Learning from the Streets

One of the most common questions I get when delivering detached Youthwork training to groups and agencies is

‘I get how might we start conversations with young people- but how can we develop them?’

or

‘How do we get beyond ‘cold contact’? 

before I make a few suggestions here, it is important to reflect on the process that has got you this far. How much have you been observing of the context? How much of the activities of young people have you taken in? and… maybe as importantly, what kind of conversations have you had so far?

Would you say that young people feel at ease talking to you about things yet? – About a subject chosen by them? – like an issue at school, or in the local community? or the activity they like doing?

In my precious piece here I included a number of factors about starting and developing conversations with young people on the streets. One I didnt talk about was values, and listening. If we have done all the talking and young people aren’t involved speaking and contributing, there might not be much there to develop. Remember, as I always say to agencies and groups:

Young people do not care about you. 

They especially do not care when you are in their time, their chosen space and their group. What you have and who you portray yourself to be, is completely, almost irrelevant if its not matched by interest, investment and time with the young people themselves. Listening to them. Meeting them, where, they, are, at. Detached youthwork isn’t an opportunity for attractional ‘pied-piper’ Youthwork by another name. It involves something else. At least, it should.

If there has been genuine connection, mutual respect, conversations that are naturally becoming less ‘banter’ and more ‘constructive’ then you probably dont need to read further here, because with that group things are already happening. Other groups may need more time, more rapport building, more trust being imparted. After all, you’re earning the right for them to invest in you as an adult, a project and an intention. Its not going to happen overnight.

Getting beyond cold contact, is like saying that theres a gigantic leap from one to the other, when its really isnt. But these things will help you.

1. Know what you have to ‘offer’ young people should the opportunity arise. In the way of time, resource and commitment.
2. Become attuned to the cues in the conversations, such as their interests, likes, dislikes, passions, and what makes them react, get passionate and feel strongly about – build from there
   1. Ask ‘ what do you get passionate/angry about?’
   2. or…What would you like to do, to make this town/community better?
   3.  or.. say..that sounds like you want something to change…what might you like to see happen?
3. Ask questions that build a group response – ‘who would like to develop this?’  – or ‘who might be willing to help ‘Jake’ with  dealing with bullying in the school’
4. Break the problems down, into manageable chunks – It might be too difficult to conceive eradicating child poverty in the County, but, instead ask ‘ what might be the one thing that you could do to help?’ or ‘what might be the next steps, to dealing with that problem’ ?
5. As well as asking the ‘who want to be involved’ also ask the young people what resources they have already in the local community (it is not for you, the professional agency, to take it all away from them) – do they know of community activists, artists, resources like places, finance, designers, retail, – who do they know who might be of help? and contribute?  We can and should avoid temptations to think that we have to be the source of all this..but..
6. We can ask… or even suggest the resources that we might have, and see if they would accept them – ‘ I know of a church hall we could meet in to plan the next step.. how would you feel about meeting there?’  or ‘ if you need a printer, to send that letter, theres one in our office, if you cant get it done elsewhere’ – but what else might you be able to offer?  Remembering that it doesn’t have to be used, its just what’s in your tool box of possibilities. This was a brilliant example of using resources, such as a projector – but the key is ‘how’ it was used and the process to building rapport, and groups by the youthworkers so that young people were involved in it. It wasn’t just a great idea without the developed relationship. Do check it out here, from Sidewalk Youth Project in Scarbrough  

In my post here I describe the 9 stage process of detached youthwork/community developing youthwork, it also applies to thinking about groups in other settings, like churches for example

But what about individuals? 

7.  Usually the same questions apply to individuals, and they might be able to gather people around them to develop some of these types of activities, and that would be great for them.

8. Developing work with an individual might take a more persona, therapeutic direction, and that’s also where you might need to think about the resources and time you have. They might want a follow up referral/conversation that’s during the daytime, or a phone call. Id call this ‘informal mentoring’ or detached follow up -its not ‘become’ anything yet, but an individual young person (who might bring their friend) has been seen, heard and may have further life questions, issues to talk about.  Its important to bear in mind, that they have connected with you as a person, and that is ok – it might be , if not will be, pertinent that you are the person who follows it up, if you can. Its too soon to ‘refer’ them elsewhere, in my opinion.. but that may happen eventually… and even if they do go elsewhere for specialist group/personal therapy, you might be the person who helps them reflect on this.. might..

I nearly just wrote a piece that had a serious of ‘good questions to ask’ to develop group work on the streets. But, that was a bit simplistic, there’s much more to it than that. As someone said to me recently in a training session. The way you develop groups and conversations on the streets is determined often by how you start, by your values, motives and agenda, and couple this with your approach, resources and objectives and then there may be endless possibilities for developing group work- or it might be a narrow process in which theres a really good single issue/activity piece of work in a defined time, which can still be good, useful and meaningful.  How might groups develop beyond cold contact on the streets?  when they trust you and want to take a risk with building something that they want, believe in and makes a difference to them, and the people around them. And that could be as simple as a 5 a side football group or as detailed and complex as a bike maintenance social enterprise, or projecting words on the cliff face of Scarborough to encourage the community.

Thats the beauty of detached. Its a curious adventure with endless potential. Be open to where it might lead, led young people lead but just know what’s in the tool box to guide and harness it