Long awaited YMCA England Youth Democracy Project blog

OK so after having a nightmare with the blog, being unable to post and then writing it twice (saved instead of published and then couldn't find it again when I realised) here is my blog about the Youth Democracy Project.

The Youth Democracy project was made up of 2 parts the first being 3 day long sessions where we learnt about British democracy and the European Union. In the first session we discussed the how government and power works, we tested our knowledge of democracy and how local and national government works. We then went on to discuss issues that face young people across England, many issues were raised but due to the relevance to the discussions being made in parliament at the time we decided to focus on the threat to housing benefit for under 25s. Although this was not the only focus for the project is gave us a focus for the rest of the sessions and enabled us to use it as a topic when learning about other aspects of the democracy process. This made me aware of how although all of the participants are from the YMCA we are all working on such diverse issues and coming from many different backgrounds. This was definitely a strong point to the project as I now feel I have a much greater view on the impact the YMCA has all over England.

The second session was around the European Institutions, in which we learnt what it means to be part of Europe and how the different parts of the European bodies work individually and also how they fit into and work alongside each other. This part of the project was very helpful as it made me more aware of what being a part of Europe actually means and how the different parts are separate from each other. It dispelled a lot of rumours and for me and made me realise I was quite misinformed about how everything works. In the second session we also went on to learn about constructing an argument, looking at how to best structure it to make your points the most effective they can be. The final part of the session gave us a chance to practice our argument structuring and debating skills in a debating arena. This was good as I learnt not to go out full force and give all my points away at the beginning as it then leaves you with no ammunition later on in the debate.

The final day long session was based on Lobbying and Campaigning in which we learnt how to (in theory) plan and deliver a successful campaign. This session opened my eyes to the many different campaign methods that exist.

Now for the fun parts ;)

The second part of the project was 2 international exchanges between France and England. The first of them taking place in London and lasting 4 days. In this time we not only delivered a pocket sized summery of the different part of the UK and how our political system works, we also got the chance to show the French how it works by taking them on a tour of the Houses of Parliament and also to Ealing Town Hall where we were able to speak with Councillor Jason Stacey who when not playing the role of Local Councillor, doubles up as Head of Policy at YMCA England. These visits not only enabled the French to get a deeper understanding of how our political system works, but also to see how local issues in England are similar to those in France. We also went to the Natural History Museum (clearly something every tourist to London needs to see.) This part of the project greatly increased my knowledge of the English Political System and visiting the Houses of Parliament was fantastic as I have never done this before. 

Onto the second exchange…Paris. 

Whilst in Paris we had a host of opportunities, we visited the Eiffel Tower, Paris City Hall, The Arc de’ Triomphe and of course The French Assembly. This gave us the opportunity to learn loads about the history of France and about how deeply connected the French Political System is to it’s history. It was interesting to see how it had developed through history and learn about the effect the French Revolutions had on the way politics now takes place in France. 

Whilst in Paris we visited a YMCA, not just any YMCA, the YMCA where the Paris Basis was signed in 1855 at the first ever World Council. This was an amazing moment for me, and made me realise just what I am a part of. A movement with such a rich history that spreads right across the globe. It left me feeling proud to be part of something so big and something that has been around for so long! I can’t really put into words how inspirational just being in that place was, it has inspired me to keep doing what I am doing and to be proud about being a part of such an amazing thing that has been and is continuing to make its mark on the world.

 

Over and Out.

 Alex Taylor
(Barnsley YMCA)

Son of France?

Well well well! Yes I'm back from the dead to bring you a pre Christmas blog from the forever pleasant Rocheton!

I do believe the last time I wrote was a post Prague hype blog where I finished not knowing what I was going to do after my year volunteering in France.

Up untill my last two days my plan ended up being going back top England to restart the ever so challenging and demoralising task of finding a job... But when it came to the day before I left I got offered a contract as staff here! So I changed my travel plans and took a nice 3 week holiday back to England to say good bye to friends and prepare for my future in France.

Now I'm back I now have 4 job roles instead of just maintenance. Now I work in the kitchen, reception, cleaning and maintenance. I find it even more interesting now because I'm doing different jobs each day which helps alot with my ever progessing French skills. I was always scared to answer the phones because I thought my French wasn't good enough but now I work in the reception it is part of the job and I do it happily. All in all, I still love my job if not more!

Now there are 4 new volunteers, soon to be 5, working at the Rocheton this year. More equal ratio of German to English with two English lads and two German lasses but after new year it shall be 3 German girls. Still better than the 4 Germans to me ratio last year! It's quite strange now having them coming to me to ask questions about how my experience last year was and any advice I have for them but I'm always happy to help them out!

The only major event since my return has been the National General Secretaries meeting held here. I was placed in the reception just to speak English. Nice easy few days for me! I have no idea what went on in the meeting but I do know the post meeting drinks were hilarious in an Irish bar called Le Glasgow on the second leg of the France v Ukraine World Cup qualifier... Busy is an understatement! Still after the match was hilarious seeing the Director of Le Rocheton dancing with the NGS of Norway and also Juan being his usual crazy self! Got to love all things European in the Y!

The only annoying part to the whole part of being in France is finding somewhere to live! yeah it's all good living where you work, not having to mess about getting the bus or whatever but the major blag is I go to bed and I'm at work. I wake up, I'm at work. I have my days off, I'm at work... Too much of a good thing is terrible!

I am still a Son of England at heart but I think I am officially a Son of France aswell!

Till next time, au revoir!

Parcels of hope in Kosovo

Adi is a former member of staff from Bolton YMCA, a participant in our Leadership Development Programme and a founding member of the YMCA Global Link Network.

Dear friends,
Hope you are all well! I'm writing to you this Monday morning with a small update on the food parcel project you kindly donated to.

This weekend saw the first phase of the project deliver parcels in Gjakova. This years parcels included rice, pasta, salt, sugar, coffee, oil, soap, washing powder, 2 litres of coke cola, flour and sweets for children. Due to our partnership with Ys Men Denmark we were also able to include knitted scarfs, socks, hats and gloves along with some teddy bears for children.
The project also appeared on the news, with the local media taking an interest.

The project will now take a short break and the second phase will take part between Christmas and New Year, when its at it coldest here and when the parcels are most needed. We are well on track to provide around 50 families with parcels across 3 main cities.
From a personal point of view, the conditions and wealth of the families are among the poorest i have ever seen, please be assured your donation is providing families with hot meals, warm clothes, presents for children but most of all hope and the feeling they are not forgotten. Each parcel is given with love, hugs and a listening ear. The receiving families range from war widows to those whose parents are terminally ill and unable to work to those with no jobs living in make shift houses from building debris.

Have a wonderful week, i will update you in the new year along with pictures and testimonies. From everyone in this movement have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New year.
Love & Respect
Adi & the Kosovo team

YMCA England Youth Democracy Project

The Youth Democracy project was made up of 2 parts the first being 3 day long sessions where we learnt about British democracy and the European Union. In the first session we discussed the how government and power works, we tested our knowledge of democracy and how local and national government works. We then went on to discuss issues that face young people across England, many issues were raised but due to the relevance to the discussions being made in parliament at the time we decided to focus on the threat to housing benefit for under 25s. Although this was not the only focus for the project is gave us a focus for the rest of the sessions and enabled us to use it as a topic when learning about other aspects of the democracy process. This made me aware of how although all of the participants are from the YMCA we all come from such diverse backgrounds both personally and also within the YMCA. I definitely think this was one of the strongest points to the whole project, and could be something to replicate in the future, not only did it inspire residents to become more involved in th YMCA Movement but it also allowed me to see the YMCA from a whole new angle.

The second session was around the European Institutions, in which we learnt what it means to be part of Europe and how the different parts of the European bodies work individually and also how they fit into and work alongside each other. This part of the project was very helpful as it made me more aware of what being a part of Europe actually means and how the different parts are separate from each other. It dispelled a lot of rumours and for me and made me realise I was quite misinformed about how everything works. In the second session we also went on to learn about constructing an argument, looking at how to best structure it to make your points the most effective they can be. The final part of the session gave us a chance to practice our argument structuring and debating skills in a debating arena. This was good as I learnt not to go out full force and give all my points away at the beginning as it then leaves you with no ammunition later on in the debate.

The final day long session was based on Lobbying and Campaigning in which we learnt all of the different ways to design and deliver a campaign. This was very useful as it opened my eyes to all of the different types of campaigns.

Now for the fun parts ;)

The second part of the project was 2 international exchanges between France and England. The first of them taking place in London and lasting 4 days. In this time we visited the Houses of Parliament

The Roads to Freedom....

Chris again here, ILP and YES member.

Firstly, apologies to stick this in the middle of the fantastic blogs coming in this week from Strasbourg… I think that ILP members branching out into other YMCA groups and events great for our group as a whole.

My blog today focuses on the trip the YES Group made to Gdansk last Wednesday (27 November). We made the short journey from Gdynia to the ‘Road to Freedom’ museum.

We first knew we had reached the underground exhibition when we were greeted by three pieces of the Berlin Wall, with multi-language “road to freedom” directions on the pavement. I felt quite embarrassed that I knew so little about Communism in general across Eastern Europe before the trip, especially with so many participators from affected countries.

The first piece we seen of the tour was a typical shop under a communist regime. The few items such as bread, cheese and milk that were available were in very short supply. Across the hall was a mock up of a toilet block, and the first thing to notice was that newspaper lay where a toilet roll should. It was not just food that was barely sought.

We moved through the small walkways and one thing I immediately recognised was that a lot of the exhibits were not behind glass like you see in so many other museums, you could touch practically everything which gave me a realisation that this was still in the recent memory for so many people.

Several videos and multimedia resources aided the flow. Colour videos of high quality… videos of the public of all ages getting beaten by police, just for wanting, pleading for a voice.

The final part of the museum was an educating video outlining the timeframe of which the dozen countries broke free. What really hit me here is that Ukraine only achieved this in 2004, just ten years ago. There were people I was walking around with who had experienced these times themselves. This was real. This was their life.

Outside a short walk away from the museum now stand three huge pillars in the middle of a square to represent Gdynia, Gdansk and Sopot where the revolution began. There are plans well under way to build a huge education centre right by the memorial that will give users a freedom to learn and progress for years to come, while still well aware of the sacrifices that were made to make this a possibility. 

Peace Work Institute, Strasbourg

Hello this Frah from North London Blogging from the PWI from Strasbourg. 

I am sitting here, torn between wanting to blog about how wonderful the Peace Work Institute conference has already been or how beautiful  Strasbourg is, or how fortunate and honoured I am to be part of such an extraordinary  conference that has the potential to inspire the world and bring change and hope once again.

We took a long and cold walk to explore Strasbourg city yesterday. Strasbourg, France Christmas Market (Christkindelsmärik, capitale de Noël in French) is the oldest one in France. It far exceeded my expectations…All of the buildings had some sort of decoration on them and there were banners leading down streets to other markets.

Strasbourg is a beautiful city with so much to see and the Christmas decorations made it all the more wonderful. As the sun set, the smells of street food and mulled wine embalmed the air while a million tiny twinkling lights set the city off. 

Today we starting working in our tandem groups on our projects "study visit to Karabakh" which is going well so far so good, the context of the project coming together and will have a great potential for both parties.

Young people can make a difference if they come together,reflect and share and act on there ideas, first thing is to change ourselves, then the others will look to us for inspiration and will act. Human potential is amazing... We have the capacity to create a world that is peaceful...one that spreads kindness and love rather than hatred. If we believe it to be so, it will be our truth, and we will create it.

I will leave you with a little saying " Leave the world a little bit better than you came in to "

Peace and love 

Soggy Baps and spuds

Darryn here; Ok, so I'm not the best at this blog stuff, but Rachel, Andy and Adi have been pressurising me into this (and there's me thinking youth workers were supposed to discourage peer pressure). 

Anyway, we arrived in Strasbourg on Sunday evening after quite a long journey but to be honest the journey wasn't so bad (except for the hassle of trailing our luggage the full length of the train and practically assaulting people as we passed by with out suitcases, which was rather embarrassing and funny at the same time).  Upon arrival we had the chance to introduce ourselves to the group as Andy and I are new to this project and everyone was very welcoming and kind.

Anyway let's fast forward a little to the first day of the program...

We had an early start (well early for me) at 8.30am for breakfast and I can assure you I am not a morning person by any means, and shortly after we got to work.  We got a snap shot of the work carried out by the Council of Europe and we had time to have some fun inbetween.  To be honest I wasn't really sure what to expect from the group and from the sessions but I have found many of the discussions and debates helpful as they have helped me understand other conflicts, and the various contexts YMCA works in and it has helped me step back and reflect on my own perceptions and opinions.

One thing I will say has been a bit strange, surreal even, is the food although you probably already guessed that by the title of this blog.  So please, let me explain...at dinner time on Monday one was quite hungry so rocked on up to get my dinner and to my surprise I noticed we were getting burgers, yes burgers.  So I'm thinking this is awesome, burgers and mashed potatoes (aka spuds) I will definitely be having some of that, so the burger and spuds are on the plate, I'm think YES DELIGHTFUL, then the chef says "sauce?" and naturally I made the assumption 'he means gravy' I mean what is better that mashed potato and a burger, well that's simple it's mashed potato with gravy and a burger so naturally I said 'oui' and this my friends where it all goes horribly wrong.  The chef reached for the ladle, he dipped it in the sauce, and then proceeded to pour the sauce (which at this point I realised was not gravy) all over the top of my burger.  "Then here's me, WHO DOES THAT?" inside I cried 'nooooo, it's ruined' but on the outside I just smiled and took my plate. 

You see Monday 2nd December 2013 was the day I had 'soggy Baps and Mash potatoes' for dinner.

Notes to readers:

Soggy Baps = Soggy Burger Bun

Then Here's Me = and I said

Community and Diversity of Social Transformation.

Wednesday afternoon and its Tom here doing my best to get back into the swing of things and what I call a normal working week after an absolutely inspirational and fantastic week at YMCA Europe’s Seminar on Social Transformation. As always it takes a few days and even weeks for everything to sink in which I find common in those who have attended these types of international seminars.

Community - a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
Diversity – the variation of social and cultural identities among people existing together in a defined employment or market setting.

Above are 2 definitions that meant so much to not just me but all participants during our 6 days in Gdynia.

In general diversity means variety. So a diverse community is different people living in one community. They may be different because of their gender, social class, upbringing, culture and religion.

On Tuesday we had a session led by Juan the Secretary General of YMCA Europe. We looked at the Theory of Change and Social Transformation.
The area I want to speak about today look at the social responsibility and effective participation of the young people who attended the Seminar.
Juan as a very knowledgeable and talented man with a wealth of experience asked the question just after breakfast on Tuesday. “What do we all have in common?”
We all have a vision as a potential ‘agent of change’ and as key young YMCA Leaders. We all together have a similar understanding of our roles as individuals yet we also do as members of the community and as young YMCA leaders. Regardless of our Diversity we are all looking at that same vision as young leaders. We all strongly believe in youth participation as one way to achieve social transformation.

Juan highlighted to the group the ‘amazing’ process of participation. It is for people who are ready to take steps forward but for people who are also ready to face the challenges. As we as YMCA leaders look at the process we must combine internal participation and external social commitment which then combines personal growth and social responsibility as we aim for the overall vision of Social Transformation together.

Together we looked at the key aspects of social responsibility. What does it take for Social Responsibility to be effective? There has to be a genuine appreciation of diversity, co-operation between an individual and their community and a healthy expression of feelings as a source of communication is the key to the success of social transformation being delivered in a diverse community.

It is a personal learning journey by ones enthusiasm that we encourage the learning process ‘to be’. We as young YMCA young people and leaders are always learning and its great knowing personally that you will never stop learning but that you are also always learning to live with others. You are accepting as social citizens the differences of people and human beings but having an acceptance of the differences between people. But as we move forward we also deliver a sense of empathy as we accept those differences.
In our roles as social and global citizens we will serve the people we work with regardless of their culture, religion or looks. It is key for us as citizens to know  as part of our social responsibility in which we learn to be part of society we respect social habits and have emphasis in being activists to improve public life.
As leaders we are always searching for that next chance to find an opportunity for the people in our community and making sure that they are opportunities for all.
Juan really did strike a chord with me during this session and made me want it to be the inspiration behind this post.

It is then we are able to see and celebrate those two words of Community and Diversity as we learn from them constantly through our lives but for me to see that through Social Transformation in the YMCA all the young people who joined me in Poland last week came from 17 different countries, 17 different communities of 17 different diversities. Yet we all have that one thing in common, all of us regardless of what we look like, what we do and where we have come from, we all have our own Vision.

Powerful Conversations

Andy here from YMCA Ireland blogging from Strasbourg at the YMCA Peace Work Institute seminar.  At the YMCA Prague festival I was briefly introduced to the leader of this project - Vardan, and next thing I knew I was signed up! Honestly, I've been really excited about this week long seminar for months and it's great to be here. Young people from a whole host of post and continuing conflict contexts, sharing their experiences, explaining what the YMCA is doing in response, and envisioning partnerships to build upon YMCA peace-work initiatives, it's powerful!

This morning Darryn and I shared with the participants about the context of conflict in Northern Ireland, the current situation, and some of the community relations work YMCA Ireland is engaged in. I used a quote I heard from when I was at uni - 'Some of the best community relations work is done around pool tables.' The principle behind this statement is the power of dialogue; how values can be challenged and tested and re-thought and new ways of thinking tried out through conversation. This afternoon I had one of those powerful conversations as I chatted with Dorina, National General Secretary of Kosovo. It was incredible hearing her personal story and the impact of the war years on her and the people close to her during the war years in her region. Moments like this are very special to me.

Of course, it's not all intense conversations, there's plenty of banter being had. The European Youth Centre in Strasbourg where we are meeting is a brilliant space, not least because of it's table football, table tennis and pool table! I've engaged in some pretty intense table-tennis games with Adi to find out who is the better youth worker, I don't want to boast but it's not looking too good for the former Englishman. And tonight was the wonderful world of YMCA inter-cultural evenings, the Guinness went down about as well as the Balkan Boze, a greyish gunge type drink that I discovered tastes as bad as it looks!

I'm looking forward to what the rest of the week holds and some of the conversations in store with such a diverse group of people!

Peace

Hi, this is Rachel in Strasbourg at the third and final session of the Peace Work Institute. A programme ran by YMCA Europe Roots for Reconciliation programme. So we are coming to the end of the first full day, we, the planning team, have welcomed participants from 14 countries, launched the session into full swing and started to get down to work. I arrived on Saturday and while the participants were arriving on Sunday, the planning team were busy making the final preparations to the programme. I think I speak for all of us, Dorina, Vardan, Rezi, Marius, Ankica and Ivana, were all really excited about the programme. It has been a long time planning with meetings in Prague (August, yes, at the festival) and Strasbourg (in September) with Skype meetings between now and September. But we are now here, and so are the participants so it is time to start reaping the rewards of all the work and, hopefully, have a successful session.

Today has gone to plan. We have had a lot of fun, interactive learning with a lot of laughter coming from the room! There is a point to the fun stuff, I promise. With later in the week some emotive conversations needed, it was felt that we needed to bring the group together...what better way to do it than with laughter hey? Plenty of fun and games with lots of different team games, introduction to the Council of Europe through a quiz followed by a self reflection exercise to share why we are here, why we do what we do, why we do peace work with others in our group. This self reflection was done with an exercise called River of Life, where the participants and facilitators will reflect on their life and identify the key points in their life that motivate them to do the work we are doing here; peace! It was powerful stuff, the energy in the room was, almost, electric. There was so much emotion put into the session that you could feel it in the air surrounding everyone.

As I sit in the European Centre of Youth surrounded by participants, no, friends, talking, having a drink while other participants are off enjoying the city. I wait for 8pm to come so that I can have a skype meeting about the GLYN conference in January. It is a pleasure to be surrounded by so many like minded people, to feel at home in a country where none of us are from, to feel happy, to be at peace.

Spirit of Transformation

Hello Kim here in Gdynia & Gdansk's historic ports where east conclusively forged the way to meet west.
Light snow is crunching under foot but we have all arrived safely....
Gdansk was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement which, played a major role in bringing an end to Communist rule across Central Europe.

During this seminar we will be focusing on Global Awareness and Civic Engagement, look at the theory of change and social transformation.

We will be learning from Gdansk's shipwrights, who in 1981 barricaded themselves in & striked against communist rule, how this small action of social transformation started the wheels in movement to change the culturally the face of world globally at that time. So following in these shipwrights footsteps... we are looking this week to bring the ripples of the spirit of transformation back to our YMCAs, that will cause waves for change globally.

Building up to the Gdynia YES Seminar

Post by Chris Richards. 
ILP member, YMCA Wales trustee, Newport YMCA board member and YES member.

For my first involvement with the YES group, I am currently in Gdynia, northern Poland. It is not as cold as you would imagine, and the jokes that were shared about bringing swimming attire (the hotel is very close to the sea) may not seem to be as dumbfounded as first described. Still, I think I will pass.

We are meeting to discuss youth empowerment for social transformation. This is of high interest to me, as I deal with an extensive array of young individuals who are currently facing tough times, and are desperate to get out of a recurring circle of drugs, crime, jail and poverty that they live every day, looked down on and having no light at the end of the tunnel – no opportunities. I have a number of instances and questions I would like to put to the participants here in Gdynia, and hopefully through sharing experiences I will return to Wales with both focus and knowledge on how socially excluded young people can rebuild and look to the future.

Not only do I find these seminars knowledgeable and insightful with so many great young people, it really does give me that extra passion and drive to make an impact – no matter how big or small – for my people when I return home. I will keep you updated.

I haven't had chance to take a lot of photographs, but this is one after dinner on the eve of the seminar. 

Blog Stastics

Just been reviewing the stastics or this blog

We have had 47,660 page views and are on target for a fnatastic 50,000 pageviews by Christmas. This blog carries the reflections of young leaders from the YMCA primarily from England, while engaging with the Global YMCA. It has a readership across the world. During this past week for example we have viewers from China, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Netherlands, France, Malaysia, Russia, the UK and USA. This week, young leaders from England are in Poland with 37 of their peers from accross Europe exploring Social Transformation in local communities. Next week others will travel to Strasbourg for a seminar organised by the YMCA Peace Work Institute based in Eastern Europe.

Social Transformation. Community. Diversity. Youth. Impact. Focus. Change.

At a time where cuts are looming, the government is changing, communities are feeling let down and young people the future but not taken as it the two words of ‘Social Transformation’ could not be any more relevant to myself at the moment in many different aspects and for many different reasons.

When I received the email from Ken about this seminar I jumped at the opportunity. I couldn’t think of anything more relevant to my work in the current climate and for my YMCA in Worcestershire.

I will be blogging throughout the week but there are 6 documents in the picture below that I will be reading, scanning and taking in every last bit of as I make my way to Poland at 7.15am tomorrow morning. 6 documents that are very important to me but also my YMCA and everyone associated with it.

This seminar for me will be a chance to share ideas, learn new skills and knowledge but most importantly how can social transformation impact on my work, my YMCA and my local area but how does my work, my YMCA and my local area impact on the other 37 people I will meet in Gdansk. Now that is an amazing prospect that I cannot wait to find out.

 

Meet Our Bloggers

Over recent years we have captured the thoughts of our Global Link travellers, accompanying them on their journey as they experience some of the most memorable moments in their lives.

They tell us who they are, what they’re doing and what they want to achieve - before they travel - and allow us to follow them as they share their memories during their journey. With dozens of young people, staff and volunteers travelling every year, it's always an exciting read. Enjoy!

What a week it was!

Reflecting on the last paragraph of a blog post from the Secretary General of the World Alliance of YMCAs after a week long meeting in YMCA Dunford House in England earlier this year.

'And in the late evening Surinam was dancing Salsa with Bangladesh and Argentina was dancing Tango with Ghana while the Netherlands were drinking tea in the corner together with Togo and Peru and Sierra Leone was putting logs on the open fire place for France, Germany and Brazil to feel warmer. Gaza and East Jerusalem took a torch to walk in the dark forest as South Africa and Denmark were discussing fair share with Sweden and India and Pakistan. And still some of the nationalities had gone early to bed in the silent night in the country side of England and slept the sleep of the just under the shining stars of hope and joy. What a week it was!'

Youth Democracy from Worcestershire to Paris via London.

Well, many people don't look forward to a Monday after their weekend but for me I couldn't wait to get the week started! 

A week in London for the start of the YMCA England Youth Democracy Project residential with 7 other young people from YMCAs in England and a group of French young people from 2 YMCAs in France was something I had been looking forward to for a few months.

Monday started with a meeting of all the English young people at YMCA England's head office in Farringdon. We discussed what we were looking forward to getting out of the week and we then came together to put together 2 presentations.

The first was to be on Britain which covered everything from our culture, to our music and even to our sports and history which we would present to the French Participants and their staff in the evening. The second to be a presentation on Democracy in the UK and everything associated with it to be used after the visit to the Houses of Parliament.

Tuesdays morning session we all got into small groups which normally was 2 people from England an 2 people from France. Myself and Maxine were sat with Mathilda from Toulouse and Fatou from Lyon. We discussed the issues that young people face in both of our countries. It was very interesting as many of the issues that we discussed were very similar to what the girls from France were telling me.

Unemployment among Young people in France is also high and they have a lot of young people who are classed as NEETS (Young people Not in Education, Employment or Training) although in their country they don't use the term. Another issue issue surprised me was the issue in France of people going to study at university or college in France but when they are qualified they have no job or opportunity to go into. This then means they have to work somewhere where they are over qualified and they are not using their qualification and skills to the maximum opportunity.

Obviously this is also a problem in the UK with many graduates coming out of uni and if they aren't opting for a masters they have to find themselves a part/full time job because they can't find anything in their field of work.

On a final note through our discussion we discovered many issues that are similar but one problem in particular that young people face in France that match the issues in England is the problem of young people leaving school at the age of 16 or below. Instead of continuing after secondary school into college, sixth form, training or employment they are using a lifestyle that attracts them to illegal activities such as drug dealing and trafficking. 

This can then lead to violence issues in their local area with other young people but especially in some areas of England where the reality is that the attraction of the gang lifestyle is just around the corner and with a change of mind they can easily take the wrong path which eventually will leave them in a place they are unable to change and end up falling off the map into what can only be described as a downward spiral that is tough to get out of.

Tuesday afternoon we took a tour to the Houses of Parliament which for myself was very interesting and as I hadn't been since I was 12 years old I found it fascinating and Mary our guide was absolutely brilliant! The French told me they enjoyed this trip as they had never been to a place of such importance in their lives before which really felt great!

I am going to let Alex Taylor and Alex DB go into more detail regarding the trip to Parliament and Wednesdays trips to West London YMCA and Ealing Council as for me the discussion with the French young people was a part of the week I throughly enjoyed and wanted to share.

In 4 weeks time I will be looking forward to a 4 day trip to Paris for the second residential of the project.

A residential I am even more excited about as it means we will learn more about democracy in France and another 4 days of exciting activities where just like this week I have come back with more knowledge, more motivation and a positive outlook on Youth Democracy in the UK which I can take back and work with my young people to learn about Democracy and the Government on both a Local and National level.

It will be tough, but l want to change young people's views and stereotypes of democracy and the government. I would like to encourage young people to want to have a say instead of shying away from a subject just because they don't know enough about it, but more importantly aren't given the chance to learn about it.

A place to call home...

There is nothing more rewarding than returning home after a long journey. This journey was worth it though. After a productive and motivating meeting in Strasbourg, the capital of Europe, I cannot say that I am not happier see my own bed! But to the meeting! 5 of us from YMCA (Vardan, Rezi, Marius, Dorina and I) were joined by Ivana from the Council of Europe Educational Adviser to plan the next Peace Work Institute Session III to be held at the European Youth Centre in December. 



We were planning things from the practical elements of the session, which participants will be there and the session plan. We worked hard and well together and after in depth and detailed conversations about aims and objectives, the flow of the session, how over 30 years old participants we had, we got there. We finished in a remarkable time and were done by 3pm on Saturday afternoon. Just enough time for us to enjoy some time in the city before we started to part ways and make our way home. For me, this achievement alone, getting so much into such a short amount of time with us all having little to no sleep (Dorina arrived Friday morning and didn't go to sleep until Friday night). We all have different ways of working and different processes, yet as a team we worked. I think it is fair to say that we all felt that it was a productive meeting. 



In the city, trying to find somewhere for us to eat on Saturday afternoon we were treated to a carnival style show, from bagpipes to rain dances to zombies all walked or danced past us while we enjoyed the food. To add a little excitement to the whole thing, the clouds decided to open, this is when sitting outside maybe wasn't the brightest of ideas but it was only a little bit of water! It is these times when you have some of the most valuable and thought - provoking discussions with like-minded people. Vardan asked us all a question when sitting and enjoying coffee in Petite France; "where have you been, that is not your home country, where you feel most at home?" On reflection, this was difficult to answer because all of the places I have been, there has always been a part of me that felt right, at home. My answer; where ever YMCA is, I feel at home. It is not always the place but the people that you are there with that make it the experience that it is and I know that the places I have traveled over the last 2 years would not have been the same had it not been for the amazing and inspiring people that I have met along the way. 

Here I will end, keep watching the site in December to see how the session goes...

Iceland supervision in youth work training reflection...

welcome to my blog reflection on my time in Iceland - the country where if you don't like the weather you only have to wait 5 minutes for it to change!

so I am now back in the UK after the most amazing, experience gaining 5 days in Olver where I attended a supervision in youth work training course, led by Dr Brain Belton, with international support from Birgir Asgeirsson and Katka Hommel. Now I am home and refreshed I am ready to share and reflect upon my time and learning, everyone who attended the course had very different levels in their supervision knowledge so this is my reflection and what I have taken away from the training and my time in Iceland (I will apologise for the length of this blog as I had no stable Internet to blog while away) .

Having never travelled to this country and never attended a YMCA international event before I was a little nervous but these nerves were soon overcome by excitement! after a long 12 hours travelling I was on my final transfer from Reykjavik to Olver, the YMCA summer camp we were staying at, at the bottom of a mountain, and this really was one of the most pictures places I have ever had the luxury of visiting! the views were unreal. after settling in I got an early night in preparation for the upcoming training and adventure. 

Day one of Training 

Day one brought 23 people together from 12 different countries this day was all about gaining an introduction to supervision and what it was and getting to know one another. Brain suggested that all being from different countries and the language barrier we may have faced is good for supervision as it is all about understanding one another through language and body language. We also set out the aims for the week and what we wanted to achieve and learn from the course; that we would gain more knowledge around supervision, giving supervision, and receiving supervision. My personal wanting was to gain a better knowledge of what supervision was and to learn from both Brian and others so I could use new tools and understandings to better my work in my YMCA. 

                  

we had a long lunch and 45 minutes interactive space so we all decided to take a walk to get to know each other and our surroundings. 

Supervision is a relatively new concept to me so from day one I learnt loads. including that supervision requires equal input, energy and commitment  from the supervisor and supervise, and that supervision is not about telling people what to do but finding out what they want and need to do to better themselves and the job they do with youths. supervision is all about personal judgement, continuous leaning, discovery, curiosity and much more. Brian said something which I thought was great, in order to learn we have to be prepared to be fools, that is asking questions, learning from mistakes and saying if you do not understand. 

and on the evening we really did act like fools... we all played YMCA camp games which others use on the camps they work on, the night involved dressing up and taking on the role of a Viking as well as other games where I pretended to be an animal, and played games from my own childhood. This was really great to get to know one another and have a laugh. 

As you can see we all took our roles dressed as Vikings very seriously!

Day 2 of training 

Day 2 we got shown some various models of supervision, and how supervision may draw up on a number of different things such as counselling, mentoring, coaching and psychological aspects, but that ultimately it is about one person overlooking another in an organisation and together developing personal skills within a professional relationship. supervision was pointed out not to be a personal therapy but instead to insure the supervise is ok, happy and confident in the work they do as well as engaging in continuous learning and discovery to enhance professional development and the work we do with clients and youth. we then looked at where we as individuals were at with supervision, and how supervision might help in our own workplaces but also what can go wrong with supervision. this involved being shown a clip which highlighted good and bad supervision which really helped! We then got introduced to smart targets and how they can be used in supervision! 

the evening activity was INTERNATIONAL NIGHT!! one of my favourite nights where we got to learn so much about one another and the back grounds we all come from! Where Me and Linda from Worcester YMCA shared a bit about the famous Worcester sauce recipe,  & brought English tea and told a few English jokes. Rosie Belton made English sweet goodie bags and another English participant Ben brought English Tea and biscuits!...one of the highlights was getting to Irish Dance with Brian Belton!! 

The united kingdoms table on international evening!

Day 3 of training 

Day 3 started with a morning lecture off Brian where we were introduced to a few more models which helped better understand the concept  of supervision! we then discussed the environment of supervision and questioned why we do it, how we do it, where we do it and when we do it. we also looked at how to present yourself in supervision and acknowledged that it is about life long learning. We learn in many different ways every day of our life and supervision allows for quality assurance and the delivery of correct practice to the people we work with. Supervision is bound by government and organisation policies, to ensure we are working within a certain criteria. We then go to reflect on what we had learnt so farm this was great as we got to understand about what levels of supervision others engaged in allowing us to gain new skills and knowledge as to how people work differently all over the UK.To finish the day we had the opportunity to practise what we had learnt in speed supervision. 

The evening Activity was YOUR YMCA!! where we all got to tell each other about or YMCA's and the work we do. This was one of my favourite nights because I love the work I do and I have pride and passion in it so sharing it with others was great! we explained about our YMCA being supported housing, our job roles, showed many photos and the sleep easy DVD where our YMCA slept rough to raise money and awareness for homelessness. equally learning about other YMCA's was a great experience too as the work others do really differs from ours as they work on summer camps with children, so it was fantastic to gain an insight into what they do and how there work differs. we also had social time in a hot tub! yes that's right a hot tub on a training course!! where we would sit and wait to see if the northern lights to appear, although I wasn't lucky enough to see them I did see multiple falling stars!!

Day 4 of training 

we looked at does supervision work, and some evidence which suggests it does, but however if we do not look and reflect back on what we have done we cant improve ourselves or the work we do and this can result in bad practise. Supervision promotes accountability and safe practice. we then got to reflect on the speed supervision we did and discuss in groups what went well and what did not, and develop smart targets to improve and better our practice. 

EXCURSION TO REYKAJAVIK!!! in the afternoon we got to have a half day trip out where we had a bus tour and then some free time in the capital. on the bus tour we stopped at a local swimming pool which was outside and heated from the natural hot water that runs under Iceland and also the pearl which was a viewing point where you could look out over the city, and it really was a fantastic view!!

In my time in the capital I decided to go down to the harbour 

In the evening we returned to learning where we all as a big group took part in a peer supervision role play exercise which was great fun and really made you learn and question your supervisory skills. The task was specifically designed to promote confrontation, and it highlighted that in real life that peer supervision is good when everyone goes the same way but in fact in life this is rare! it blows up realistic concepts in peer supervision and we had to find our own paths on how to deal with these. 

Day 5 the final Day of training 

Day 5 we got to reflect on previous group work and the smart targets we had developed which provided suggestion how we can grow and develop in our roles, professions and as individuals. We also go to see  clips on what areas of the brain effect judgment making and in turn reflect our supervision. In the afternoon we got to practice what the whole week had built towards, and this was doing an hour supervision as a supervisor and then another hour as a supervise, and then were given time to report and reflect how both roles went, what we did well and what we didn't do so well!! 

My overall learning from the course has given me the tools to become a more efficient supervise, which will allow for a better working relationship with my supervisor. I have also learnt many supervisory skills which are very valuable and will benefit me as they are transferable to the one on one work I will be doing with service users in support plans, such as asking questions, listening skills, having a better judgement, time boundaries, rapport building, developing smart targets and working together to find a path which will help the young people I work with move forward, and hopefully make a positive difference to the lives of those I work with. 

Me very happy to have received my youth pass certificate for attending the training!

23 people from 12 different countries all with the same goal, to better them selves and the work they do with youth's. This week has made me very thankful not only to Brain and the training he delivered but also to each and every individual I have met along the way who  have learnt something from. Words can not explain how magical it was to be united with so may different  people with the same goal it was truly inspiring and empowering, and now we part we can all take what we have learnt from one another to grow as individuals and to make that difference

amazing experience, amazing place, amazing people

Amen

Supervision in youth work training - ICELAND!!

This is my first time writing on a blog, so I am by no means an experienced blogger but here goes… after volunteering and working for the YMCA as a relief member of staff, after finishing my degree, I managed to secure a job as an assistant development worker. Upon taking this position I had no idea what opportunities lay ahead of me…

I have learnt a lot the last few months within my role, and I am amazed at the work the YMCA does world wide.  I feel privileged to be involved with the Global YMCA Movement to establish youth empowerment, and I am excited for the opportunities, engagement and adventures that lie ahead of me.

I am very lucky to have been given the opportunity to attend supervision in youth work course in Iceland! I feel privileged as I feel I personally will take so much away from this course which I can use to benefit my YMCA in Worcestershire and I also get the chance to visit a country which I have never visited before! I choose to attend the course as I do not have masses of experience in supervision and I believe it is a key concept in building working relationships and providing a sense of belonging and support. I am looking forward to learning about theoretical approaches to providing supervision, rapport building, communication and listen skills as well as leading and receiving supervision. I am also very much looking forward to meeting and being taught by Brian Belton from YMCA George Williams college  who is going to be supported by an international team!

Not only am I looking forward to the training, but also meeting all the other individuals attending the course from all over the EU and learning from them and gaining information about there YMCA’s and the work they do. I have a few images which I am going to share to represent my YMCA in Worcestershire and the UK nationally.

This is Reggie our YMCA cat and I think he represents our YMCA in so many ways he is in a sleep easy hat here where staff and residents slept rough to raise money for the homeless. Reggie represents responsibility where residents care, feed and look after him. He represents happiness, support, and a sense of family/home in our supported accommodation and I look forward to sharing this image on the course.

A personal aim of mine is to make a difference, through the job I do and believe the course I am about to attend, will teach me valuable skills, and knowledge to do a better job in my YMCA. This was only a small post but I will blog all about my trip to Iceland and the supervision in youth work course I am attending to share my experiences and what I have learnt with you all.