My positionality statement refers to my social identities, values, biases, experiences, and how I interact with others. As a young adult preparing for a career in child and youth care, it’s important to recognize how my experiences shape my beliefs and how that will impact my leadership abilities. Understanding my positionality is valuable because it allows me to reflect on how my perspective may influence any professional decisions and relationships. I believe that becoming an effective youth leader requires self-awareness, accountability, and openness.
A strong component of my positionality is my age and stage in life. As a recent graduate of university, I am continuing to develop further understandings of my identity and leadership abilities. My age often helps me relate to some experiences and challenges that youth are faced with because I may be more familiar with current social pressures and expectations. However, being relatively young comes with certain disadvantages as I have less professional experience than some of my colleagues. I may need to establish more credibility in leadership situations to gain more experience in the workplace. I want to approach these situations with confidence to learn from others and expand my view while remaining open to feedback.
My social identities such as gender, socioeconomic status, family background, education, beliefs, and cultural background influence how I experience society and understand others. Some of these identities have provided societal privilege, while others have caused barriers in different aspects of my life. For example, my educational background has set me on a productive path to success which influences what job opportunities I have received. I was fortunate enough to be accepted to St. Thomas University where I completed a Bachelor of Arts which influenced my decision to continue my education at NBCC. I recognize this as a privilege because individuals around the world and here in my community do not always have access to post-secondary education. I realize that privilege does not mean a person has never experienced difficulties, but instead it means that certain components to identity provide advantages that others do not receive.
My positionality impacts how I understand marginalized youth and families who may experience discrimination or exclusion because of their race, culture, gender identity, or socioeconomic status. These can all affect what resources may be available and their relationships with practitioners. I cannot fully understand another person’s experiences as each are individualistic and personal, but I can provide proper respect and empathy. Growing up with a single parent and being adopted meant I faced certain stereotypes or discrimination in relation to those aspects of my identity. I believe it helps me create relationships where children, youth, and families feel comfortable without worrying about judgment from others.
Working in child and youth care as a leader, I will approach decision-making, relationships and advocacy with my positionality. I want to focus on individuality which recognizes the abilities, knowledge, and strengths of each child rather than grouping the collective youth as one. Each child has personalized needs and instead of labelling difficult behavior as challenging or combative, I want to consider what may be contributing to the behavior and provide appropriate support. This approach underscores empathy while maintaining professional boundaries and safety practices.
Caring for others is valuable but does not automatically eliminate the potential for personal biases in the workplace. I mat unintentionally make assumptions about communication, participation, and decisions that are made and interpret them incorrectly. I need to recognize that good intentions do not always lead to equitable outcomes and leading without judgement is crucial to productive leadership. To address these personal biases, I will commit to individual reflection, continuous learning, and accept feedback from others. I want to listen to co-workers and families to examine my decisions and learn from my mistakes instead of staying ignorant to change. I have a responsibility to recognize that authority can influence other experiences and using my position responsibly can encourage positive behaviors.
Ultimately, understanding my positionality is continuous and will expand as I grow professionally, gain new experiences, and responsibilities in child and youth care. My goal is to become a reflective and inclusive leader who recognizes each person for who they are. By remaining open to new learning opportunities, environments where children feel respected, supported, and valued can flourish.
Anti-oppressive Practice Goals
Goal 1: Challenge My Personal Biases
I will actively identify and challenge my personal biases and assumptions to dedicate proper decisions that are respectful and inclusive. This goal is important because my personal experiences influence how I interpret others. I recognize that my previous experience has taught me valuable tools, but ensuring my perspective is the most appropriate one is equally significant. As a youth leader, I must understand that my intentions do not automatically eliminate biased decisions.
To achieve this goal, I will use reflection to see where I may have made assumptions about a child’s behavior, actions, or circumstances. I will question what information influences these judgments and try to find alternative explanations. I will also engage in professional development to expand my knowledge on cultural humility, diversity, and inclusion to bring new awareness to each situation. I will also remain open to constructive feedback as co-workers have different perspectives and life experiences that can help improve my practice.
A challenge I might have to overcome related to this goal is recognizing biases that I have learned overtime or consider normal. I want to view this change as growth, rather than view biases as a personal failure or set back. These are learning opportunities and will increase my ability to work productively in a positive environment. Overtime, I want to incorporate reflection into a daily practice to ensure I am holding myself accountable for the actions I make.
Goal 2: Promote Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality in Everyday Environments
Using an intersectional approach to make environments for children and youth feel seen for their identities is important to me. I want everyone to feel included and respected for their personal backgrounds as some situations can lack diversity. I will implement different forms of learning and accessibility to ensure equal opportunities for children.
This goal connects to my positionality statement because my personal experiences do not represent other individuals as everyone comes from different backgrounds. I recognize that children and families may experience barriers related to different intersectional aspects. Treating everyone the same limits fairness because people may need different forms of support and services to participate equally.
To maintain this goal, I will use inclusive language, visual techniques to learn about diversity, encourage activities and materials that display equality, and promote inclusion through various programs. I will consider expectations and routines when making programs to ensure everyone can be included. For example, being mindful of financial costs of activities and accessible forms of transportation. As a leader, I will not tolerate discriminatory comments or behaviors and respond according to policies and professional responsibilities. This ideal course of action could be challenging when balancing individual needs and limited resources. I will address these concerns by discussing barriers with my colleagues and exploring reasonable accommodations or alternatives. I will also incorporate input from children and their families to ensure the environment is accurately inclusive, rather than assuming it is.
Goal 3: Learn from Diverse backgrounds and Increase Cultural Humility
I will continue to develop my cultural humility while promoting the importance of learning about others identities as well. This goal is to expand my personal experiences to understand that they do not represent everyone as a whole. I want to avoid making assumptions about children, youth, and families that are based on my own expectations. I recognize that I will not always understand each barrier that others face, but I can be willing to listen and learn about them.
To achieve this goal, I will participate in professional development opportunities related to cultural diversity, inclusion, and cultural humility. I will also explore educational resources to learn about different cultural practices and perspectives. I will engage with families by asking respectful questions and making activities or programs to engage in active learning.
One challenge for this goal may be forming true diverse environments and recognizing when I lack knowledge about a culture that I thought I knew more about. I will overcome this by remaining open and curious about unfamiliar situations by taking responsibility for my learning. I do not expect others to only educate me; I will take accountability for what I chose to immerse myself with.
