The Youth

Over the last week I had the privilege of attending a workshop geared towards equipping youth workers with the skills of becoming reflective youth workers. It was a workshop focused on the building of skills for youth workers. I had my hesitations at first and figured that it would be a four day lecture with ample amounts of note taking but I was in for a total surprise. The sessions were not only interactive but also informative, engaging and refreshing. Having the group arranged in a circular fashion allowed everyone to see their associates quite easily and took away the “back seat” mentality that prevails in our culture. The presenter was by no means short of energy, insight, tact, zeal and down right brilliant. Having been an ardent political activist and a dedicated HIV/AIDS awareness worker Bonita Harris had what it took to make a room and our group come alive. Those present represented a diverse cross section of individuals involved in youth work in Antigua & Barbuda. The presence of such personal and professional experience made for a very enlightening and informative session.
From day one our presenter made it clear that dialogue was one of the most important aspects of youth work. Engaging the youth and allowing them the opportunity to express themselves without fear of judging or bias. Creating an enabling environment was also a major component under which working with individuals on a whole was recommended. Effective planning on the part of the youth worker was not only necessary but crucial. Planning therefore had to allow individuals to review the past, be fully present in the present and able to anticipate the future. As such we proceeded as planned.

During the course of the four days participants were asked to confront their values, priorities, and interests, which allowed me to evaluate the things that I supposedly value. It was an opportunity to shed light on the things that we don’t confront on a daily basis and to question our real motives behind our actions and the things we hold dare. By day three we were expressing feelings and emotions that had been stored up on the inside for decades. The fact that the workshop was geared towards youth made it easy to see the connection between unaddressed issues from my past and the affect it has had on my life presently. It gave a sense of understanding of the host of issues that could be facing not only youth on a national scale but those in our homes and in our very own backyard.

The daily reflections allowed us to express our thoughts and feelings on the previous day’s sessions as well as to report feedback from conversations participants would have had with spouses, family, friends etc. Exploring the Johari window and J Samuel Bois’ seven shaper model of the self revealed further that we are complex individuals. For example Bois’ model takes into consideration biology, feelings, thought patterns, self-moving forces all within the framework of the environment and influenced by the past and future. May sound like a mouthful but if you ever tried exposing yourself to someone (in an emotional way) you may begin to see how complex it is to show/tell people who we really are. The Johari window on the other hand points to four selves; the open self, the hidden self, the blind self, and the unknown self. Needless to say that these models are just the tip of the iceberg in self revelation and allowed for much discussion.

At the end of it all the experience was nothing short of bringing greater focus to the work needed to be done with the youth of our country. The fact that individuals are not only born into a society but nurtured and influenced by the various institutions within our communities. The family may be the point of origin but it is not the only point of contact to the outside world. Personally I have blamed the various institutions and individuals for the short comings of the youth but doing such does not negate my responsibilities as an individual.

It is all well and good to cast the blame on the politicians, principals, teachers, pastors, churches etc. But what about me, what about you? What are we doing to raise the bar for our youth. One point that stuck with me is that learning is not just learning things but learning the meaning of things. Learning should lead to changes. If there is no change, there has been no learning ( Dewey).