It’s the Monday after Spring Break, and while many students may choose to extend their vacation, the students in Dr. Kate Fletcher’s Foundations of Youth Development course (FYC3201) are ready for their morning class.
Students greet each other as they enter the classroom, and chat among themselves while waiting for class to begin. Today, students in FYC3201 are completing their fourth Living Story.
FYC3201 serves as a cornerstone course for FYCS students, introducing key principles of youth development. Students explore the major physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes that youth experience from childhood through adolescence.
Students must then apply the theories they learn in class discussions and through hands-on learning at a local youth-serving organization. The course requires students to choose a local organization to work with for 20 hours over the course of the semester.
As class begins, Dr. Kate Fletcher— students call her “Dr. Kate”— greets her students and begins matching each student with a partner. During the lesson, students get to know and build community with their peers.
What is a Living Story?
Living stories are collections of ‘living books,’ allowing ‘living beings’ to explore experiences, people, places, communities, and cultures that shape students’ lives, according to Dr. Kate. These lessons are designed to center on real human connections in AI-era classrooms. Living Stories transforms the classroom into a space where students practice telling their story and develop the listening and cultural competency skills they’ll need in their future careers.
Students share their story with a partner in an effort to build community among their peers in the FYCS major. Understanding others is at the core of the FYCS curriculum. Living Stories help cultivate an atmosphere of open-mindedness and empathy among students in the major. They take the skills they build connecting with their peers to the communities they serve throughout their education.
Building Community with Classmates
Many students shared past experiences where they sat next to the same classmates every day, but never truly got to know them. These lessons aim to change this reality. What begins with simple conversation starters often blossoms into meaningful conversations about family, goals, challenges, and the experiences that drew students to FYCS.
Two students shared that while they consider themselves introverted, these lessons remind them that it can be easy to talk to their peers. They stated that Living Stories provides them with a low-pressure environment to learn about other students in the major.
Conversations ranged from lighthearted Spring Break travel stories to more substantial discussions about internship applications and summer study abroad plans. Many students took this lesson as an opportunity to ask for advice and feedback on their applications for summer internships.
Beyond sharing advice, students opened up about their personal motivations for starting the FYCS program. Students talked about family struggles that inspired their commitment to make a difference in their community. These exchanges help FYCS students develop empathy for and understanding of their peers’ diverse backgrounds and perspectives. These skills are essential to their service-learning work and to their future careers.
About FYC3201
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