Nick jackson, city year seattle 1.2

Nick Jackson, City Year Nick Jackson, City Year SeattleSeattleInterview about Nick’s experiences working with middle school youth in Seattle for 2 yearsJuly 2010

Copyright Diana Weisner 2010

IntroIntroCity Year– nonprofit—volunteer a year of

service. Participants from 17-24. 1in 4 make it through the interview process

Goal: to curb the drop out rate of high school students, targeting groups as young as elementary level

Looking at factors of: ◦ Attendance◦ Behavior ◦ Course Load


BackgroundBackgroundNick worked with a specific program

called Getting Youth Beyond Barriers in Schools (GYBBIS)◦An alternative to suspension program the

used life skills workshops, built around pillars

◦Pillars Empowerment Community Service Academics Positive Self-Identity Conflict Resolution Healthy Lifestyles


GYBBIS Started…GYBBIS Started…After noticing that the HS students

coming out of a juvenile correction programs were influencing the middle school students coming out of the same program

GYBBIS was started specifically to separate the middle schoolers to meet their needs—By Donald Felder

Grant from Microsoft made it possible to integrate within school system


Positive Example of Applied Positive Example of Applied Experiential ToolsExperiential ToolsWorked in a diverse area of

SeattleIssue: Students not getting along

due to cultural differences◦Specifically between African-American

and African studentsLanguage BarrierUsing curriculum to break the ice

◦Positive Self-Identity—to find common ground


Positive Example of Applied Positive Example of Applied Experiential Tools Cont’dExperiential Tools Cont’dActive workshop– re-enactment of

causal situation ◦To brainstorm the situation

To find solutions that didn’t make any sense and solutions that make a lot of sense

Before they act out a good solution—they discuss it, why action is associated with emotion

◦Breakthrough: through this activity, the African student and the African-American student realized that language was keeping them from connecting


Example of Experiential tools Example of Experiential tools not completing the not completing the breakthroughbreakthroughStudent from Mexico– did not speak a lot of

EnglishStruggled in schoolBehavior problems Issue: behavior problems in class cause Daniel to

be repeatedly sent to GYBBISTools used to try to make that connection with

Daniel◦ Helping him process the agreements of the program◦ Negotiated with student about allowing a reward (a few

minutes of soccer in exchange for doing homework)Outside factors: Daniel has started hanging out

with a tough crowd


Example of Experiential tools Example of Experiential tools not completing the not completing the breakthrough cont’dbreakthrough cont’d Morning circle ritual

◦ Daniel completes the ritual in complete Spanish, causing a language barrier between staff and himself

During homework time, Daniel becomes noncompliant◦ Tools used:

Staff explore Options A: work B: go sit in the office C. call parents

◦ Daniel complies for a while◦ Tools used:

Staff states that they will come sit next to him to help him focus

◦ Daniel complies for a while◦ Tools used:

Spanish-speaking staff goes to ask Daniel what help he needs◦ Daniel states he doesn’t want to do the work◦ Tools used:

Staff explains the consequences of not doing homework over the long term Breakthrough

◦ Daniel responds and complies with task Outside factors: starts to hang out with gang members When Daniel returned—he was completely noncompliant


Why didn’t the experiential Why didn’t the experiential tools work?tools work?Even with personal relationships

with staff, examinations of long-term effects of decisions, and negotiating

Outside factors lead to increasing Daniel’s focusing issues

Sometimes it doesn’t work out—the hard part about working with youth—especially youth in at-risk populations


Tools of Effectively working Tools of Effectively working with peoplewith people Ways to call attention—hands up

◦ If I put my hand up, everyone puts their hand up No two-way zone—in a discussion

◦ No one speaks twice until everyone has spoken once-requires everyone to participate and no one to dominate

Curriculum planning◦ Using goals and objectives to plan successful activities◦ Using scaffolding—activities that build upon each other

Making sure everyone can see each other◦ Sitting in a horseshoe or circle

Declaring safe space◦ Confirming rules of confidentiality

Watching Body Language/Word choice Empowerment

◦ Talking about explanations behind actions◦ Listening to opinions

Asking Questions/Making them feel like experts


Nick’s Response to How Nick’s Response to How Middle schoolers thinkMiddle schoolers thinkSocial pressures and lack of

experience played large roles in their decisions

The Frontal Cortex develops through experiences

Middle Schoolers know how to push buttons and grasped emotions

The range of emotions the youth were exposed to were very large-due to the area they grew up in

However, instinct to fight was very normal


Diana mentions Herd Diana mentions Herd MentalityMentality Daniel Goldman, in "Vital Lies, simple truths, the

psychology of self-deception" (Bloomsbury 1997) identifies the essential importance of such role playing to members of groups.

Goldman says, "Self-deception operates both at the level of the individual mind, and in the collective awareness of the group. To belong to a group of any sort, the tacit price of membership is to agree not to notice one's own feelings of uneasiness and misgivings, and certainly not to question anything that challenges the group's way of doing things." Wilfred Bion described the group self as a "group mentality", that is a shared pool of the members' wishes, opinions, thoughts and emotions.

emotion circuitry diverges in the adolescent male and female brain under peer approval and rejection

Reference Website


Concluding Thoughts?Concluding Thoughts?Subject engaging-Talking Topics

◦Ask about what they’re interested◦To know about popular

culture/fashion◦Make jokes to be included◦Learning the “lay of the land”—the

social structures◦Give them the power to explain◦Let them teach you something


Nick jackson, city year seattle 1.2

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