Something very interesting came out in a conversation today. Sat around three tables are a group of adults who have been around the circuit for a while, in a number of roles and guises, and right now are potentially considered the "leading thinkers" in their field.
So having an after dinner discussion about how we can develop good youth involvement practice is a fairly standard exercise and one which most in the room are used to. Conversation bounces around the different models and methods, bats between the idea of governance and programme, and dances across tokenism. Standard values are shared in the room; the usual conversation emerges. Some people throw in some hand grenades to gauge a reaction or challenge a standard, but for the large there is good discussion about progression along the route of youth involvement.
One point did grab my attention more so than any other, and it was this:
"but why?"
A good question. Why are we investing so much money, resource, and time into youth involvement? What is the point? Is this just something we can put on our CV that we can tick this box?
As a youth worker, I am constantly challenged, and actually thrive from being questioned as it encourages me to step back and engage in the reflective practice which is so highly regarded and rarely utilised.
Why do we want to do youth involvement? Yes it is aspirational. Yes it ticks the box that Article 12 of the UN rights of a child set out for us. Yes it looks good.
But what will we benefit from doing it? I have no facts to answer this question so will use my experience as a guide.
By engaging young people in youth involvement (under all guises - asking a simple question to sitting at a board table), we are creating intergenerational dialogue. Dialogue between an adult who is in a trusted position of responsibility, with a young person. Adults in this position have the key to be able to change lives through their interactions with young people, and I believe that the core of quality youth work is voluntary participation. This essentially means that a young person makes a choice to engage or not, and cannot be forced. The magic key that fits alongside this is building positive relationships.
Let's use an example of a youth group leader, they could easily have a growing provision which works well and young people come to (and indeed keep coming back to). But for me, the thing we are analysing here is not numbers, but impact. Take the same group, but the leader takes time to consult their participants with what they want to do - the programme is then tailored to meet the needs of the group and young people. In meeting their needs, we are actively promoting their development through one way or another. A young person could suggest they want support around finance and budgeting - the leader provides a game or intervention that gives that young person the chance to explore finance in a safe way, and then leaves that experience having developed in some way.
Another reason for youth involvement is that by opening the dialogue to become a two way conversation we are setting an example of listening and responding. If we listen to what someone wants and then provide it for them, we are building a relationship of trust - for some young people, this may be the only positive relationship they have with an adult.
If we stretch the conversation further, and actually work with a young person to develop something that is tailored to meet their needs, and is actually delivered by themselves then they have the chance to learn a whole range of skills which are not taught in school - learning by making mistakes, developing confidence, learning to plan an activity and complete risk assessments.. It could be anything, but these skills are distinctly lacking in a school curriculum where young people are fed information in a didactic manner. Opening a conversation allows for challenge and development.
In my opinion, it is worth identifying why we are doing something to justify the expense before we do it. Having a purpose to hang our good intentions off helps, but regards youth involvement it is the outcome and not the number that is the key here. If we get it right we will reap the benefits of growing a provision at an even bigger rate, because the quality of delivery and the topic of delivery infill be improved. We also run the risk of "skilling up" young people who could then become leaders themselves and give something back. Then we will be able to count numbers.
To me, for an organisation that promotes the personal, intellectual, social and spiritual development of young people - youth involvement seems like an obvious next step.
However, unless we try we will never know. Maybe now is the time to take a deep breath, and get on with it.
Friday, 28 September 2012
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
"Youngsters have a new place to go as youth club opens"
The young people of Lee on Solent have their youth club back, so tells the evening news tonight. But it could have been a very different story...
The cuts have had a huge effect on all of society but particularly young people, and over the last two years I have faced redundancy three times and somehow managed to survive, but had a job change as a result of streamlining services.
The youth provision in the area was commissioned to local charities to deliver and unfortunately there was simply not enough money in the pot to stretch to Lee on Solent.
But when has money ever stopped anyone from doing what they believe in?
By making enough noise and causing enough fuss, and sticking up for what I believe in (young people!) we managed to secure the building - save it from being abandoned. This was only possible due to local councillors getting on board and shouting our case in the right places and to the right people.
A local community group provided a background to support the project and apply for funding to deliver youth work from the building.
A local councillor gave £1000 from his devolved budget to allow us to renovate the building and buy much needed resources.
Young workers volunteered to give their time in attending meetings and running a consultation with local young people through the Gosport Youth Council. They chose furniture, artworks the walls, and tidied the building - as well as sitting GCSEs and A Levels!
The local college provided support in giving us a group of students to paint the end hall and freshen up the building - simple things like sorting out board games and cleaning the cupboards.
Last Friday we had the grand opening for our new youth centre, and we had support from lots of local people and the charity I work for as well as our mP and the local councillors.
This was a long process, from start to finish about 8 months in the making... But it goes to prove that when in need, a community can pull together and produce something remarkable. The part we all played was small in the scale but will hopefully reap benefits for hundreds of young people and the local community, in giving a safe space for young people to access youth workers. Through this process all I did was spend money on nice things and do lots of cleaning and removals. However, being thanked publicly by the local community was truly humbling and made me feel like my time was not wasted - the hours I spent volunteering, after a long day at work and then heading off to a brick built hut to make a safe place for young people, all that work was valued by the local community. I have played my part and made a positive impact in the community in which I live, through working with young people in partnership with adults and supporting those young people to become active citizens - giving something back to their community. Does this all sound familiar?
It should do.
Over 100,000 adults do this every week, for one of the largest co-educational charities in the UK, who provide nearly £5m of public service to the UK by training volunteers to give them the skills to work with young people or support the process. A charity which I happen to be a trustee of, and whose work I support implicitly.
So on Friday at our big launch, when I was asked why I did it, what compelled me to spend so much of my time creating this youth centre and bringing it back to life.. I answered "because I'm a scout".
www.scouts.org.uk/join
The cuts have had a huge effect on all of society but particularly young people, and over the last two years I have faced redundancy three times and somehow managed to survive, but had a job change as a result of streamlining services.
The youth provision in the area was commissioned to local charities to deliver and unfortunately there was simply not enough money in the pot to stretch to Lee on Solent.
But when has money ever stopped anyone from doing what they believe in?
By making enough noise and causing enough fuss, and sticking up for what I believe in (young people!) we managed to secure the building - save it from being abandoned. This was only possible due to local councillors getting on board and shouting our case in the right places and to the right people.
A local community group provided a background to support the project and apply for funding to deliver youth work from the building.
A local councillor gave £1000 from his devolved budget to allow us to renovate the building and buy much needed resources.
Young workers volunteered to give their time in attending meetings and running a consultation with local young people through the Gosport Youth Council. They chose furniture, artworks the walls, and tidied the building - as well as sitting GCSEs and A Levels!
The local college provided support in giving us a group of students to paint the end hall and freshen up the building - simple things like sorting out board games and cleaning the cupboards.
Last Friday we had the grand opening for our new youth centre, and we had support from lots of local people and the charity I work for as well as our mP and the local councillors.
This was a long process, from start to finish about 8 months in the making... But it goes to prove that when in need, a community can pull together and produce something remarkable. The part we all played was small in the scale but will hopefully reap benefits for hundreds of young people and the local community, in giving a safe space for young people to access youth workers. Through this process all I did was spend money on nice things and do lots of cleaning and removals. However, being thanked publicly by the local community was truly humbling and made me feel like my time was not wasted - the hours I spent volunteering, after a long day at work and then heading off to a brick built hut to make a safe place for young people, all that work was valued by the local community. I have played my part and made a positive impact in the community in which I live, through working with young people in partnership with adults and supporting those young people to become active citizens - giving something back to their community. Does this all sound familiar?
It should do.
Over 100,000 adults do this every week, for one of the largest co-educational charities in the UK, who provide nearly £5m of public service to the UK by training volunteers to give them the skills to work with young people or support the process. A charity which I happen to be a trustee of, and whose work I support implicitly.
So on Friday at our big launch, when I was asked why I did it, what compelled me to spend so much of my time creating this youth centre and bringing it back to life.. I answered "because I'm a scout".
www.scouts.org.uk/join
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Emlyn Trophy Presenting Officer speech
Good afternoon everyone, it is a real pleasure to have been here this year and also to be the presenting officer. I took part myself in the Emlyn trophy ten years ago, which does make me feel old when I realise that I am 14 years older than some of you here!
I wanted to say how proud I am of you all. You have all been here and taken part in a county competition, and whilst there are trophies, for me the participation is the most important part of the weekend.
As I have been walking around and chatting to some of you, I have gotten a feel for what you have been up to, and what have been the highlights of the weekend.
Some of the answers I got were as simple as being allowed to cut the chicken for the curry, because they don't do it at home. Someone else said they liked using the axe because their Patrol Leader trusted them to do it. Another told me they enjoyed doing the challenge and seeing the whole campsite.
One of the best things about this competition is that you develop new skills, experience leadership and teamwork, and learn to look after yourselves. For me, this is an incredible achievement which you should all be proud of.
Something I love about Emlyn is that you always get to try new things, this weekend I had lemon and cheese popcorn, saw a magic blanket, watched our county commissioner be an undertaker, and danced to someone playing anarchy on an accordion. Even when you get to being as old as me, and I am sure your leaders will agree, you still are surprised by the things that young people come up with. It amazes me, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for being so energetic, fun, and friendly.
One of the things that has impressed me this weekend is your commitment to scouting, and commitment to achieving - as I have walked around, I've had chats with some of you about what you can do next, some of you are excited about joining explorers, some of you want to do your chief scout award, and some of you are thinking about the Japan jamboree in 2015. This is a credit to yourself and to your leaders who have supported and inspired you and I hope will continue to do so.
For me it doesn't matter where you come in the competition, it only matters that you came. You took part, you learnt new skills, you made friends, and you had fun. That is the most important part of scouting, and that is what I want you to tell all your friends when you go back to school tomorrow. Tell them what you did, and be proud to be a scout.
I wanted to say how proud I am of you all. You have all been here and taken part in a county competition, and whilst there are trophies, for me the participation is the most important part of the weekend.
As I have been walking around and chatting to some of you, I have gotten a feel for what you have been up to, and what have been the highlights of the weekend.
Some of the answers I got were as simple as being allowed to cut the chicken for the curry, because they don't do it at home. Someone else said they liked using the axe because their Patrol Leader trusted them to do it. Another told me they enjoyed doing the challenge and seeing the whole campsite.
One of the best things about this competition is that you develop new skills, experience leadership and teamwork, and learn to look after yourselves. For me, this is an incredible achievement which you should all be proud of.
Something I love about Emlyn is that you always get to try new things, this weekend I had lemon and cheese popcorn, saw a magic blanket, watched our county commissioner be an undertaker, and danced to someone playing anarchy on an accordion. Even when you get to being as old as me, and I am sure your leaders will agree, you still are surprised by the things that young people come up with. It amazes me, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for being so energetic, fun, and friendly.
One of the things that has impressed me this weekend is your commitment to scouting, and commitment to achieving - as I have walked around, I've had chats with some of you about what you can do next, some of you are excited about joining explorers, some of you want to do your chief scout award, and some of you are thinking about the Japan jamboree in 2015. This is a credit to yourself and to your leaders who have supported and inspired you and I hope will continue to do so.
For me it doesn't matter where you come in the competition, it only matters that you came. You took part, you learnt new skills, you made friends, and you had fun. That is the most important part of scouting, and that is what I want you to tell all your friends when you go back to school tomorrow. Tell them what you did, and be proud to be a scout.
Saturday, 15 September 2012
The Scout Association - reflection for AGM
Good morning everyone, last year I came here for my first time and was elected to serve on the board of trustees, which has been a massive honour, and I have had the good fortune to have taken part in so many opportunities this year, but I wanted to share with you just one for our reflection today.
Within my role I have served this year on the scout delegation to the British Youth Council. I understand that at 24 years old I am just about clutching on to my youth, and stand as the oldest member on the 10 person delegation.
For those of you who don’t know much about them, they are a group of young people aged 14-25 who aim to represent our members around the table of the British Youth Council. Each year the young delegates attend an induction weekend, national evetns, and the BYC annual council meeting.
This year’s annual council meeting was a policy making meeting - all BYC members are allowed to submit up to 3 motions which are debated on and voted either into or out of the BYC manifesto.
Our delegates carefully prepared 3 motions this year, based on evidence collected from local and national consultations all organised by the delegation. The final 3 motions were: Support for uniformed organisations, Support for informal international opportunities, and support for skills from informal learning. Im sure you will agree that these motions are all in line with our ethos, and I assure you it took a great deal of conference calls and rewriting to whittle it down to these three which not only represented our members but also our association and our beliefs.
Two weeks ago today, our delegates, supported by staff, attended the largest ever BYC Annual Council Meeting on record in Cardiff. If you can, try to picture a room twice this big, with nearly 300 people from all parts of the UK and different organisations, including youth workers, youth councils, uniformed groups, policitcal youth groups and faith groups.
Now, without wishing to get into the politics of it all, the ACM threw up a few challenges and one of the motions we submitted was amended and fell by the wire. It would have been easy at this point for our young delegates to lose heart and lose face, however they did not.
Our delegation stood strong and our youngest delegate took to the stage to propose our next motion, in a room full of strangers with lights shining in her face and on her tiptoes in order to reach the microphone. This time, our motion passed unamended and unanimously. The young person returned to the table and whispered “That was amazing”.
When I joined the BYC delegation, I was told by someone in this very room that it would be a good development opportunity and would serve me well in later years, following in the footsteps of many of the people whom I respect the most. At that point, I think I just shrugged it off a little, if I am totally honest. But now, having witnessed what it is like to be part of an empowering group of young people and seeing that one young person suck up all the courage within herself to address a bigger and scarier audience than this one, now, I get it.
2 weeks ago in Cardiff I was put through my paces, fighting a battle which I couldn’t win when we proposed a motion to support uniformed youth organisations. That day I came away feeling angry, disappointed, frustrated. Empowered, valued, and proud.
Proud that I stood up for what I believed in.
Proud that I was able to represent the half a million members of the scout association, on an external platform.
Proud of the young people, who smiled and whistled in difficulties.
Proud of a delegation who stood united and strong whilst facing many challenges.
Proud of the impact that we have, training volunteer leaders to support our young people, inputting millions of pounds of youth services to the public.
Proud that we are a movement that embraces change and accepts individuals differences.
Proud to be part of an organisation that trusts its young people and empowers them to speak up on their behalf.
Proud of the uniform that I wear which unites 32 million people worldwide.
Proud to be a scout.
So, as we look towards our vision for 2018, I would like to ask you all what makes you proud to be a scout? How can you empower the young people you support? How can we value our volunteers? What is it that makes you go back to your friends and colleagues, and say to them, "That was amazing”.
Sent from my iPad
Within my role I have served this year on the scout delegation to the British Youth Council. I understand that at 24 years old I am just about clutching on to my youth, and stand as the oldest member on the 10 person delegation.
For those of you who don’t know much about them, they are a group of young people aged 14-25 who aim to represent our members around the table of the British Youth Council. Each year the young delegates attend an induction weekend, national evetns, and the BYC annual council meeting.
This year’s annual council meeting was a policy making meeting - all BYC members are allowed to submit up to 3 motions which are debated on and voted either into or out of the BYC manifesto.
Our delegates carefully prepared 3 motions this year, based on evidence collected from local and national consultations all organised by the delegation. The final 3 motions were: Support for uniformed organisations, Support for informal international opportunities, and support for skills from informal learning. Im sure you will agree that these motions are all in line with our ethos, and I assure you it took a great deal of conference calls and rewriting to whittle it down to these three which not only represented our members but also our association and our beliefs.
Two weeks ago today, our delegates, supported by staff, attended the largest ever BYC Annual Council Meeting on record in Cardiff. If you can, try to picture a room twice this big, with nearly 300 people from all parts of the UK and different organisations, including youth workers, youth councils, uniformed groups, policitcal youth groups and faith groups.
Now, without wishing to get into the politics of it all, the ACM threw up a few challenges and one of the motions we submitted was amended and fell by the wire. It would have been easy at this point for our young delegates to lose heart and lose face, however they did not.
Our delegation stood strong and our youngest delegate took to the stage to propose our next motion, in a room full of strangers with lights shining in her face and on her tiptoes in order to reach the microphone. This time, our motion passed unamended and unanimously. The young person returned to the table and whispered “That was amazing”.
When I joined the BYC delegation, I was told by someone in this very room that it would be a good development opportunity and would serve me well in later years, following in the footsteps of many of the people whom I respect the most. At that point, I think I just shrugged it off a little, if I am totally honest. But now, having witnessed what it is like to be part of an empowering group of young people and seeing that one young person suck up all the courage within herself to address a bigger and scarier audience than this one, now, I get it.
2 weeks ago in Cardiff I was put through my paces, fighting a battle which I couldn’t win when we proposed a motion to support uniformed youth organisations. That day I came away feeling angry, disappointed, frustrated. Empowered, valued, and proud.
Proud that I stood up for what I believed in.
Proud that I was able to represent the half a million members of the scout association, on an external platform.
Proud of the young people, who smiled and whistled in difficulties.
Proud of a delegation who stood united and strong whilst facing many challenges.
Proud of the impact that we have, training volunteer leaders to support our young people, inputting millions of pounds of youth services to the public.
Proud that we are a movement that embraces change and accepts individuals differences.
Proud to be part of an organisation that trusts its young people and empowers them to speak up on their behalf.
Proud of the uniform that I wear which unites 32 million people worldwide.
Proud to be a scout.
So, as we look towards our vision for 2018, I would like to ask you all what makes you proud to be a scout? How can you empower the young people you support? How can we value our volunteers? What is it that makes you go back to your friends and colleagues, and say to them, "That was amazing”.
Sent from my iPad
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