Working with our own misperceptions

Working with our own misperceptions:

• Recognize that youth, when uncomfortable or uncertain about a situation convey an attitude that doesn't reflect their true feelings. This can just be a defense mechanism in case they or their peers don't end up liking it.
  
• Some youth may be preoccupied with other concerns and troubles but appear externally as if they don't like you or your program even though the program doesn't have anything to do with it.
  
• Some youth who seem indifferent or who seem to make the youth program a low priority may actually value you or your program way beyond your imagination – their lives are not their own and driven by external forces (parents).
  
• Some kids roll their eyes in reaction to things you say or do. There may or may not be meaning behind this action. It is sometimes helpful to comment, privately, about how it makes you feel when you see that. They may be surprised to know that they had done it and how your feel.
  
• Some youth's “face at rest” – their default facial expression – is sour or bored or sad looking. These looks mean nothing at all and should not be taken seriously.
  
• It is difficult to challenge our own misperceptions so we need an outside objective source of information to check our perceptions against.
  
• Looking back and seeing when we misperceived things in the past helps us avoid making the same mistake.