So.. the weekend is finally here and it's been interesting talking with young people about what youth work means to them! (or not because I spent most of the week dealing with serious issues while my staff team spoke to young people)
Thursday & Friday have been much quieter than the start of my week mainly with catching up on paperwork and helping public health with the survey a day in the life of.... speaking to young people about what their life looks like.
Looking back at the theme of this years National Youth Work Week 'youth work for today and tomorrow' I realise how much things have changed in the 16 years I've been a youth worker. I've seen Local Authority Youth Work grow with YOF funding to develop innovative ideas and projects, pretty much anything young people can come up with...and then shrink again with cuts, closures and complete repurposing.
I work with a range of young people who are amazing but while many have an iPhone in their hand and all kinds of potential, their self belief and aspirations are not what they should be. They aren't interested in helping others as they feel no one is interested in helping them (which is a real bug bear of mine but save that for another day!!) and they feel there is no hope for them. This then comes out in the form of panic attacks, self harm, self destructive behaviour such as drug taking.
So bearing all this in mind our newly formed 'targeted' service has a pretty big target audience!!!
Friday, 10 November 2017
Wednesday, 8 November 2017
Wednesday 8th of November 2017
7am-Try to get out of bed and walk dog but after 2 long days decide to just give up and save that til lunch time.
9am-Head into office to drop off Fareshare Food Cloud and check on progress for Yoga training later in the month.
11am-Arrive home and decide to do 'just a little work'...
1pm-Realise the little work has took too long so head out to walk dog then head down to the allotment.
4pm-Head back to work to start getting ready for evening session get distracted by young people who've turned up for their football training and need somewhere to 'doss'.
6pm-Staff start arriving (hope for quiet night!)
6:15pm-More staff arrive and be informed it won't be a quiet night!!!
6:30pm-Open session, sign in 53 young people, discuss issues from previous week and start activities
7:20pm-Realise some young people are struggling to behave and discuss with staff.
7:50pm-Have full on argument with a group of young people who've been warned that I will be ringing parents if issues carry on, ring dad, get young person grounded, feel bad!!
8:30pm-Club finally finishes pack up and discuss issues with attitude and manners and where the line is between being a teenager and being rude
9pm-Visit local shop where young people have been hanging around while waiting to be picked up, no ASB issues this week, WIN!!
10pm-Arrive home and blog away...
Thursday 9th & Friday 10th November
9am-Head into office to drop off Fareshare Food Cloud and check on progress for Yoga training later in the month.
11am-Arrive home and decide to do 'just a little work'...
1pm-Realise the little work has took too long so head out to walk dog then head down to the allotment.
4pm-Head back to work to start getting ready for evening session get distracted by young people who've turned up for their football training and need somewhere to 'doss'.
6pm-Staff start arriving (hope for quiet night!)
6:15pm-More staff arrive and be informed it won't be a quiet night!!!
6:30pm-Open session, sign in 53 young people, discuss issues from previous week and start activities
7:20pm-Realise some young people are struggling to behave and discuss with staff.
7:50pm-Have full on argument with a group of young people who've been warned that I will be ringing parents if issues carry on, ring dad, get young person grounded, feel bad!!
8:30pm-Club finally finishes pack up and discuss issues with attitude and manners and where the line is between being a teenager and being rude
9pm-Visit local shop where young people have been hanging around while waiting to be picked up, no ASB issues this week, WIN!!
10pm-Arrive home and blog away...
Thursday 9th & Friday 10th November
Tuesday 7th of November
8am-Pack and set off to work. I have a plan and I'm sticking to it!!
8:30am-Arrive at work and meet caretakers to discuss delivery of our donated outdoor table tennis table that was part of a project in the town centre.
9:30am-Realise table is not going to arrive in time and have to ring school to inform one to one... table then arrives.
10.05am-Meet One to Ones, copy up notes, travel...lots.
1:30pm-Decide I am not willing to wait for food to cook as I am starving so buy a jacket potato.
2pm-Rush up to other centre for C-card drop in which had to be delayed due to the arrival of football teams worth of primary school children who were locked out of the school and desperate for the toilet.
4pm-Catch up on back logged notes then start prep for evening session.
7pm- Senior club (13-19years) starts, over 45 young people in centre and a number more outside. NON of the activities went down well with young people and we had a number of new members. Eat a wrap while walking around centre dealing with behaviour and new members forms.
8pm- Committee meeting. Discuss trip ideas for Christmas rewards, take over day, issues with behaviour in the centre and people being more actively involved.
9pm-Session finished, pack up debrief (notice random palpitations) head off to collect Fareshare foodcloud donations from Tescos.
10pm-head to drop off dog food picked up earlier in the day when passing shop at Grandmas (scare her half to death!)
11pm sit down to write blog while dog sits and whines because she hasn't had enough attention today
...AND BREATHE!!
Wednesday 8th November
Thursday 9th & Friday 10th November
8:30am-Arrive at work and meet caretakers to discuss delivery of our donated outdoor table tennis table that was part of a project in the town centre.
9:30am-Realise table is not going to arrive in time and have to ring school to inform one to one... table then arrives.
10.05am-Meet One to Ones, copy up notes, travel...lots.
1:30pm-Decide I am not willing to wait for food to cook as I am starving so buy a jacket potato.
2pm-Rush up to other centre for C-card drop in which had to be delayed due to the arrival of football teams worth of primary school children who were locked out of the school and desperate for the toilet.
4pm-Catch up on back logged notes then start prep for evening session.
7pm- Senior club (13-19years) starts, over 45 young people in centre and a number more outside. NON of the activities went down well with young people and we had a number of new members. Eat a wrap while walking around centre dealing with behaviour and new members forms.
8pm- Committee meeting. Discuss trip ideas for Christmas rewards, take over day, issues with behaviour in the centre and people being more actively involved.
9pm-Session finished, pack up debrief (notice random palpitations) head off to collect Fareshare foodcloud donations from Tescos.
10pm-head to drop off dog food picked up earlier in the day when passing shop at Grandmas (scare her half to death!)
11pm sit down to write blog while dog sits and whines because she hasn't had enough attention today
...AND BREATHE!!
Wednesday 8th November
Thursday 9th & Friday 10th November
Monday 6th November 2017
8:30am-Arrive at Main office look over 2 page A4 todo list and decide not to start with that!! Complete timesheets and absence returns, respond to e-mails from Friday. Get distracted by work man needing to get into building. Try to help another member of team with an IT issues before realising you can't fix it and giving up!
10am-Operations meeting. We usually discuss the ins and outs of our week catch up on progress with one to ones and discuss any concerns, training needs upcoming events such as Take Over Week.
12pm-Second meeting of day about setting up a new girls group project. After going round the houses with a number of ideas final settle on an amazing idea (watch this space!!!)
1pm-Start sorting through Fareshare. While I hate how time consuming this job can be I love working with this organisation! We are lucky enough to receive donations from Fareshare which helps feed young people at our centres and over the past 3 years I have noticed much more feeding of our young people compared to previous years where it was snacking.
3pm-Head over to other centre via supermarket to buy rest of resources for the week ahead, unpack, catch up with Targeted Information Advice and Guidance (TIAG) Worker about young people who have been trying to reach me. Make calls to some parents re: one to ones.
6pm-Head back to main office to drop off resources for evening session then head home for some Dinner!
8pm- As I am not working at the centre tonight I have a chance to prep for my one to ones the following day finish clearing my inbox and head home at 9:30pm
Tuesday 7th November
Wednesday 8th November
10am-Operations meeting. We usually discuss the ins and outs of our week catch up on progress with one to ones and discuss any concerns, training needs upcoming events such as Take Over Week.
12pm-Second meeting of day about setting up a new girls group project. After going round the houses with a number of ideas final settle on an amazing idea (watch this space!!!)
1pm-Start sorting through Fareshare. While I hate how time consuming this job can be I love working with this organisation! We are lucky enough to receive donations from Fareshare which helps feed young people at our centres and over the past 3 years I have noticed much more feeding of our young people compared to previous years where it was snacking.
3pm-Head over to other centre via supermarket to buy rest of resources for the week ahead, unpack, catch up with Targeted Information Advice and Guidance (TIAG) Worker about young people who have been trying to reach me. Make calls to some parents re: one to ones.
6pm-Head back to main office to drop off resources for evening session then head home for some Dinner!
8pm- As I am not working at the centre tonight I have a chance to prep for my one to ones the following day finish clearing my inbox and head home at 9:30pm
Tuesday 7th November
Wednesday 8th November
Sunday, 5 November 2017
Welcome to National Youth Work Week 2017
So roughly 3 years ago for national youth work week I decided to do a blog chronicling a day in the life of a Youth Worker.
It was interested to look over those thoughts this week particularly with this years Youth Work week theme of 'Today and Tomorrow'.
In 2014 our service had undergone a restructure, I had more responsibility managing 2 youth centres and 18 members of staff and we became on open access service... 3 years later though and we are now a targeted provision working as part of the early help agenda.
I still manage 2 centres but they aren't youth clubs (they stopped being youth clubs when the leader of the Council went of nationally TV and announced the closure of all our centres.)
I see my job as wearing 3 different hats;
The first is a case worker doing one to ones with young people who could have a range of needs from problems at home, ASB, anger management, anxiety, low self esteem.
The second is a group work leader working in schools or with pupils during school time. Usually groups may be again looking at anger management (I know not everyone likes that term), stress management, environmental work with young people who otherwise struggle in school.
The third role is similar to the traditional Youth Worker. While we make an effort to target those who most need our service, we never turn a young person away who needs support (unless they trash the building, that usually gets them banned at least for a while!)
So... the question is how different is an average day now compared to 3 years ago!??!
Well keep reading this week!!
Monday 6th November
Tuesday 7th November
Wednesday 8th November
Thursday 9th & Friday 10th November
It was interested to look over those thoughts this week particularly with this years Youth Work week theme of 'Today and Tomorrow'.
In 2014 our service had undergone a restructure, I had more responsibility managing 2 youth centres and 18 members of staff and we became on open access service... 3 years later though and we are now a targeted provision working as part of the early help agenda.
I still manage 2 centres but they aren't youth clubs (they stopped being youth clubs when the leader of the Council went of nationally TV and announced the closure of all our centres.)
I see my job as wearing 3 different hats;
The first is a case worker doing one to ones with young people who could have a range of needs from problems at home, ASB, anger management, anxiety, low self esteem.
The second is a group work leader working in schools or with pupils during school time. Usually groups may be again looking at anger management (I know not everyone likes that term), stress management, environmental work with young people who otherwise struggle in school.
The third role is similar to the traditional Youth Worker. While we make an effort to target those who most need our service, we never turn a young person away who needs support (unless they trash the building, that usually gets them banned at least for a while!)
So... the question is how different is an average day now compared to 3 years ago!??!
Well keep reading this week!!
Monday 6th November
Tuesday 7th November
Wednesday 8th November
Thursday 9th & Friday 10th November
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