Saturday, April 25, 2009
Team 2 Blog Posting/Peer and Romantic Relationships
There are over 400 youth organizations that help to influence adolescents. Please list an organization that you were part of and how it influenced you as you were growing up. Does it still have an affect on you today? If you have children, do you encourage them to be part of the same organizations? Has the organizations changed over the years?
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One organization that i was a part of 4-H. I loved this organization and it is still a part of me and still affects me. I remember the camps and fun activities we would do and the great friends that I would make and most of those friends are still my friends today. I have one daughter and she is still little but I will encourage her to be a 4-H member. I don't think it has changed that much over the years. It has changed as far as the technolgy and the different activities taht are available but the overall idea and structure is still the same as 50 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't a part of this growing up, but I have volunteered with it for a while...America Reads. It's a great program that emphasizes on reading. I wish that it would have been something that we knew about when my brother was in school. He hated to read and this program actually made it fun and interesting. I love it and meeting all of the kids is great. You learn so much from it.
ReplyDeleteI was involved in America Reads just like Amber. I also think it's a great program. It gets kids interested in reading. I participated for two semesters and had a great time. I especially liked the reading art activity that went along with the story!
ReplyDeleteI was involved in a number of organizations growing up. I liked Builder's Club because it taught you to care about other people, not just yourself. We always did things for the community and school. It still has an affect on me today because I still put others before myself and participate in the community.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite organization that I was involved with was Girl Scouts. To me, at the time I was involved, it was just about fun and cookies. Looking back it was so much more than that. It taught me leadership skills and most importantly team work. It definitely has still affected me to this day because I'm very helpful and willing to help out anyone that I can.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite orginization was brownies. It gave me opportunity to interact with my friends and learn. we did alot of crafts. It was different interacting outside of school with your group member and it taught you leadership.
ReplyDeleteI was in many clubs, sports when I was younger. I was invovled with soccer, dance, swim team, and basketball. I learned a lot of each of them. But for the most part, I got to be exposed to a good deal of diversity. Especially with swim team because we would have to travel at least hour for meets. So you got to meet new people all the time and be exposed to different people and different behaviors that I wasn't used to. I feel like being invovled with those organizations that it's help be the active team member that I am today. I love helping people out, and getting things finished ahead of time. I feel like I can pick people up off their feet when their down too, which I believe comes from being so invovled with a varitey of people and organizations.
ReplyDeleteI currenly don't have any children. Nor a boyfriend so you nor myself have nothing to worry about! :) However, when I do I feel strong in encouraging my children to try everything at least once. And hopefully by allowing them to do that, they'll be able to find what they like best and be able to continue with whatever it is and focus on that.
The organization have changed over the years. There have been many more children getting invovled with the sports around our little community and I love it. You have to have the parent's support first and then if the child likes what their doing, the dedication will be there and it's a wonderful experience.
An organization I was involved in when I was younger was Daiseys. It was a step before Brownies. I was in maybe kindergarden so I don't remember much with it except for doing a lot of activities. It was a time I got to spend with my friends which I think was important because it started me on social skills. It doesn't have an affect on me today and I'm not even sure if it is still around. I don't have any children but when I do, I will definitley put them in some sort of organization, maybe 4-H camp.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeanna that the organizations give a great deal of diversity. I think it is important for kids to have understand that not everyone is the same, nor do they come from the same place. I think organizations are good for teaching kids this aspect.
ReplyDeleteI really wasn't in any organizations growing up. I was in CCD, Catholic Sunday School, until I was confirmed at age 16. I was also part of a Baptist Youth Group with one of my friends at her church. In the youth group we did all kinds of fun things like take trips, go skiing, make haunted houses etc. I really had a great time being involved, and it was nice to hang out with kids my age. I encourage my son to enter any group that he wants, but as of now he is not currently involved in anything except sports.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I was involved in a church group called the missionettes. We had weekly meetings, we also have special activities, we also attended church camps across WV, as well as participated in various local events. This group was important to me because I made friends and was able to have opportunities, that some children were unable to have.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Alicia, groups and organizations are a very important part of childrens lives it gives them chance to learn about diversity, among other things
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up I didn't have any youth activities in my community and the only thing in school was clubs like FFA and FBLA. I was in both of those organizations and I think it gave me a taste of teamwork and being part of that whole social circle. I did volunteer with the fire department...I didn't actually get to do any firefighting but I helped raise money through fundraisers and at that point in time the fire departments were really big into aluminum recycling and I did the pay outs for people that brang in their aluminum. I loved doing that because it made me feel like I was doing something positive for my community.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite group was girl scouts. I loved the camping trips we got to sleep in tents it was alway so much fun. My mom was our troop leader and that was great because we go to spend time together. I wish my girls would get involved in something like girl scouts I know that they would love it.
ReplyDeleteKyndra I also enjoyed church camp. I liked to be with other youth that believed the same way I do.
ReplyDeleteAmiee and Amber the America Reads program sound great. I wish it would have been there when I was younger.
ReplyDeleteI was not involved with any organizations when I was growing up. But I agree that being and getting involved with them is a wonderful idea. My son has been helping with the younger kids in t-ball as well as helping out at the snack bar at the baseball field. These are positive things that make him feel he is doing something good for others. There are many organizations we would love to get involved with and maybe we will be able to after things calm down in our lives a little.
ReplyDeleteKyndra I agree with you too. Having kids involved in group organizations is a positive thing.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't part of an organization growing up but as an adult I have volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club and I think this is a wonderful program that keeps children off of the streets after school and keeps them from becoming that latchkey child. They are able to recieve help and tutoring with their school work and at the same time they are meeting new friends and having fun.
ReplyDeleteWetzel,
ReplyDeleteI was never a member of FFA but my dad was the FFA leader for his school (he was a teacher) and I always go to join in on some of the actvities. I agree that they do encourage team effort adn I think that is so important and it teacher teens so much.
When I was an adolescent I was involved with the Boys & Girls club in my area. I really enjoyed the time spent there especially in the summer. It was a great place to get together with friends and play board games, swim, talk, etc. I also took free art and writing classes there with my friends. The experiences I had there definitely have stuck with me through the years. I am not currently involved with a Boys & Girls club, but I would love to. I would encourage my children to participate as well. It is a safe, healthy, and fun environment for kids to just be that... kids.
ReplyDeleteastima29,
ReplyDeleteI am interested in learning about Boys & Girls clubs in our area and helping out by volunteering. Where is the one you work with located? I live in Fairmont and work in Morgantown. :)
Growing up, I belonged to a few organizations. I think as a very young child, I was part of the YWCA in Ohio. It was wonderful! In the 1970's, I was part the Girl Scouts and 4H. As a teenager, I remiained involved with 4H. I have two adult daughters and they enjoyed participating with organizations such as Scouting and 4H as teenagers. I think all children, especially teens should be actively involved with at least one organization that offers group particiaption, socialization, outdoor recreation, and demonstrates positive social behaviors. It gives a good sense of belonging and being a part of something outside family and school life.
ReplyDeleteOne youth organization that I was shortly part of when I was younger was Boy Scouts. However, I wasn’t very active and I eventually stopped participating in it, so I don’t think I can really say that it still has an affect on me today due to the limited amount of time I was involved in it. However, my brother-in-law is a scout leader for a Boy Scouts troop at his church in Morgantown. I have helped him out a few times with certain activities/events he has set up, and I can confidently say that it has a positive influence on kids. Boy scouts helps stress the importance of independence, camaraderie, resourcefulness, and other important characteristics that help develop adolescents into productive young men (and eventually adults). I do believe that once I have children, I will encourage them to participate in boy/girl scouts and/or other similar youth organizations because they can be very beneficial to young people in many facets of their lives.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all the comments and the organizations mentioned such as 4-H, America Reads, Builder’s Club, Girl & Boy Scouts, etc., I think that it is pretty unanimous that the majority (if not all) of these organizations had a positive influence on everyone who was involved in them in one way or another. There aren’t really any negatives associated with any of these youth organizations, and I believe they all try to be positive influences on young individuals—and they are very successful at doing so. Team 2 agrees that youth organizations are great in a variety of ways for young people, and it helps them develop many positive attributes/characteristics that are promoted in youth organizations.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was an adolescent I was part of Upward Bound. It is a program designed to help get adolescents into college. They provide tutoring in high school and greatly help with getting into college. They have many other resources once you get into college and they see you through. It is a wonderful program and I would recommend it to any adolescent. I don't think it has changed too much over the years, but it hasn't been too long.
ReplyDeleteI was involved in Girl Scouts and Brownies growing up. I feel that organizations like these really help with social and emotional development. Once I started college I got involved with volunteering for an organization that was a therapeutic riding school for children with handicaps. What this organization did was it provided horses for children to ride with disabilities. Riding horses really helped the children with balance, it helped relieve some of the pressure on their backs and it helped with self esteem.
ReplyDeleteI was involved in 4-H when growing up. I learned many life skills from attending 4-H camp. As an adult I volunterr with Habitat for Humanity and conduct work related team building events. My children are in Girl Scouts and have been for many years.
ReplyDeleteI was involved with Young Life my junior and senior year of high school. I think it was a great experience for me. It was kind of like a church youth group; however there wasn't any preaching and anyone was welcomed. It made me love church so much more and I learned a lot about myself by going to Young Life Camp in the summers. It pushed me to do things I never thought I could do, and I did a lot of things that I would have never been able to do without being involved in this group.
ReplyDeletelike so many of you, i feel it's very important for adolescents to be part of a group outside their family or school. i think it's a good thing when even younger children are abe to belong. however, i am not in agreement with those who believe in signing up very young children for competitive sports, pagents, etc. organizations such as 4-H, scouts, church activities, music groups, etc. are positive groups that do not put additional, unnecessary pressure on individuals to perform at an expected level.
ReplyDeleteMy parents had me and my brother involved in everything. Team sports from school, church activities, The youth NAACP, I was in the girl scouts. I am really not that involoved in any of the activities that I was as a child, I do not have any children. If I have children I will want them to be involved in activities if not the ones I was in but some other ones. I do believe the activies that I was in had a big impact on my life today
ReplyDeleteI wasnt involved in a whole lot of different clubs or anything like that growing up. I did play sports constantly and made great friends and learned many lessons spending hours on the ball field. I also came to respect the coaches who didn't get paid anything to give up their time for us and ensure we could play our games.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you tiffany....I will be excited to expose my children to the things that impacted me as an adolescent
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I have always been in cub scouts and boy scouts. I have met alot of friends and still are in contact with a few of them. I have children today, and I have encouraged them to be part of this organization. My middle son is part of the boy scouts. There really hasn't been alot of changes over the years. What the scouts stood for when I was a kid, the standards have remained the same.
ReplyDeleteJarrod,
ReplyDeleteSelf sacrifice is the key. " No greater love than laying down you life for a friend". That is what the bible says. What we instill in our children now, will definitely shape their tomorrow.
My team's blog.
ReplyDeleteI guess the one organization I was involved in through my entire adolescence was 4-H. As several others have mentioned, I think this was a very positive organization to be part of. We were really focused on community involvement and leadership skills. I first joined when I was 8 years old and am still sometimes involved as a volunteer. At least for my experience, it instilled good values and helped me become involved in the community even more than I might have on my own. 4-H camp was also a good experience in that it brought a connectedness through friendships and we were still able to learn valuable things at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI do not have any children yet but I have encouraged my nephew to join 4-H. He is 14 years old and still enjoys doing things through the club. Many things are the same since I was still a member and I think the important values are still being taught to these adolescents.
Growing up I was not really involved any organizations, but I find myself now encouraging my children to join groups and organizations because I do feel that there are a lot of positive aspects to joining these groups and learning how to help others. I also find now that I get involved with groups like PTO so that I can help out.
ReplyDeleteKen,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree!!! What an awesome quote: "Self sacrifice is the key. " No greater love than laying down you life for a friend". That is what the bible says. What we instill in our children now, will definitely shape their tomorrow."
Sheri and Kyndra,
ReplyDeleteI also agree that having your child involved in groups and activities is definitely a positive thing. My son, Wade, is involved in a group called Knights in Action and this group is all about community service which I believe is an excellent lesson for life.
my team blog
ReplyDelete