My name is Kat and I am a Youth Worker!
It is far more than just a job; it is a part of life!
It can induce tears, joy, frustration, celebration...
You need to be a jack of all trades.
On some days it seems shallow, or just run of the mill,
On others you are on the front line, responding to life's biggies.
It can make you realise why you do youth work on some days
and question if you're really cut out for it on other days.
It affects eating and sleeping habits;
10pm becomes teatime. You get home late after a session buzzing and generally hungry to talk, think and eat! Before you can sleep you need to wind down, talk to anyone who will listen... and digest!!!
But then again, breakfast was probably around 11am*, because if you get to bed before midnight then you’ve done well, so lunch migrates to 3pm, because you realise you haven't eaten yet! and you know that it needs to keep you going until 9 or 10pm... and so the cycle continues.
*n.b. The last THREE days, I've somehow managed to get up BEFORE the rest of my house!...and they are busy interns* (*people doing an Internship year at my church)! I know some people leave the house before 7.30am, but for me, this is the equivalent of the crack of dawn!
You're not scared of walking around in the dark (without a bulletproof vest) ...but you'd prefer it if it wasn't raining!
You talk to random people in the supermarket and the street, say hi or smile to groups of young people as you walk home with the shopping, instead of look down at your feet or try and avoid them altogether (and every so often hear them go, "Who is she?!"... as you remember that you're not at work so "I'm a youth worker- we've been working round here for a little while" is not the right response... on this occasion."
Your head is full of icebreakers, games, ideas, tenuous links, stories, naff jokes and random information that you are ready to pull out as the need or opportunity arises and your boot is full of random games, craft materials, rolls of paper, boots, waterproofs, plastic cups and a bottle of squash!
It can throw you out of your comfort zone a lot and simultaneously feel like the most natural thing in the world!
This is Youth Work; the land of 'Informal Education' and the privilege of getting alongside and being part of young people's lives, of opportunities to inspire, challenge, encourage, learn (both ways!) and delight in the gems when they arise, of making plans and programmes then throwing them up in the air to see where the wind takes them, wondering where it will go! This is youth work!
You (the readers) might have realised by now that I say 'you' and 'your' when I really mean 'me'. It's an old habit, but I guess, some of you may share some the experiences above in some way, shape or form. So it's my way of opening up life and work to you in a way that hopefully, you can connect with!
This is the first of many youth work posts. I'd love to hear your thoughts, stories or experiences and it's great when people join this site (see right), you can even follow by email... Coming soon...
Faith fuelled youth work: looking at faith and youth work when you are not working in faith-based settings!
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