35 Experiences that (probably) every youthworker has done:

We’ve all seen them, the ’20 things everyone from your city must have done’, or the bucket list of 10 things to do before you die, so just for fun on Friday, here are 35 things that I’m pretty sure many of us as youth workers of one sort or another have either done, or had experience of in our role or career to date. And if you haven’t, it probably because you haven’t yet, but probably will.

Enjoy, and do add a few more in the comments below…

 

1. Every youth worker has worked in a cold office
2. You have been one funding bid away from charity collapse, redundancy and the end of an entire 10 years of work   (thanks Dave Walker for this apt cartoon..) 
3. you expected too much from one young person, expected too little from another
4. invented a game on the spot
5. Used a ‘ready to use’ material, changed every part, and basically just kept the title
6. Ruined a session because of an accidental innuendo
7. Ruined a session because of a deliberate innuendo
8. Hoped that nobody would turn up for a session (or hoped that the streets were quiet)
9. Hoped that somebody would turn up for a session
10. Interrupted/sat between two young people who were getting too cosy with each other
11. Had someone ask whether you’re too old to be a youthworker anymore
12. Have found something good even in the worst of sessions
13. Have found something traumatically dreadful in the best of sessions
14. Have secretly wished for a teachers salary and security but not their job load, pressure or expectations.
15. Have secretly been glad that you’re not a teacher
16. Have had the mini bus break down
17. Have resorted to bribery to keep the attention of a young person
18. Have found solace in coffee.
19. Have wished they had more time to do reflection and supervision well
20. Done detached once.
21. Lived in a place with the second worst teenage pregnancy in the county/country/world.. or isnt far from it
22. Wished that someone would understand them
23. Have screamed in frustration at every news piece on the state of young people post austerity (this week its mental health again, last week it was school isolation (see previous post)
24. Have been in a situation of not been able to explain why something went well, but it just did, and replicating it doesnt work
25. Been at a conference just for the networking.
26. Been economical with the truth on a funding bid.
27. Had to change your entire practice because someone else was economic with the truth on a funding bid.
28. Wished you didn’t have a team or work in an organisation because of the team meetings
29. Wished that you did work in a team and that you did have team meetings
30. Been distracted by this blog.
31. Had the best idea you’ve ever had idea torn apart by management group/trustees or governance and then had the worst trustees in the world.. yet..
32. Forced to do the ‘great’ idea of the management or governance even though you know it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.
33. You couldn’t wait to leave college and get back out in the real world.
34. You wish you were back in college.
35. Been asked ‘when are you going to get a proper job’

dare i say it.. 36. lost a young person…. ?

37. Been barred from somewhere, to the extent that a mini bus, consent form and 2 hour trip is required to go to the only macdonalds that will serve you all.

Hope you enjoyed these,  Thank you to the many who made a contribution to this piece with your own suggestions for what it should include, there is a variety of experiences for all of us, but many of us will have, or are about to have a range of similar experiences, in whatever part of the country or world that we do youthwork.

Youthworker; Are these your superpowers? is the follow up to this piece….

A reminder that all the work of this blog is done for free. If after reading this, or having had a look around you have found these resources or articles useful and you would like to make a donation or gift towards the work of this site, then you can do so, either by donation directly to my UK account  click here for the details. Or you can make a donation via Paypal, just click the button below in the menu on the right. Or to receive my posts earlier and without ads, become a member for £3/ month at my patreon site .

Thank you in advance, and thank you for sharing and reading these pieces.

If you want to keep up to date click ‘follow’ or subscribe. Also, if you would like to write a guest post, or have a story to tell or issue to raise about youthwork or youth ministry that you would like to share here, do let me know.  Thank you.