Megan Cederberg 

Change was really a challenge for me. And I think it really put my focus on this change and where am I going to go as an adult? And what am I going to be? I also think I had a lot of anger. So, I left Wisconsin in a space that I was still pretty mad at everybody for what had happened. And I felt like me leaving was really great. Because I didn't have to communicate I was angry. I got to have people around me that didn't really know my childhood but were willing to learn my life. And so, I got to almost get therapy by friendships that were new. And so, being able to express myself with people that weren't my family, I think that helped me a lot.

Paul Meunier 

Hello, I'm Paul Meunier, the executive director of the Youth Intervention Programs Association. And I'm a youth worker at heart. How lucky am I, I have the privilege to meet youth workers from around the globe and learn their stories and share them with the entire world. I'm glad you're listening because together we'll learn how their life experiences shape their youth work. As you listen, I encourage you to consider how your experiences shape what you have to offer young people. Welcome to this edition of The Passionate Youth Worker. Hi, everybody. For this episode, we're joined by Megan Cederburg, from New Mexico in the United States. Megan works at the Chavez County CASA and is transitioning into a new role as their social venturist. Megan loves the outdoors and is known to be bold and assertive. And I think you'll find her to be very authentic. Megan, thanks for being a guest on the podcast.

Megan Cederberg 

Thanks for having me.

Paul Meunier 

It's wonderful to have you here. And I'm so eager to learn about you. And I also want to know more about this social venturist thing because I know the title is still being massaged a little bit, you're evolving into this role. But I would like to understand what a social venturist means but I do know of like venture capitalists. And I think of venture capitalists are wealthy people who invest in startups and hope that they're going to get a return. And I'm wondering if you guys are kind of seeing it along that same line, like are you thinking like, if you make some social investments in things that you'll see dividends in the betterment of people's lives or your community? Just how do you see what a social venturist would do, or be?

Megan Cederberg 

I thought that was so beautifully said, and I love that you put that perspective out there for me to even hear it again, or, you know, kind of look at it like that. But I think social venturist is, and I'm gonna give a lot of credit to the people that have inspired me in my life, and one of those things is we call it spices. And so, really what you're saying is spot on. So, it has a social aspect, it has a physical aspect, it has an intellectual aspect, it has a creative aspect, and it has an emotional aspect and a spiritual aspect. So, we do activities that are going to encompass all of those things. Maybe not in one session but throughout the year of engaging with our youth. So, some of the highlights of that program are going to be for us, for me, it's very much still biking. And we'll talk more about that a little bit. But we have eight bikes that we take our kiddos out on adventures on our trails here in Roswell. Paddleboards. We have the Bottomless Lakes here that fits really perfect, it's a very beautiful space, the water is very clean. We are investing in them having a new experience and hopefully that there is a dividend which they find their community to be beautiful,, the place that they live to be beautiful. And that that will heighten their empowerment to be happy in the spaces that they're in and see great things. We also do disc golfing because we have disc golf courses here, which is phenomenal in the physical sense, but also in the emotional sense. And it really can become a part of your spiritual sense of you know, self-managing regulation of thoughts and you know, meditation of time and all these different things. But during the school years, we only have an hour allotted with each of these kiddos. So, it's a group setting but we try to really expand so this year, we'll also talk about last year because it was the first year it really was the startup of that program. We did a haunted house, which was super fun. We spent a whole month of every week developing, doing something in regards to the haunted house. We did a lot of Thanksgiving prep. We did Day of the Dead was really huge because we had a lot of our kiddos that had family members pass away. So, it was a really neat experience to bring culture and creativity into it and then emotional into it and then spiritual as well. But to be able to share that time together and express you know how we can honor people that we love. This year we're doing skateboarding. We're doing a wide variety of things so and Day of the Dead again. This year we're revamping and doing Day of the Dead really big. There's a lot there.

Paul Meunier 

That's great, what a nice way to think about it the work you're doing is I often talk about the social and economic value that youth workers bring to their community and to their state, and to I guess, society in general. And to describe it as like a social venturist is really a neat spin on that. And the way you describe all those different aspects of it is really cool. But I also want to know a little bit about you, Megan. I want to kind of learn your story and understand how you got to be at this point in your life where even talking about social venturism. What was your upbringing like, Megan, did you come from a big family or can you tell us just a little bit about that?

Megan Cederberg 

Sure. I come from a mixed family. So, two families that just boom, we joined together. I have step-siblings that aren't blood siblings, and I have blood siblings that are, you know, born and raised with me, I would call this kind of a trauma bunch. We all had our own traumas when we met together. And so, we grew up coping through those traumas, experiencing those traumas, but also like really connecting to one another. My sister's a big part of my life. Her name is Bianca. And she's really beautiful. And she really was my heart growing up in the way that we spent so much time together, we had so much fun together. And we were very social kids. We went to our neighbor's houses a lot and spent a lot of time in the neighborhood biking, walking, whatever that is, and really got to know a lot of people. And what's beautiful is people were really, like, open to us and really vibrant around us as well. And a big highlight for me is my neighbor, Joan. She was amazing. The first time I met her was kind of crazy. I had just gotten my hair cut completely off, like butched, and my sister and I went over there. And she sat me on her lap and she was like, Hi, how are you today? You got your hair cut? And I said, Yeah. And I was like, five, five or so. And I said, Yeah, I had head lice so I had to get it all cut off. And my dad died. And she was like, shocked, like didn't know how to handle it didn't know how to process this little five-year-old saying these things to her. And she was like, Do you want a cookie? Can I get you a cookie? And her husband was like, Don't do it, don't do it. They're like raccoons, they're going to come back. And that's true. It's it was very true. And so, my sister and I kept coming back just every day just coming over, she would come home from work, and we just know she was there. And we would just say, Ah hello, come play with us, come be with us, you know. And she eventually she had to move us down to one day a week. She was like y'all have to have just one day a week with me. So, we set like a Joan day. And they called us the raccoons our entire childhood. And so, just really she engaged in us. She showed us gardening, she showed us having pets, she you know, she took us on family camping trips, she really just opened her life to us. And as much as I was like a chaotic kid, which I'm still a chaotic adult. She just let me be me and just totally supported me and all of my craziness and sometimes my anger. she was totally supportive of me. But she did, she showed me all of these outlets that I could have to express myself and to and to be happy and to even be mad and be doing those things was fine too with her. But fully accepting, fully loving, and just really amazing to us as kids and I really give a lot of my credit of where I am at today, when I'm working with youth, when I'm doing fun things. If I go down in my mood, or I get down in my level, I really think to myself, I'm like what would Joan have done for me in this season? And it's love, she would have totally been like, Let's go garden or let's do something while you're expressing yourself.

Paul Meunier 

You talked about being a trauma bunch. And you also put in there that your father died. How did your dad die, and you were five when he died?

Megan Cederberg 

So, I was actually really little. I was probably like one when my dad died. It impacted my siblings more because my brother was eight. My dad actually killed himself, shot himself on the phone while talking to my mom. So, that was really hard for her I think more than any of us kids and really hard on my brother. My mom is actually Native American, and my dad was German. And so my mom, she grew up on the reservation. She had a lot of like that family in support of her. But I think for her she lost a lot of her ability to connect after that. And so, yeah, that's that.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah, I can see that that would create a ton of trauma. I'm so sorry to hear that. And then sounds like your mom got remarried and there was trauma on that side of the family too. What was the trauma they were experiencing and going through that turned you into the trauma of bunch?

Megan Cederberg 

Right. So, my other side of the family, they had an alcoholic mother. And as loving and kind as she was you know she still had an addiction and there was still a lot of being left alone or managing time when they were kids and you know, my oldest sibling on that side she was really what we call parentifed and she took really good care of her brother, but she was young and she had an older sister who actually passed away at 18. So, she had experienced one of the loves of her life pass away when she was younger, and just kind of experiencing the situation with her parents. And yeah, that's that side of the family.

Paul Meunier 

Wow. And are your mom and your stepdad are they still together and does your family see each other much are you kind of all gone your own way?

Megan Cederberg 

So, they are still together. And I will say, I think a mixture, a little bit of both. I live all the way in New Mexico. So, my family's from Wisconsin, and I moved very far away when I hit like 19. And I thought it was really great for my process and life and healing. But my siblings, some of my siblings stayed home in Wisconsin. My closest sister became a flight attendant. So, she started traveling the world. And one of my brothers moved to Kansas. So, in a sense, we kind of like branched out. But in the other sense we still connected through I mean, thank God for technology, we still connected through phone calls. I think we did disconnect a lot in the process of healing, just because everybody chose to handle it a very different way I think. One of my brothers actually chose, and I don't know, I don't want to speak for him in any sense but he definitely had a lot of like wrong moves and addiction really set into his life. And thank God praise the Lord he's like a year sober now. So, he's doing really well. But he definitely got disconnected from us as a family. And I think with him, he had a lot harder time coping through a lot of our childhood. And so, in that sense, he got separated more because he was coping in such a way that we were like, well, we don't comprehend how you're coping, or, you know, whatever that may be. And so, yeah,we still I still talked to all of my siblings. And we and I do go home to see my parents. I wouldn't say I'm the closest with my mom. But I would say still chit chat with her occasionally. Yeah.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah, everybody handles trauma so differently, right? There's no right way or wrong way to handle it, as long as it helps you move forward and come to some sort of healing space.

Megan Cederberg 

Right.

Paul Meunier 

Sounds like for you starting off on your own again, in a state pretty far away from Wisconsin was a good move for you. Can you talk not just the logistics about why you moved there but how was that good for you? How did that space and kind of starting over, that aspect of it, how did that help you cope with the trauma that you experienced growing up?

Megan Cederberg 

For me, it was change was really a challenge for me. And I think it really put my focus on this change, and where am I going to go as an adult and what am I going to be? I also think I had a lot of anger. So, I left Wisconsin in a space that I was still pretty mad at everybody for what had happened and how it was playing out. And I felt like me leaving was really great because I didn't have to communicate I was angry. I got to have people around me that didn't really know my childhood but were willing to learn my life. And so, I got to almost get therapy by friendships that were new. And so, being able to express myself with people that weren't my family, I think that helped me a lot and just being met with such an open community. Roswell is a very beautiful space, especially for an entrepreneur, and especially for a creative mind. If you have visions of beautiful things for the community, people jump in. And so, I think for me, I'm, I'm naturally just out there, I'm naturally like, Ah, hi, neighbor, or whatever, you know. And so, people were really open. And my husband is kind of the same way. We're very vibrant in the way that we like to do things. And we like to connect. And so, you know, both of us really just had these people that just stepped into our lives that were feeding where we were at. Yeah, and my husband's family is really beautiful. So, my husband's family even when I met him in high school, and started dating him in high school, his family was super, super supportive of me, and really helped me to understand that I have what it takes to keep moving. And I have a beautiful soul. And they were very crucial in supporting us as we moved. And they came and visited us. And just, I mean, there was so much support for me that they made it a lot easier to really grow through it. And then CASA. I mean, I very shortly after, stepped into my role at CASA, and just being able to engage with all of these other little kids that have their own stories, that have their own things going on, and just really being able to be my neighbor, Joan with them and love them. And, and I think that's healing in itself, too. You know.

Paul Meunier 

I agree with that. And it sounds like you made a wise decision. And it sounds like you not only are healing from all those experiences you had as a young person, you're taking them and using them to your advantage to help other people and I think that's unbelievably cool. We do have to take a short break. When we come back. I'd like to ask you a little bit more about Joan, and then talk about some of the other things that you've done there. So, we'll be right back.

Jade Schleif 

No matter how you support our young people, The Professional Youth Worker, powered by YIPA, has your training and learning needs covered. Visit training.yipa.org. That's training.yipa.org to see for yourself, and then join the 1000s of youth workers around the globe who learn from our easy to access exceptional trainings. From our blogs to our podcast, The Professional Youth Worker is your go-to resource for tools to help you keep going, keep learning, and keep growing. Members enjoy, free unlimited access to Live Online and On-Demand trainings, and a preferred discount pricing for our one-of-a-kind certificate course. Annual memberships are ridiculously affordable for individuals and organizations. Visit training.yipa.org today to learn more. That's training.yipa.org.

Paul Meunier 

Megan, right before the break I said I wanted to ask you a little bit more about Joan, your neighbor who was very supportive of you at a very early age, even though you were like a raccoon and kept going back and getting cookies.

Megan Cederberg 

Yeah.

Paul Meunier 

But she sounds like a wonderful person. And I wonder, have you ever thought about the fact that you are kind of doing the same thing Joan did for you but in a more structured, meaningful, professional sort of way. Rather than being that just altruistic caring neighbor, you devoted your career into giving back and helping and I think if you get young people to be like raccoons and keep coming back to your program and keep engaging, that's kind of what you're trying to do.

Megan Cederberg 

Yeah.

Paul Meunier 

Have you ever thought about that connection there?

Megan Cederberg 

For sure. And I think I'm 100% grateful I get paid to do it. I don't know how Joan did it all those years without being paid to do it. But yeah, for sure. Absolutely.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah. Well, it's wonderful how you've developed that, despite the trauma, despite the things that you've got going on, you are committed to helping other people and you're looking for creative ways, new ways to reach out and whatever you can do to connect and build those relationships with young people. That's what you're working on. And they're designing a whole program for you to think of creative ways to do that. And I know you are kind of a creative person. So, we talked about social venturist, but you're also kind of an entrepreneur, like you've started a bike shop. And now some of those bikes are directly involved in the CASA program. How did you and your husband decide that starting a bike shop is going to be good for you? And how is that connected then to CASA?

Megan Cederberg 

Right. I think they're always connected. I was in a place at CASA where I needed to be able to express myself. And it may be a little off topic but I'll kind of go back to when my neighbor Joan, she moved away from us at a certain point in our lives, and it really correlates to my job title, too. We don't have our kids forever, they eventually move forward. And they eventually go and live different lives. And I remember being very panicked about that. What am I going to do with that my neighbor? And I just, I had a bike. And so, I biked everywhere. I walked everywhere. I you know, I just was outside all the time. And I think in my place at CASA I was I was feeling like I'm not able to live to my full potential in the way that I can give back to my kids or the community that I'm working with. And I think in that desperate moment, I was like, Hey, Daniel, and my husband Daniel had been a barista because that's where we started is that Stellar Coffee Co. in Roswell, which is a very big part of the connection. I'll tell you everything's very connected for me. And Anne Baker, she owns Stellar Coffee Co. and she is, she's like my Carrie-Leigh. So Carrie- Leigh Cloutier is the CASA side of things and Anne Baker is the Stellar Coffee Co. And these are all Joan figures. These are all people who are very beautiful and loving to those around them. And I think in that desperate moment of I need to be authentically myself, I need to be able to take these kids out and really give them what I was given and what I was blessed with. I came to Anne and I said, Look, this ain't working for me. Can you let me open a bike shop? And I kind of talked to Daniel about it, but I have to work with him. I have to like throw the idea out there and kind of make it like a Ooh, maybe this could be something. And Daniel was really ready to stop being a barista. He was done working in coffee for a minute and, and so he was like, Yeah, I really could be a bike mechanic. I really and Daniel's dreams are to tour guide, he really wants to, and that's where our mission is really aligned is he wants to take people out into nature too. And so, Anne was like immediately she said yes, you can start a bike shop. I have a little bit of like a 20 by 20 space in the back for you if you want to do that. And so, we got started. We redid her floors, we built a counter, and then we started it right as COVID started so our opening was like boom, it was January 2019 is when we opened and so in that year, bike sales peak 200% Because you know subways were being shut down and, and people needed to bike. People that was the solution was, Hey, I can't use public transportation, I'm gonna get a bike. So, everybody was buying bikes, buying bikes, and it really boosted our business. And it really helped us and we were able to expand. And then through that expansion, and even on the cost side of things, nonprofits boomed because all these grants were available during COVID, all of these federal foundations were like, we got to get this money out of here. And Carrie-Leigh was able to get such a ginormous grant that covered bikes, a coffee truck, and that's where the entrepreneur side jumped in. And so, we were able to start a coffee truck program where Daniel being a coffee shop person all his life, and me jumping in there, we were able to start this program that now gives kids the ability to work, the ability to learn hands-on life skills, and to be connected to counselors, mental health, and all of it all in your workplace. So, and they're all very close. So, the hub of CASA, Stellar, and Moonrock, were all within three blocks of each other. So, that's a lot.

Paul Meunier 

It is all connected. And I can see why they're developing this title for you called social venturist. You just have these ideas all the time, don't you? New ideas about things you could do to make situations better, engage young people more.

Megan Cederberg 

Right.

Paul Meunier 

That's just kind of how your brain works right? It's always going, isn't it?

Megan Cederberg 

I think so. Blessing and a curse.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah, I can imagine and how do you see it as a curse? I'm just curious about that. Is it just exhausting? Or what is it that makes it kind of difficult sometimes?

Megan Cederberg 

I think the slowing down is very hard. And especially in our field, we're very much encouraged to self-care and to rest and to and I'll get really personal with it at the beginning of the satellite, there was so much going on, you know, with the adventure time, with the satellite, and with also trying to get the programs that I was already doing distributed to other people and try to help people get into that job. And I experienced not anxiety, but tightness of my body. And on Sundays, I would come home and I my body was like you're laying down all day. And so, I had to learn the value of rest because I don't like resting. It's, it's not fun for me to just lay down. And so, I think that's where the curse is, is that it's not very fun for me to be like laying down and I really do need to lay down. So, in the curse it became a blessing through the curse, because I learned how to rest and relax a lot during this season.

Paul Meunier 

In your work that you've done there, and you started these different ideas and these you always have new things you'd like to be working on is there one thing you can think of that you're super proud of that you got started, that you got going that is flourishing? Anything that feels like it's been transformational?

Megan Cederberg 

I think all of it I mean, I can't believe the bike shop. I can't believe how many things how many walls we took apart to build the bike shop. And what's crazy, too is I connected my CASA kids in that. So, when we would need to tear down walls or paint walls or do whatever, I would invite CASA kids to come and they would help me tear down walls and they would help me you know. And so, I think everything we've done has been transformational. Every problem we've experienced. Every I had to learn about propane. I mean, really, I'm a social worker, why do I got to learn about propane? Why do I got to learn about electrical? Why do I you know, all these things that, but I took it on and I learned so much about communication with so many people in my community. And I think the biggest thing I would say I'm grateful for in the accomplishment side of it is the ability to realize that it's okay to be inspired and share your inspiration with other people. I was always very fearful that if I was too inspired out there or that maybe people would be like, well, you're just like gloating, or you're just being cocky or whatever. And I just kind of really learned that my passion is inspiring and it transcends and, and it wavelengths out. So, totally embrace it because you're desperate now. You gotta get new tires, you got to get propane tanks, you know, you just have to so I think everything, all of it.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah, I think your passion for doing this stuff is so apparent. And I know at the very beginning I introduced that I think people would find you to be authentic. You're so real and you're so honest in the way you describe what you do, you often talk about kind of chaos, like your world is kind of chaotic because you're going so fast all the time. You're just diving into things headfirst. But I would like to ask you, and this is gonna be a harder question, okay, are you ready for a little harder one?

Megan Cederberg 

I'm scared but ready.

Paul Meunier 

Okay, what do you think like your biggest fault is or your biggest fear that you have about being a youth worker is?

Megan Cederberg 

Hmm.

Paul Meunier 

The other side of the coin. You have so much going on. But I know we all have a little self-doubt we all have our little insecurities. I'm wondering what are yours like?

Megan Cederberg 

Um, one that is really apparent in my mind is, I'm, I'm here in Roswell, New Mexico. And if none of you can see me on the podcast, if you decide not to watch the video or whatever I have blonde hair, I have blue eyes and I'm meeting all of these kids that are from such diversity. We have a very large Hispanic population, which I will give credit to all of them as I've been here like Mexicans Colombians, I could give the whole list because it is very specific. You're like, Hey, we're not all just Mexicans, hey, we're not all just Colombians, or you know, there's a lot there. But we also have Filipino, and there's just all this diversity here and so I think, for me, the biggest challenge is to say, I'm going to push through this initial meet and greet. So, there's a lot of bias out there. And our kids are learning to be very biased, and I'm biased. So, when they first meet me, they're like, Who is this white girl? You know, and I think it's not my flaw. But I think that the biggest flaw that I can get is that I maybe fall into the trap of, you really aren't good enough. You have no cultural experience with these kids. You cannot relate to them. You're old now. And I think that my inner voice is my biggest downfall, hands down at times. All those words that you can say to yourself in a moment.

Paul Meunier 

And I think we all have that impostor kind of syndrome at some level, right. And I think that you were so brave to talk about that. Because that's, that is a big thing. And I think a lot of youth workers feel that, especially when we're working with some young people who are living through just terrible situations, and we're trying to somehow have this audacity to believe we can play an important part and help them

Megan Cederberg 

 Right

Paul Meunier 

Improve their circumstances. You know, we all have those doubts. And for you to say that and just be so bold and brave and authentic to come on and say it, I think is really cool. So, here's a little easier question. So, how do you define success when you're working with young people? What does that look like to Megan?

Megan Cederberg 

Okay, so this is a great one, I like this. When we talk about success, we also link it to an emotion, what do we feel? What is success supposed to feel like? What does accomplishment feel like? And this is where I love Google definitions. We have a forensic interviewing program here, too. And so, a lot of us get the opportunity to go to that training. I would never be a forensic interviewer, let me just say that. But you learn so much about how people define things differently on any like word. And so, we do, we Google the definition of success, we Google the definition of accomplishment. And then I listen, what does it mean to you? When you hear that definition what does it say to you? And we and I would like to break it down to like I said, feelings, but what types of things in your life make you feel that feeling? And then we go from there, we build off of that. And we say, that's what success is to you, not my definition of success. But to me, my definition of success, are you asking me that as well?

Paul Meunier 

I think so. That was that's what I was looking for. But I liked your other answer as well.

Megan Cederberg 

Okay, sorry. I think success to me is like accomplishing something. I mean, really just trying to do something and accomplishing it and the middle parts. I think success is even failing and getting back up. I think success is challenging yourself and looking at yourself and saying, Where could I be better or where did I do great? I think success is all about being able to reframe, and being able to say that there is something worthwhile here.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah, I couldn't agree more with that. Megan, I'm so grateful that you are doing what you're doing. You bring so much creativity and energy into this field. And I'm sure that your program is so much better as a result of all the things you think about. All the things you're willing to dive into, certainly are making an impact on young people. And regardless if you're the same culture as some of the young people you work with, I think people see you as authentic. And I know that's the secret I think, at least I should say I believe that's the secret to getting past racial differences is if we can just be real and be authentic and just say what we believe and not try to be artificial or superficial but just be ourselves. And you, Megan, are yourself. You're so genuine. So, thank you for being a guest on the podcast. It was great to get to know you.

Megan Cederberg 

I appreciate you. I think this has been such a great challenge to take on and a beautiful like reminder throughout my week like you got it!

Paul Meunier 

Great. Before we go, Megan, what words of wisdom or inspiration would you like to leave with the listeners?

Megan Cederberg 

I say, show up. Show up in the physical and be open to what is gonna come, what connections you might make, good or bad, I think. And if you aren't there mentally to begin with, that's okay. Over time, it will become a mental show up, but at least show up physically to these things in life that you are called to do.

Paul Meunier 

If you would like to share your passion for youth work, we'd love to spotlight you as a guest. If you have feedback about the show, please let us know. Just visit training.yipa.org, that's training.yipa.org and click on the podcast tab. This podcast is made possible in part due to a generous contribution from M Health Fairview. I'm your host, Paul Meunier. Thanks for listening to The Passionate Youth Worker.