scholarly journals How Child and Youth Care Students Think About and Practice Forgiveness: A Qualitative Course-Based Research Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-39
Author(s):  
Gerard Bellefeuille ◽  
Michelle Derkson ◽  
Alyssa Bush ◽  
Karley Leverenz ◽  
Katrina Panchyshyn

At the core of child and youth care (CYC) practice is the ability to cultivate meaningful and positive relationships with children and youth. As CYC students we are taught from day one that knowing one’s self is a pre-condition to building positive and meaningful relationship with others. As a result, we are educated to become more self-aware, a process that involves building our capacity to honestly recognize our beliefs, emotions, personality traits, values, biases, and motivations. Most importantly, we are taught to be forgiving because as human beings we are adept at hiding awkward or painful truths from ourselves. The aim of this course-based study is to contribute to the body of relational CYC knowledge by investigating the perceptions of CYC students’ understanding and practice of the concept of forgiveness. The data were analyzed using a six-phased process of thematic analysis based on the work of Braun and Clark (2006). Four themes emerged from the thematic analysis: (a) freedom, (b) learning how, (c) forgiveness is a process, and (d) your road to forgiveness is your own.

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-203
Author(s):  
Gerard Bellefeuille

There has been little focus on the milieu relational work in child and youth care (CYC) residential programs for children and youth specific to the celebration of life’s milestones and events. The goal of this course-based study is to improve understanding of how CYC practitioners initiate and celebrate milestones and significant events with children and youth in care. The study uses interpretivism to identify and understand phenomena from the perspective of the individuals who have direct experience of the phenomena under investigation. Data was collected using an anonymous Google forms questionnaire. An interpretive thematic analysis of the data revealed four themes: (1) quality time with loved ones, (2) importance of acknowledgement (e.g., of youth’s wants and needs), (3) awareness of implementing culture, and (4) building connections and creating memories.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
S. Ray

This research study was an interpretive inquiry into the experience of contemporary peacekeepers healing from trauma. Ten contemporary peacekeepers were interviewed who have sought treatment for trauma resulting from deployments to Somalia, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia. A thematic analysis of the text was undertaken in which themes emerged to document and understand the ways in which contemporary peacekeepers suffer while healing from trauma. Narratives from the transcribed interviews were reviewed with the participants and reflective journaling by the researcher provided further clarification of the data to understand the experience. The peacekeepers’ descriptions of the situatedness of their bodies in time, space and relation provided a fresh way into understanding the embodied nature of suffering while healing from trauma. Three overarching themes: the centrality of brotherhood and grieving loss in the military family; the centrality of time and the body in suffering while healing from trauma; and the military response as betrayal and creating trauma from within emerged from the inquiry which will contribute to more effective practice guidelines for the care of contemporary peacekeepers suffering and healing from trauma.


Author(s):  
J. Nicole Little

To what do we owe the project of human doings over human beings? Self-care has long been sanctioned as the root of Child and Youth Care (CYC) practitioner resilience. This argument is faulty in its individualistic and “doing” ways. Instead, the author proposes that we need to connect with vulnerability and love as a means to accomplish self and other-care. Critiquing contemporary discourses of self-care, the author draws on Buddhist philosophy and Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT) as a means to deconstruct this.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 104-128
Author(s):  
Bobbi Ali Zaman ◽  
Ben Anderson-Nathe

Arguably, from the invention of adolescence at the beginning of the 20th century, developmental theory has served as the foundation of disciplinary study and professional practice with children and youth across the global West. Despite their founders’ assertions that development is culturally constructed, in educational and youth work practice contexts stage-based trajectories of normative human growth are largely erroneously accepted as ahistorical, apolitical, naturally occurring, and universally applicable. This paper presents critiques of developmentalism from historical, reconceptualist, and queer perspectives, calling into question the underlying principles of normalcy and abnormality that run through the developmental project. We pay particular attention to the potential of queer theory as an analytic to deconstruct developmentalism in the context of child and youth care, opening new possibilities for critical engagement with children and youth outside the context of development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-27
Author(s):  
Adrianna Cambridge ◽  
Sarah Fereja ◽  
Irene Mai ◽  
Alice Yuan ◽  
Gerard Bellefeuille

In this article, we report on the innovative research design and results of a course-based qualitative inquiry into child and youth care (CYC) students' experiences of maintaining a relational-centered practice stance while in a power-over position of authority. Qualitative data from two semi-structured focus groups as well as an arts-based data collection technique were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The following four major themes were identified from the analyses: (a) “self-awareness is key,” (b) “the mediating power of a positive trusting relationship,” (c) “the vital importance of emotional safety,” and (d) “it’s a two-way street.” The results of this course-based study revealed that, although CYC students are committed to practicing relationally, the dynamics of being in a position of power-over authority are complex and challenging to navigate.


2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynda Phillips ◽  
Catherine Ann Cameron

Capturing lived childhoods without decontextualizing their meaning and still providing information needed by policy-makers and practitioners is a pressing challenge for contemporary researchers. In this paper we provide information to open up such a dialogue via a range of tools we have utilized when investigating well-being. We interrogate bio-socio-ecological approaches to human development to provide relatively holistic pictures of the lived experience of childhood. We utilize various methodologies within this approach to determine what they transactionally facilitate at each level. At the bio-psychological level, for example, controlled, psychologically valid, psychosocial stress procedures expose hormonal responses, yielding valuable information about individual differences in physiological stress reactivity. At the level of the psychological self within a social ecology, we systematically observe children and youth in naturalistic, environmental transactions with the aid of visual methodologies such as <em>Day in the Life</em> filming, and invite the children and their parents and youth to share their reflections on their lived context via focused discussions and interviews. In this paper we discuss new ways of integrating research findings by suggesting Sameroff’s (2010) unified theory as an interpretive framework for research within the field of child and youth care.


Author(s):  
Jennifer Vincent

Since children and youth are often cared for by many professionals who are trained and educated in different disciplinary traditions, it is important that child and youth care (CYC) practitioners who work alongside other professionals have knowledge of how love is understood across different disciplines. Through a review of current literature in the fields of health care, education and CYC, this article explores the perceptions of love across different fields where CYC is practised. It begins by defining love in a manner that reflects the engagement and interactions between individuals in professional and public relationships, and differentiates this from the kind of love present in private relationships. It then focuses on the ways that love is currently being talked about and practised in different professional contexts. While there is increasing openness to talk about love across the human service fields, and some similarities in the questions and assertions that are being raised, there are also differences of opinion regarding love’s place in professional practice both within and across practice domains. In contemplating the varying perceptions of love, I hope to offer the reader an opportunity to be more mindful about the role of love in their own professional practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-385
Author(s):  
Gerard Bellefeuille

This exploratory course-based research investigates the use of information communication technologies (ICT) by child and youth care (CYC) students in their interactions with children, youth, and families. Data were collected through an online mixed closed- and open-ended survey. The data analysis consisted of a descriptive statistical analysis of the survey’s closed-ended questions and a thematic analysis of the survey’s open-ended questions. The findings revealed that CYC students are using ICT in their interactions with children, youth, and families and that the potential positive use of ICT should be addressed in a more significant way in the classroom.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 47-58
Author(s):  
DAYEONG PARK ◽  
SURESH L. BARNAWAL

Seeking happiness has become a crucial part of human beings due to a consistent rise in anxiety and stress over the passing years. As a result, the importance of Indian meditation practices has risen worldwide. Especially, Ramana Maharshi's Self-enquiry is one of the significant meditation practices found in India. The purpose of this paper is to show that Mokṣa (liberation), where one is free from suffering, can be attained by the practice of Self-enquiry, which is simple but powerful because it immediately pierces to the core, the Self. Ramana is the ancient traditional master in India, and he is also known for using silence in the instruction of his disciples. The essence of Self-enquiry is that it is not to realize something anew but to abide as the Self, in the here and now with aware affirmation "I am already Thou." Ramana's life, the experience of his great awakening, the Self, 'I'-thought, the body, the theoretical aspect of Self-enquiry as meditation by Ramana and the practical aspect of Self-enquiry as meditation by Prof. Kim Kyeungmin are presented to illustrate the significance of this method. It is pointed out that Maharshi's Self-enquiry is more valuable and productive than other meditation techniques.


Author(s):  
Junxiang LIU ◽  
Guanhui WANG

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.健康是醫學哲學中最基本的概念之一。不少人認為,健康概念如同疾病一樣,受到不同價值觀念的影響,其內涵是多元化的,存在多種健康概念。筆者認為,我們所講的健康主要指人的健康,對健康的理解應當與對人的理解與界定聯繫起來。儘管不同哲學文化、思想觀念對人的界定各有側重,但都有共同的方面,健康概念也是如此。筆者認為, 世界衞生組織[World HealthOrganization (WHO)]的健康概念比較全面地揭示了健康的本質,已成為大多數人追求的健康目標。儒家對健康的理解主要基於人的道德意識和道德價值,強調修身養心、精神健康對維護軀體健康、構建和諧人際關係、社會環境的重要性,這與WHO 的定義有異曲同工之處。考察儒家思想對健康的理解,不僅有助於我們推進個體及人類健康,同時也有助於我們在價值多元化的後現代潮流中,為探尋不同民族文化、歷史傳統等之間的共同點提供思想基礎和實踐的可能性。Health is one of the basic concepts in the philosophy of medicine. Some philosophers hold that just as there are different concepts of diseases, there are different concepts of health, because such concepts are deeply influenced by value judgments. This papershows that health as we often talk about is the health of individual human beings, and that the concept of health should be based on an understanding of the essence of individual human beings. From this viewpoint, there is some common ground among the different concepts of health.The key issue discussed in this paper is what Confucian philosophy can contribute to the understanding and promotion of human health. Confucian philosophy claims that the essence of individual human beings lies in the virtues that distinguish human beings from animals. The main Confucian virtues are “ren,” “yi,” “li,” and “zhi” “Ren” means showing love to others, which is the core virtue and principle of perfecting oneself and having proper relationship with others. It emphasizes that personal mental health, good relationships with others, and a harmonious society are important factors of personal health. This paper argues that this Confucian viewpoint is closely aligned with the World Health Organization’s definition of health, and addresses the following relevant issues.1. In Confucian philosophy, “shen” (usually translated as “body”) has three meanings, referring not only to the physical body, but also to the unity of body and mind, and sometimes also to virtue. “Xin” mainly refers to the mind, but also refers tomoral consciousness.The holistic unity of body and mind urges people to pay attention to everyday life, especially diet, nutrition, and sleep. Mind is not another entity, but is embodied in the body.2. Confucian philosophy emphasizes that “xin” (mind) dominates “body.” It urges us to pay more attention to “xiu shen,” or perfecting ourselves. Emotions deeply influence health. In Confucian philosophy the “seven main emotions” are “love, anger, grief, joy, sadness, fear, and shock.” If these emotions are excessive, then they will cause illness and disease. Virtue can cultivate our character and help us to regulate these emotions correctly. Those who have virtue are always peaceful and long-lived. “Xiu shen” involves trying to be a “junzi,” or one who has moral virtue.3. Confucian philosophy emphasizes “xiu shen” and the individual’s obligation to personal behavior and health. Although the social environment and life conditions influence personal behavior and health, we are also responsible for our bhavior and health. A “junzi” is a kind of man who can persist with his virtue and resist lures. Medical knowledge and technology cannot cure all diseases, so everyone should take preventative measures.However, this does not mean that health is the result of virtue, or that disease is the result of immorality. Virtue is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for health. “It is a misfortune to lose health, but not misconduct.”4. Confucian health emphasizes that “xiu shen” and good interpersonal relationships are important to personal health. The core meaning of “ren” is to love and help others: what you do not want to be done to yourself, do not do to others. This principle helps one to get along well with family members, neighbors, and friends, and to construct ordered, harmonious interpersonal relationships and a favorable social environment. This benefits personal health and the welfare of human beings as a whole.In brief, Confucian philosophy promotes health, and helps people to live a happy life by developing perfect virtue. It is worth sharing with other nations.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 768 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.


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