First-year child and youth care counsellor (CYCC) students experienced hands-on aspects of their future careers when they planned and hosted fall break youth programming this semester.

The youth program, which ran Nov. 7 to 9, was free to local youth between the ages of 8 and 14, taking place during the children's fall break. Participants played games, created crafts and took part in active-learning activities.

“We spent one class a week since the beginning of last semester planning and making sure everyone knew what we were going to do,” says Rae-Lee Fleming, a first-year CYCC student who participated in the youth program. “It went really well. The kids really enjoyed it, which was our main focus.”

The opportunity to work one-on-one with local children provided students the opportunity to put theory into practice, applying what they learned in the classroom to a real-world scenario.

“One concept that we used from class that was really important was presuming competence. It means assuming the kids are capable of doing whatever you have planned and being careful not to undermine their abilities,” Fleming explains.

Alongside the lessons learned during the program, planning it also helped Fleming and her classmates work on their communication and leadership skills.

Fleming enrolled in the CYCC program because it suited her interests in working in a psychology-based field. In CYCC, graduates go on to work in youth intervention, youth justice, family support, addictions, youth and family programming and family intervention. She hopes to find a career working at a youth centre, in animal-assisted intervention, or at a school.

“I'm really enjoying the program at Lakeland,” Fleming says. “It's definitely relevant and makes me feel more prepared to work in child and youth care. The experience of working directly with the children has been so important.”

Photos: Top-Rae-Lee Fleming (far right) prepares materials for crafts. Bottom-President Dr. Alice Wainwright-Stewart (left) chats with students.