Play and Kanye west

 I really enjoyed the readings this week because I could connect to them while learning a ton of stuff. In the first article written by Henry Jenkins, I felt like it really broke down how play can be the best way to learn sometimes. Growing up I went to a summer camp that taught many lessons through play and felt like they always resonated with me more then anything in a classroom. When Jenkins was talking about pleasure and the semantics of "play" vs "game" it really resonated with me. Youth usually view games with a winner and loser which can cause tension in groups or obstacles for youth but, If we think of it as play it can be lighter for kids and put less pressure on them which can help the individual and the activity. 

In the reading discussing the "New Urban Arts" program I could connect to many things. In the beginning there was a girl named Alicia who was being interviewed on her painting and she talks about how it was a Kanye West lyric. I also listened to that song and could relate to how she felt and thought it was an amazing way to express her feelings. The reading also talked about the pressure organizations get to show their "Impact" on youth and how it can lead to stressing out employees and students. I think it is so hard to prove these things because it is a life long journey that changes day to day. I feel like if people need to see what the "impact" is then they should also be with youth to experience the amazing work that we all do. Becoming a community member can really help the space and let you experience the true impact that youth spaces provide everyday. 

Comments

  1. Victoria RestlerDecember 1, 2020 at 8:30 AM

    Thanks for your post Mark and sharing out your connections!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MsVlugoDecember 1, 2020 at 1:47 PM

    Mark, I agree with you. While I resonated with a lot from this week's readings, I feel I also gained clarification about many things. Specifically the subtle differences between games vs play. I also, agree with you regarding orgs needing to quantify and prove their impact. That just tells me the people making the "rules" are not intuned with the work being done and do not understand as you said, it's a life long journey.

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