What it means:
As a youth worker, you understand who you are — your character, values, biases and lived experiences that shape the way you view yourself and others. You know that your own self-awareness impacts how you see and support young people.
Why It Matters:
How you show up for youth affects your interactions with young people, and they pick up on that. Many things impact your sense of self — cultural background, sexual identity, class, family, education, religion, big city or small-town upbringing — the list goes on. Being self-aware means continuously re-examining your own identity to better understand your existing beliefs about how the world works and how young people navigate it. That helps you uncover any assumptions (which you might not have even realized you had!) about young people that are based on yourexperience, but don’t necessarily align with theiridentity and experience. When you’re self-aware, you’re better positioned to support young people on their own journey to knowing themselves.