How Culture Impacts Our Work as Child and Youth Care Workers

Culture is a very crucial aspect that directly or indirectly affects our day to day activities. As child and youth care workers, culture plays an essential role in our work. Food is one of the cultural aspects that relate to our work as child and youth care workers. Early childhood is the best time to establish the best eating habits and patterns. If a child and youth worker consider the culture of the child and bring them their favorite delicacy during family visits, it will create a strong bond. Food is a sign of caring; thus this gesture will bring closeness between the child or youth with the child and youth care worker. Also bringing food that does not go against their culture will show how the child and youth care worker is very considerate cultural diversity. Therefore, plays an essential part in child and youth care. 

I have thought about time and its relationship to our practice as child and youth care practitioners. Children and youths always demand a lot of attention from their parents, and they also observe how much importance is attached to family time. Time is an aspect that is highly regarded in our family, and that has personally helped me in ensuring that I observe time. If a childcare and youth care worker arrives late or early to meet the family, it will create an impression about him, either negative or positive. If a child care worker is always on time, it will show how concerned she /he is, and this will create a bond with the family. The time a childcare worker spends with the family creates a solid bond that provides a conducive environment for the child and youth care workers. Therefore, time is a cultural factor that affects our practice as child and youth care workers.