having just read a really good 'article 'In defence of youth work' I felt quite strongly I wanted to write about youth work as Richard and I have been teaching it for the past few years.
Although our course is a Christian Youth Work course, our ethos is one that means core youth work values such as relationships, starting from where young people are, empowerment and participation while not forgetting that any relationship we have with young people is purely voluntary is at the heart of everything we do.
As a Christian youth work course our ethos is that we need to be 'loving God with every part of our being, and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves, and to live life with a recognition that Jesus came to bring life in all its abundance or fullness.
We do encourage our students to think outside their comfort zones as we all need to learn to hear from other perspectives as we don't always know best, much as many of us like to think we know best. Youth Work is about deep listening, to what is going on under the surface, it is about an awareness of self, in order that our needs are not being fulfilled by being needed. It is about being aware of our own agendas but empowering young people to determine their own future, having been given unbiased options. It is about an understanding of the issues young people face and not treating them too lightly, whatever they are - and it is also about respecting their feelings and thoughts. It is not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination - when we see mistakes about to happen, or them going along a path that we think is totally wrong for them - but if we are there for the young person, supporting them when we can and explaining when we can't, they will remember that if the going gets tough.
Young people are not simply half an adult or an adult in training with no valid thoughts or opinions, rather they are worth just as much as any adult regardless of who the adult is, what they do, or where they come from. Young people are fully human regardless of age, gender, height, weight, colour of eyes or hair, sexuality, race, faith or none, religion or none. They all need a person they can trust, a safe space to go when feeling confused, or fed up, or angry.... can they trust me? can they trust you?
4 comments:
Thank you for the link to the 'in defence of youth work' letter. I was relieved to read it. I was starting to think that only me had these thoughts!
my pleasure re the link! There are a few of us around still!!
It's thinking outside of my comfort zone that has become one of the most valuable things that I've learnt over the last few years so I think it's safe to say that the course does this pretty well!
Hope you're doing well!
Well said Dot,
Its true that young people don't care what we know........ until they know that we care!
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