Experience: Youth Development Through Recreation Lecture and Lab Course
Essential Skills: Work in a team structure; plan organize and prioritize work; make decisions and solve problems; communicate verbally; demonstrate technical knowledge; influence others; create and edit reports.
Application for Future Goals: The skills in a service learning environment helped give perspective to many situations behind behavioral characteristics in people. Alongside general understanding and empathy for others that was encouraged in the course, my skills of professionally disagreeing with mentors and remaining respectful also grew. In guiding children, it is not a surprise that people have different views on what should be encouraged. I had to learn how to state opinions and beliefs in a way that would be understood, not interfere with the amount of respect children had for authority, and followed the core values I held strong. This skill allowed me to contribute to the environment in a positive manner because other leaders were able to professionally debate what the best next step should be.
Reflection: During this course, I was a Therapeutic Recreation major with hopes of working at a mental facility for children in difficult situations. The application of knowledge in this course gave me a deep passion for a specific child with anger management difficulties. The child was in a terrible home life that would make anyone unable to function in a normal society. His heart was so pure and his frustration was justified, and made me strengthen my own values to help him use his voice. His teachers told him he would never amount to anything and he heard the same if not worse at home. His only friend was also angry and these children were barely 8 years old. Through this experience I learned how to guide children to cooperate and stand up for themselves, while also treating their peers in a way that was civil and respectful.
Without meeting this particular child I would not have changed my career. I realized that I was overly involved in the people I was working with and wanted to be in a profession that would help me learn about distancing myself during work with children. I felt heartbroken to have to leave the child, but I am excited to continue to mentor and work with people. The skills I learned through this course had major life impacts and taught me that passion is good, and empathy can be a wonderful asset to your career.