WDRC Youth Courses Transition to Virtual Classrooms
Our Youth Program is committed to working with youth in the Juvenile Court System. When restrictions were put into place to protect the health and safety of community members, it appeared that this would mean the end of our already in-progress class titled Healthy Choices. This course allows teen girls, referred by the court system, to discuss topics concerning healthy communication, conflict styles, and the role of stress and anger in their responses to conflict. Understanding the importance of the classes in the lives of the youth we work with and the value that these courses add to our community, our staff committed to pivot to ensure that these courses could be continued virtually.
Our Youth Team - Emily, our Program Manager, Marissa, our AmeriCorps Member, and Kristy, our committed volunteer - worked diligently to ensure that these courses were quickly and accurately translated onto a Google Classroom. In doing so, they faced many difficult questions such as: how does a course that is normally heavily discussion based take place entirely online? What questions can be asked to ensure that the courses are still collaborative and engaging? Potential challenges for the youth were mindfully considered. Discussion board forums were utilized within Google Classrooms to encourage the same levels of thoughtfulness of our youth that our staff witnesses during our in-person courses.
Our team not only transitioned this particular class content into Google Classroom, but also can proudly report that each of the girls within this group has now completed the entirety of the course. The feedback received surrounding the course content and the transition has been incredibly positive. When asked how she would use the information that she has learned in the class, one participant wrote back that “Next time I am in a conflict I will be more open and try to resolve the situation with I statements.”
We are thankful to have such hardworking staff and volunteers working and serving on behalf of the WDRC and our community at large. We are also excited to announce that our course Facing Conflict Without Violence (for young men referred by the juvenile court system), will also start up this week as initially planned, in the Google Classroom format!