Finding community
Dylan Hackbarth discovered his passion and purpose in youth studies
During his first two years at the University of Minnesota, Dylan Hackbarth took a variety of courses in the College of Liberal Arts as he searched for a major that would set him on his life path. Instead, he just grew frustrated. That all changed when, in the spring of 2009, he visited the youth studies program in the School of Social Work and found the calling and the community he sought.
Hackbarth says he was initially drawn to youth studies because he loves to be around young people and hopes to someday work in a K–12 setting. He was also intrigued by the idea of belonging to a smaller, more intimate college community. The prospect of an integrated internship—a vital part of the youth studies program—also appealed to his desire to apply theory to practice.
“Previously I had a hard time seeing the application of what I was learning,” Hackbarth says. “In youth studies, the professors are very approachable and free to give support and insights—particularly Ross Velure Roholt in the School of Social Work. Here, I can see myself in so many lines of work because the subject matter is broad enough.”
Hackbarth says he enjoyed all of the classes he took during the 2009–10 academic year, particularly Urban Youth and Youth Issues and Adolescent Development for Youth Workers. He felt welcomed by the program students and instructors and was even moved to start an officially recognized student group, Youth Studies Buddies, which focuses on volunteering at youth sites.
“Youth Studies has a very strong community,” he explains. “Some students are bound for youth ministry, others for social work or counseling careers, so their goals are varied—but it’s a tight group.”
In March, Youth Studies Buddies participated in a Polar Plunge fundraiser for the Special Olympics of Minnesota. The group is seeking out community partners in hopes of volunteering for homework help and meal preparation at local youth centers this autumn.
Hackbarth is just embarking on his official youth studies internship with CitySongs, a North Minneapolis after-school arts program that brings together youth in grades 4-8 to sing together. The program also uses dance and poetry to build social skills, self-esteem, and self-knowledge. CitySongs capitalizes on Hackbarth’s experience as a member of an on-campus, men’s a cappella singing group, Basses Wild.
Last spring, Hackbarth completed an additional internship program with the YMCA-University Community Leadership Intern Program. He tutored, counseled, fed, and transported as many as 60 kids for 15 hours per week after school. He also took a full load of classes and juggled two work-study jobs—one as a student blogger for the college.
Hackbarth also applied what he has learned in the classroom this summer, when he was a camp counselor for 11-year-old boys at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth. “I learned that, despite their younger age, every kid deserves to have a point of view and to be part of a community,” Hackbarth says.
This message has been one of the strongest lessons he has learned from the youth studies program to date. “This is what I have walked away with,” he says, “No matter your age, you are a citizen now. Your experience is valid, and you are a valuable human being. I try to carry that message to others, too.”
Read about Dylan’s experiences as a CEHD undergraduate in his blog.
Story by Brigitt Martin | Photo by Justin Evidon | September 2010
