Kevon's Initial Personal Reflection

What interested me about this course?
Honestly a friend and fellow colleague of mine informed me about this course and it seemed to be like an important class to gain a brigher perspective of adolescents. Before I came to GW I volunteered with the teen ministry at my church. During my time with the children I always wondered of different ways I could possibly reach out to them and relate to them. I have a heart for children and the adolescent years are so crucial in their mental, physicial, and spiritual development. As another classmate mentioned that it has been a while since she was a teen, I know its been a little while since I conquered that awkward time in life. But I also realize how detached I really am from the younger generation. I really do not know what to expect from this class but I am interested in the learning possibilities.

What do I expect to learn/gain from this course?
I am definitely looking forward to developing a workshop, I never did this before but I am excited. I want to learn the diverse social groups that seperate one adolescent from the other. Once again I must re-interate I feel like I am so detached from the youth, but to be even more honest, I felt detached from them even when I was one of them. LOL! All jokes aside, I want to emliminate any types of prejudice I might have against adolescents and just understand them a little better. I do know this might be too much to expect from a six week course but I do have high expectations.

What skills/abilities do I bring to adolescent health promotion?
I am very creative. As a youth leader at my church in Memphis, I planned several events for the teens. My communications skills are great, I like to talk but I love to listen more. I want to know what is on the young people's minds. What are their views of living healthy lives. As explained earlier, I have a heart for the youth especially adolescents and I intend on developing a public health professional career that focuses on them. I have experience in mentoring adolescents, so it is not too challenging for me to develop trusting relatiionships them.