Hello! My name is Liz Fast and I would like to thank you for taking the time to view my Child and Youth Care E-Portfolio!
I am currently in my second semester of the Child and Youth Care program at Fleming College. In this E-Portfolio, you will find much information about the practice itself, as well as information about me!
I am 21 years old, and I have a dream to become a Child and Youth Care Practitioner. I am almost done my first year of this program and I am slowly starting to see the dream I have unfold!
I have 10 years of experience working with children in various settings, mainly working as a Sunday school teacher and a nanny, which were great experiences, however, what I really want to do is help children or youth overcome the traumas they face.
I believe that the Child and Youth care field is the perfect path for me. I am what professionals in the field would call, a ‘wounded healer’. I have been diagnosed with several exceptionalities myself, and I can greatly relate to what many children or youth are going through, especially severe trauma.
My exceptionalities may be challenging at times, however, I believe that because of them, I am a stronger, more creative, and more resilient person. Through much hard work, I have been able to take my exceptionalities, and look at them through a different lens. I want to be able to help children or youth do the same. For example, I have been diagnosed with ADHD. A few common benefits of ADHD are being energetic, being highly creative, spontaneous, and the ability to hyper-focus on a given task, like say, getting 4 major assignments done in one night!
Because of the secluded environment that I grew up in, ADHD helped me discover my own talents. I taught myself how to dance, how to skateboard, how to make jewelry, and how to use computers. These are all skills and activities I could teach children and youth in the field, and hopefully, help them develop their own talents using exactly what people said would be their downfall.
So, I challenge you, next time someone says that you can’t do something because of the way your brain works, tell them that that is exactly why you CAN!
Some random facts about me are that I love roses, coffee, and I’m half Portuguese! I love learning about culture and I love helping and caring for children. My goal in life is to become the woman that I wish I had while growing up. Thank you for reading! Feel free to ask questions anytime!
