ABSTRACT
Throughout my education and career, I have held an interest in the same population: youth and young adults. As a young person growing up on the south side of Chicago, I became interested in youth development and social services for youth at an early age first as a participant and then as a worker. When I was a teenager, I was a participant in youth organizing initiatives at Southwest Youth Collaborative (SWYC) and served as a youth outreach worker at the Adolescent Young Adult Clinic located at John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County. I provided peer education in clinics, my high school, and on Chicago’s public transit trains to inform youth about safer sex practices, STDs and HIV/AIDS. I was an outspoken young person, unsatisfied with the world, and wanted to be a part of its advancement. Nurtured by my parents and a few teachers, my greatest influence for youth work came from a fellow youth worker at the Department of Adolescent Medicine at Stroger Hospital, who was responsible for adolescent outreach and their connection to medical services within the department. This colleague had a unique way of talking with youth that was not authoritarian, but rather exploratory and always respectful. She took an interest in my thoughts, feelings, dreams, and fears. She was always genuine and remained committed to youth empowerment. While other adults in my life were telling me what to do, she asked what did I think I should do. I did not consider her a peer, but definitely an adult that I trusted would listen to me and challenge me to think. In fact, the entire adolescent medical team made an incredible impact on my life as they provided the resources and guidance for me and other youth to begin our own youth-led AIDS outreach group. It was an empowering experience to be a co-founder of Chicagoland Youth Against AIDS established at the Department of Adolescent Medicine. Surrounded by professionals that had expertise in healthcare and youth work, I realized that youth work wasn’t just about programs for youth; it is also inclusive of a skill set necessary for all professionals that work with youth. These early experiences spawned my interest in youth work.
