 1995).

Every person is born unique but changes start during infant stages. A child should be treated

properly so that he or she can change for the better. The youth stage is the most important. This

is the most critical part because any change makes up that person. That is where an individual’s

character and personality is developed fully. This is the area that needs great care and attention.

Without such measures, chaos tends to happen in a person’s life which may lead to further

degradation of the society.

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Reasons for human change

For a human being to change, there are factors that come in play too facilitate the change

(Hutchison, 2008). Some human change is spontaneous while others develop over time. One

constant feature is that something triggered this change. Some of the factors that facilitate human

change are outlined below.

The environment

The environment that a person determines how a child or youth will change. If a child

and youth are brought up in an abusive family, such a person will grow to be abusive or have

issues with other individuals (Jones & Creedy, 2008). A child may develop to be antisocial as a

result of constant quarreling between the parents, a parent to the child, or among siblings. A

child that has been brought up to a boarding school will develop a different personality compared

to one that has been brought up at home. The same can be said of youths. Youths who hang

around bad company such as those who take drugs, alcohol, and other bad elements tend to

develop a bad character. The change is facilitated by their friends and surroundings. As such, the

environment plays a greater role in human change especially children and the youth.

Expectations

Expectations play a great part in the life of youth. The most delicate age for youth is

between 23 and 30 (James, 1995). This is the age where a person should be building one’s future.

A stage where an individual will see his or her friends getting/being married while he or she is

still alone and single. The expectations from the society put a pressure on them to perform.

Comparison between him and his friends is brought up occasionally. This gives the young person

pressure, and this may change such an individual for the worse. If his friends are performing

CHILD AND YOUTH CARE 6

better and he lags behind, he may resort to vices which may destroy his life. The same case for

children applies as well. A child should never be compared to another child. For example,

classwork, or a friend. Expectations may kill the dream of the child in pursuit of satisfying

his/her parents. The change will tend to happen in such a circumstance.

Physiology factors

Children tend change when their physiological needs are tampered with (Strauch, 2003).

There are three factors that facilitate a change in a child when it comes to physiology factors.

These aspects are; a child being hungry, unwell, or tired. If these physiology needs are taken care

of regularly, a child will change for the better. If a child is refused food, or there is inadequate

food, such a child may develop bad habits. This may include stealing from the neighbors or

begging for food. Such physiological needs need be taken care of to wade off any chance of a

child turning for the worse. Satisfying these needs will change a child to become responsible and

grateful for the provision (Pence & White, 2011). The same scenario applies for the youth. If

food lacks in the house, the best alternative is to steal money to buy food or steal the food. A

person who also feels unwell should be taken care of to develop his or her confidence among his

or her peers.

Best ways in which children and youth can change

One of the best ways that people can change is by allowing them time to think about their

future (Jones & Creedy, 2008). Most of the times individual are forced to contemplate how their

future life will be. Youths are prone to making bad decisions especially when a parent tries to

warn them about certain ways. They rebel and do the opposite. Taking such an individual to

places that people lead a hard life may change their perception. Examples of real life situation

CHILD AND YOUTH CARE 7

should be given as context to how people can change. It is better to show such an individual so

that he or she can look and see how life may be worse. This may trigger a sudden change in the

youth. This may not always be the case. The youth is a cunning lot, and care need be taken when

showing them the consequences of leading an unplanned life.

The reason this is a good way in which an individual could change is because the

decision and choice come from within. If the individual wants to change, nothing can stop that

from happening. If this had been easy, this method could have been the best. It allows the subject

to decide what to do with his/her life. Compared to other methods, this is hard to accomplish but

the most effective once the person decides to change.

Another best way for a person to change is by attending seminars and help groups

(Hutchison, 2008). There is nothing as motivating as a person narrating how he or she was once

in a dark place or a tricky situation but managed to overcome the problem finally. There are

many motivational speakers who can help youth overcome the temptations of this world.

Technology is the main culprit which is changing the behavior of young people in the society.

Having a motivational speaker to give lectures on how life should be approached is the best way

in which a person can change.

Having a small group where individuals support each other is another good platform

where people can change (James, 1995). A group provides an emotional resonance at a larger

scale. It provides a shoulder to lean on for those that are broken. Other peoples’ stories act as a

motivation for change and a sign that not all is bad after all. The learning must be real for some

individuals to change. A real environment can impart skills and knowledge on how to tackle

issues. These are the building blocks of change for a person. These skills and the knowledge can

be used by the individual to tackle problems in future. The setting of a group is also safe enough

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for the troubled person. The group provides an empowerment which enables the troubled to

explore beyond their boundaries in pursuit of happiness and comfort.

For children, the best way in which they can be made to change is by providing a good

role model (Jones & Creedy, 2008). Having a good environment is essential to their growth.

Having a good role model will give them ideas on the ideal person. It shows them how a person

should act in the society or react to various situations. A bad role model will change the child for

the worse. For example, having an alcoholic father or mother may make the child develop

esteem issues when growing. The same can be said of having an abusive brother or sister. A

good role model is essential for the child’s growth. This also applies to the youth. The best way

for them to change also has a good role model that can depend upon.

Human changes about children and youth care

Over the past centuries, younger individuals in the society have always been taken as

second citizens (Strauch, 2003). Their rights have been overlooked when compared to other

members of the society. One example of such treatment is how older individuals where

opinionated. Any opinion from a younger person was viewed as inferior no matter how good

such a suggestion was. Children were treated as fit by the parent with constant spanking even at

the smallest mistake. There were no strict laws which could protect the younger ones in the

society. However, human change has happened over the years to encompass different rights for

children. The change in human beings can be assumed to have started in the 20th century (Hales,

2009). The change triggered a rise in child and youth participation in the society rather than just

being present. The change in human beings can be attributed to various research carried out by

psychologists in different departments.

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The ideas that have been presented above mirrors the human change in the society. One

of the argument presented is that the behavior of people currently has changed in many parts.

This can be confirmed that the youths have become fascinated with technology. Technology has

become their drive in life. The creation of social media has worsened the situation. Previously,

people could be found talking or sharing stories. However, youths are currently attached to their

phones and even that small time to catch up with friends has become hard. This is the human

change which can be witnessed in the 21st century.

One of the ways that I have approached the issue so that I could help the children and

youth is by creating an environment for them which they will have to do away with modern

luxury. The children and the youths should be made aware of their past and how it felt like.

Despite the change in humans, a few of the children and youths will get the picture. For example,

excessive use of technology will be minimized. This includes video games at home (Jones &

Creedy, 2008). I will follow this philosophy of deconstructing a scenario first before constructing

the individual in a positive light.

Another human change that was discussed above was people’s personality. Older people

were depended on being the role models of the young individuals. However, it can be seen that

caution has been thrown out of the window as seen by the behavior of countless individuals who

should have been the role model for children and youths in the society. In articulating the

philosophy of helping children and the youth, I have come up with a system where an individual

will have to choose his or her role model. The list of the role model excludes people who have

weird behaviors. For example, most celebrities have bad habits in front of cameras. Such

individuals have been removed from the list. Human change is responsible for these behavior

because they have allowed such characters to develop on a larger scale.

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My developing philosophy implies that the future generation children will be treated

better than all previous generation. There is a rising trend in increased care for the younger

individuals in the society. The future of child and youth care is promising. For the professionals,

many laws will be on the side of these young individuals compared to yester years. Social justice

for children and youths is improving by the day. However, this freedom that the children and the

youths have been given may present a challenge as well. Young people need counseling and a

leader to show them how to use the little power they have. Misuse of these powers which has

been given to them may present a challenge to the society, parents, and professionals who deal

with child and youth care. My developing philosophy will ensure that the children and the youths

are led properly, and they can be better citizens in the society.

My philosophy also can be used for diverse groups, and it can help solve some social

injustice against these young individuals. As a child care practitioner, my philosophy will look

into social injustice that a child might suffer in the hands of a parent, school, or any other party.

Currently, I will try to tackle the issue of decision making by the youths. They are being swayed

by simple things like technology and many are destroying their future. I will also look into

behavioral change by children. Technology is at its peak currently, and this may cause problems

with the development of the child. Parents should restrain them from excessive use of some

technology or electronic gadgets.

Conclusion

In conclusion, human change is one of the critical aspects of the society. People have

evolved from the time when inequality was rife to a period that equality across diverse culture,

age and gender is being realized. Children and the youth are still lagging behind but through the

use of various programs, they will also be recognized. Care should be taken for these young ones

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who are still delicate and need direction from guardians. Some of the human changes that have

been discussed in the paper include the behavior of an individual. Role models play a greater role

in helping children and youth be responsible in the society. As such, child and youth care are still

a priority in this society. These are the generation that will one-day lead. Helping them become

better people through care is optimal.

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References

Hutchison, E. D. (2008). Dimensions of human behavior. Los Angeles, Calif: Sage Publications.

James, M. E. (1995). Social reconstruction through education: The philosophy, history, and

curricula of a radical ideal. Norwood, N.J: Ablex Pub. Corp.

Jones, K., & Creedy, D. (2008). Health and human behaviour. South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford

University Press.

Strauch, B. (2003). The primal teen: What the new discoveries about the teenage brain tell us

about our kids. New York: Doubleday.

Pence, A. R., & White, J. H. (2011). Child and youth care: Critical perspectives on pedagogy,

practice, and policy. Vancouver: UBC Press. An invitation to health. Australia:

Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

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