A Journey...

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step"...that's what they say...and I believe that to be true...

"Its good to have an end to journey towards but ultimately it is the journey that matters in the end"...now that's the one I really like!

As educators, we constantly strive to learn, create educational environments, challenge perceptions, push boundaries, whether that be our own or others. Our styles and techniques move between the formal and informal, generally on the voluntary engagement of others, building relationships where hopefully young people will recognise their learning and how that impacts or will impact on their lives.

And it is in that recognising that the journey becomes more real. How we evaluate is immaterial, its what we do with it that matters. I used to say, building on the quotes above, that its like leaving a village and walking towards the mountains in the far distance. After 2 months of walking, those mountains do not look any closer, but it is only when we turn and look how far away the village is, do we begin to truly appreciate the distance we have travelled.

I know this sounds obvious but sometimes I do feel that we overlook the obvious because, well, its obvious. Our lives have become so busy and focused by a range of targets and chasing monies that we don't necessarily take the proper time to reflect. Reflection isn't just about thinking back, its about action too...and planning time for that is important.

Easy for you to say Dave, you have the "luxury" of being a full time worker...what about us part time people who rush home from their main job, shove a quick dinner down our throats and then work another three, because we believe in young people? Isn't it just navel gazing for navel gazing sake?

Well...No!

We maybe paid for 3 hours an evening but how we set that evening is practically down to us. Now I am not talking about doing 1 hour with young people and 2 hours thinking, planning and prep but we have, in Essex anyway, historically had 15 mins to set up and 15 mins to debrief. This hearkens back to pre recorded outcomes, accreditation's etc and yet we have not questioned whether this needs to change. Should we work 3.5 hours or should we only do 2 with young people? You all remember that time, when as a team, things needed to be discussed after a session and it went on later than the time you were paid for? How more beneficial that was!

Reflecting with others also, gives such a broader spectrum of understanding that can not but enhance the work we do. In 15 mins the centre needs to be tided, the evaluation sheet filled in, possible recorded or accredited work filled in and getting the young people to leave the project/centre. This may also include the multitude of paperwork that our county needs you to see. So apart from thinking about it in the car, how much value are we really giving to reflecting?

I know every ones journey is different, and even within a journey, there are many journeys involved but giving time to look back and see how far we have come, what obstacles we have overcome, surely can only help us and the young people as we continue forward?

Till the next time

Advanced Practitioner (?)

Signing off : )

So Little Time

So there I am...First Blog...Oh I will try and write everyday...then there is you..the reader going...OK then...go for it...and like a New Year Diet...you go for about a week and then things happen...

Well...you gotta give me some slack...this is Youth Work we are talking about. When aren't Youth Workers not busy? So...there i am Wednesday morning, ready to write but there are so many meetings, paperwork, phone calls, emails etc that need to be done, this blog goes to the end of the pile! Just to give you a flavour at the moment, I will describe for you what an Advanced Practitioner (aka me) does. Now, this does not apply to every Advanced Practitioner, but in South...pretty much. My role and responsibility includes the following

PAYP (Positive Activities for Young People) - Organising, delivering

PNW - (Prison? No Way!) - County remit and Local Management

PT: T - (Princes Trust: Team) - Management

Knife Crime Project - Launch and potential training support for future

Crime Reduction - County Remit and development

Youth Action (Youth Bank, Young Essex Assembly, Youth Council, Youth Training)- Manage, Deliver, Train, Support

Crucial Crew - Manage and or Deliver

U Project - Manage and Deliver

Youth Awards - Create, Manage and Deliver

Staff Training - Create and deliver

Recruitment - Support and deliver

Line Manage Staff

Professionally support other YW's

Attend Meetings

Write Reports

Write Proposals

Write up Plans

etc etc etc

So as you can see...Life is a bit hectic, and so I apologise for not getting back sooner. So what's really been going on I hear you ask (or not as the case maybe!) Well...Basildon had their first Youth Action Training and 12 young people turned up for that...the emails from the homework are starting to flow....Tonight is the second session we are delivering for Rochford and here's a snippet from the training we are doing around Confidence:

Precious, Cool and Special Flower

Who is Confident?
All young people to be given some little strips of post it notes in different colours and a piece of paper. Young people draw a circle in the middle of the paper and put their name in it. Participants have to have a think and put something positive about themselves on each bit of post it strip (petals) – they should have at least six. You can give them a piece of paper with some examples on. Youth Workers do this too. Do not allow people to put in negatives. In pairs share your flower and discuss – explain a little more about the qualities. See sample 1. Everyone than has to go up to the flip chart where there is a big flower and say “I am precious, special and cool because…….”. Don’t allow anyone to put themselves down.

Process the learning – ask people how they found that exercise. Did they find it hard not to put negatives down? What was it like putting qualities up in front of whole group?

Discuss, why are we so adverse to self-praise?
Consider Maya Angelou “To love others, first of all we must love ourselves. We can’t hand on what we haven’t got” It isn’t self indulgent, but makes us more confident.

I've also been working on a yearly programme for PAYP, had supervision, attended meetings, written personal references, explored where Youth Work fits into Crime Reduction and worked with some great people towards getting the Knife Crime Project launched.

Now what I cant say is that my life is boring...I hate the notion of boring...in fact, I do not believe in the word boring, but I do think I need to re look at me work a little : ) (It would help if the emails didn't work...God knows how this country survived without email!!!)

Today I have been (sounds like that sketch from the Fast Show!) working with colleagues on what is needed for Youth Action in our area (Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point and Rochford)...heavy stuff but so worthwhile in the end. Our YEA's finish this year so Hustings Days and re-elections will come round shortly. So much to do...so little time to do it in...

Well...I now have had a brain freeze so I'm gonna log off at this point but i do want to leave you with another question.

What are you confident in and what makes you feel confident?

Till the next time people...this is Advanced Practitioner (?) signing off! : )

Views and Perceptions - Youth Action! The Training

And were off....

The first session of our Youth Action Training has started again and this time, it was Rochford's turn. We used the TASCC building (aka Rayleigh Youth Centre) last night at 6pm and 16 young people turned up. Most of them were from the already established Rochford District Youth Council but it was so good to see so many.

We started with the welcomes and then discussed about what was coming over the next 12 weeks, what accreditation they could gain, what they could learn etc. Tonight was about views and perceptions...how they see themselves, how others see them due to their age range and what impact that has had on them. I asked them "how recently was the quote written below?"

“Young People today love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for older people and talk nonsense when they should work. Young people do not stand up any longer when adults enter the room. They contradict their parents, talk too much in company, guzzle their food, lay their legs on the table and tyrannise their elders.”

Most said between 1960's till now but they were surprised to see that it was written by Socrates in 470-399 BC and how little the difference there is.

You see what I did there? the sessions called Views and Perceptions...see what I.....oh never mind : )

We then explored the media's perceptions, what people call young people today and most were very negative so we began to unpack that and explore what was really going on and actually when someone makes a statement about another person in a negative way...

It actually says more about them than it does about you!

I'm chuckling to myself right now cos if the young people from Brentwood and Castlepoint, who completed this pilot last month, read this then they all know that phrase of mine so well.

We ended with homework...yes, I said homework, where the young people, due to communication issues, have to email us to make that bond strong. The question (which leads into the following week) was Who do you think is confident and why? One young person has already done it so hopefully the rest will follow : )

I think they were all surprised at how much they enjoyed it and by the end most were saying that they would return and maybe 12 weeks was not that long. I do have to say that I try and keep the humour at a high level because (snooty bit now) over my 20 years in Youth Work!!! I have found that humour is one of the best tools for learning and the least recognised. I even did my Degree dissertation on it (see what I did there...showed off about me qualification...ohhh...look at him : )

So all in all the session was good and I will redo it for Basildon on Wednesday night. I am not working alone, and please do not think that I have created this training on my own...oh no...great workers such as Jane Herbert, Julie Lewis, Claire Heskins and Lucy Sam have been part of my dastardly plan and we will be shortly converting the plans into the ECC Curriculum Folder for all ECC youth workers to use (maybe that's where the Advancing Practice bit comes in?)

In the meantime - Tomorrow is looking at our Prison No way Programme, Developing the Knife Crime Project for a Launch, Planning and prepping for the next PAYP sessions and just a few (???) emails to get through...have a good evening peeps and this is Advanced Practitioner (?) signing off : )

Chessington and Monday Mornings!

Morning All...well it's Monday morning and here I sit thinking about last Fridays session at Chessington and also the Youth Action training that I am delivering tonight. I am also thinking about all the amazing comments people have left over the weekend and thanks to Mediasnackers for seeing that I was a blogging and putting me on their site. Oh the pressure...youth workers checking out other youth workers stuff...not critical at all : ) Only joking...I am looking forward to seeing what people think, challenge and compliment, how we can link, advance the work etc

Right...I think lets go back to Friday. The sun was shining, the young people turned up on time...the coach arrived and the driver was your standard driver (There's a number of rules...!) Today we had 4 staff, 3 youth workers and Connexions PAYP. We pre briefed with the group before getting onto the coach and then divided the contacts between us. Once there...hilarity ensured...we basically split into three groups and went for it. Vampire rides, swingy boats...even the kiddies teacup ride (which I will say I did not go on...I was too tall!!)

We had already organised a pre set time and place to meet for lunch and all the young people had ways of contacting us if we got split up. It was so good to see these PAYP young people embracing the concept of fun and really acting like children but in the most positive sense. To see 3 mature lads on a kiddies ride shouting out and waving to myself and Lyndsey like we were their proud parents was excellent and for them to feel safe in that and not loose their identity but enhance it was great.

I still say that I have never really met an adult but rather children that have grown up and have adult responsibilities. Your not telling me that as you get older and go to house parties that the kitchen is still not packed like in our youth? So here's my second question..

What do you like doing when your not feeling grown up or adult like?

Lunch came and so did the rains so where we had thought about sitting together, talking things through...naa...downpour and then everybody decided to get out of the rain and get KFC or Pizza Hut...The young peoples skills in eating pizza whilst standing, playing sardines was exceptional.

The rest of the day was good, letting them loose and enjoying it all until the end when we were one young person late and so the organisation kicks in, don't it. Ring, leave message, leave worker at pick up point, take others to bus, get rest of workers to spread out, contact customer care and just as the tannoy was gonna come on...young person rings and says "Where are you lot?"

It's moments like that...well...you make up your own mind. The trip back was quicker than we thought considering the lateness and because we had reviewed the good bits already, we looked at how they had supported each other. Some, we had to give help to but their answers were great and it gave us a chance to once again reflect over the last two weeks.

I do have to say thanks to Elliot and Lucy for my special hat (I know you enjoyed my acting) and electric pen which has since been used on members of my own family...he he. All in all, and good end to a interesting 2 weeks and I do feel that although there may not be a huge amount of learning going to Chessington, it's what you make it and how you use it.

So to today. Tonight I will be starting to deliver again our Youth Action training for young people. Rayliegh is the host this evening and although the training was initially set up to support young people into becoming a Youth Council, Rayleigh already have one, so I need to work on how to compliment and adapt the programme to really enhance what their doing. Wednesday night will be with Basildon so hopefully, once their both done, we can go on a massive residential together and finalise it all. I will keep you posted, as promised.

OK...on with the Day and by the way...I went to a comedy bar on Saturday night called the FYM FYG Bar in Bethnal Green...Lee Hurst was comparing and if you want a good laugh and a night out, go. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope in the future to take some young people there to inspire them!

Ta ta for now, Advanced Practitioner (?) signing off : )

Assaulting a Course!!

Evening all...Well what can I say about today?

If you ever want to take fun revenge on young people then this Assault Course is the place to take them...It was one of the funniest days I have had. They got drenched...they got cold...they got muddy...they got mud in places that mud should not go and they hated me all the way until they finished and were so pleased with themselves that THEY wanted to do it again!

They moaned, they groaned, they swore, they made excuses but in the end they all achieved it and I was so proud of them. Both our workers, Elliot and Lucy were excellent too, getting stuck in to it all. Unfortunately I could not do it ; ) cos I was the bus driver and video taker, but I tell you what...If I could have done...I would.

They started with a prebrief and then did a tug of war competition, splitting into two teams (ahh the competitive nature!) then some astronaut training (spinning on the spot) and then straight into the course which started at the edge of a steep muddy bank which they had to slide down into a river and then start running through a range of obstacles...brilliant...just brilliant.

Once they had thawed out, we drove back for lunch and whilst on the journey, we used the video camera so the young people could record what they had learnt. I am hoping to put all of the 2 weeks into a small promo video...for the young people and for the agencies. I then asked them all what their favorite or funniest memory of the last couple of weeks was and there were so many that even the staff in the food restaurant were laughing at us because we were all in hysterics...funny, funny stuff.

I have really seen these young people develop in this last week and I am so proud about how far they have come. It will be a shame to loose Elliot because he has been a really good Connexions PAYP worker but it is totally understandable due to the heavy mileage he does. Cheers Elliot :)This week has gone so much better than I planned (admin, money, activities, staffing, young people etc) and I am so pleased that regarding PAYP...I think we have hit the nail on the head nearly...gone are the comments that "if I stay naughty, I get to go on PAYP" or "these are treats for us"...now they are saying...we have learnt, we have had fun, we worked as a team, we are going to do more voluntary service with our spare time. Nice one!

Well...I am shattered...happy, but shattered...tomorrow is a trip to Chessington World of Adventures (Dave? do you have a real job???) and all the young people who have attended at least twice will get the opportunity to go (trust me...there is a method to the madness). I hope the weather stays and at least this time I will be able to go on the rides...

Thank you so much to those who have read my previous blog/s and answered my question : ) It really is nice to know that people are reading and getting something out of it. Saying that...I may not get a chance to write up tomorrows adventure but I will...hopefully over the weekend.

For now...this is your friendly neighbourhood Advanced Practitioner (?) signing off...sweet dreams all

: )

Learning Through Drama

Hello Again...well day 3 of week 2 of PAYP and all is still well...would have been nice to have more young people but those that did attend, as usual, learnt a lot. The focus today (as you can guess with the title) was Drama using The Smile Company. They are very good people and if you need some drama done or whatever, they are a very professional and supportive service. We have used them for a range of activities (Prison No Way, Knife Crime Project etc) and they deliver every time and I think there prices are acceptable.

If you want to know more then contact me at dave.petrie@essexcc.go.uk or go straight to their website at http://the-smile-group.co.uk/3.html

So back to the day...the young people started by doing a basic intro to each other called the circle of life...what people believe about themselves and then moved onto the Hunt game (see Pic) where they had to decide who lived and who died...tense stuff and very revealing into how the young people saw the world. After that we had a range of games (word association etc) that they played...always looking at what they were really doing (personal awareness, space etc).

After lunch the group looked at why people label each other and the consequences of that culminating in a mini play which they organised themselves...I do have to say that though they were short, the fact that at the beginning they would not do it and then finally to act in front of people was brilliant. One even said that doing the play made her realise how painful bullying can be and how that makes you potentially bully others.

All in all the young people learnt about communication, decision making, identity, listening skills, physical awareness, leadership, teamwork and responding and reacting (OMG...this is starting to look like an evaluation form!!!)

So really...a good day...tomorrow will consist of an assault course followed by a healthy lunch! Will I go on the course...will I ever : ) I also have to say it's good to work with people that want to be worked with and don't just sit back and watch (staff I mean). Today I also started to plan a years journey for PAYP young people so there are real outcomes and a process rather than just these short moments. It was good to discuss with Elliot (PAYP worker) what was good, what the implications are etc...stretch the learning and understanding. I have always said and will continue to do that I learn as much if not more than the young people in this job. I do love doing it at times...if we could just get rid of half the paperwork and the politics, we would be great!!

By the way...congrats to all those Admin workers I know who got jobs...well done and no need to say but...you deserve them : )

Right...better go...got a dickey tummy but promised to be a part of a QA tonight in Wickford so off to there soon. Maybe in the coming weeks I will be able to tell you a little bit more about the range of jobs I do as an Advanced Practitioner (?) in the mean time, I am going to leave you with a question (bloody educators...always trying to make people think!!!) and if I get decent comments then I will continue to do so...

Question 1: What do you do that makes you proud of you?

Till the next time... ; )

Crate Stacking and Argo Cats!!!

Hello again...hope you are well and thanks to those who are now writing comments on my blog...I promise only one of them is mine so the others are from real people...not fake ones!!!

Well day 2 of my PAYP and all went well again...Used Stubbers this time and as per usual...positive experience...Crates were stacked, young people climbed...young people complained...young people achieved...

And then there were the Argo Cats...that's the pic to your left...OMG...I want one...all the group had a good go going round the hilly and muddy track...and each one of us loved it...I know that others have done Land rover driving, and quad bikes but these babies were excellent...Well worth the try people!

At the end of the day, the YP's learnt a lot...faced a lot and dealt with a lot...I filmed quite a bit so hoping, if I can find the time, to knock together a promo video for PAYP to use in the future...maybe it will be good enough to use across County...like some of my other stuff (ahem) that's right...you heard it!!!

Would love to show the Youth Action Training video on here but need approval for that baby first...and just to make something clear...when some one says...lets do a promo video for this or that project...you need a good 3 hours worth of quality filming and then it takes at least 1 hour to edit 1 minute of film...so please be under no illusion that its a quick thing to do! 10 minutes = 10 hours minimum...oh and by the way I train young people and staff in basic video editing skills so if ya wanna...?

Right..6pm and need to get home before tomorrows shift in Space Youth Centre...bit of Drama going on with Snoopy and Co

Hopefully see you then...keep reading, commenting and maybe subscribe to my meanderings

Cheers for now Advanced Practitioner (?) signing off...

PS...look out for Frothy Coffee...its coming soon!