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.

YE Festival 2013: I love to live for this stuff

In 2007 when I was asked to attend the Prague festival I was not in a position to go. After being involved in our movement for years and having been to international experiences that helped shape who I was, I had turned my back on the YMCA in favour of a hedonistic passage into my 20's, I was doing my own thing and that was that.

In the weeks after that festival, friends who returned were beaming from their week in the Czech Republic, seeing friends old and new and experiencing something that perhaps they couldn't fully put into words. I knew I had missed out.

Some years later things had become hectic for me in London, I was working in a job going nowhere with no real qualifications to draw on so I decided to leave London and come back to Newcastle. On my second day "home" I paid a visit to my old YMCA and spoke to my youth worker about volunteering and getting back into youth work. A few meetings that flew over my head and a chance conversation later, I landed a job in YMCA England and have been involved in the movement ever since and now work for Y Care International as well as being part of ILP and GLYN.

When the time and opportunity came to attend the 2013 Prague festival, I signed up. I was sure that I wouldn't miss out this time.  So after looking though the photos and reliving the experience that happened just a few weeks ago, I've realised I live for this stuff. I love to live for this stuff. I’m not going to give you a day by day account but more of the feeling I took from the festival.

A typical day might consist of seeing an old friend who has been nothing but a status update or an uploaded photo for the past five years and finally hugging them and catching up. On my way to lunch I’d maybe see a young group of Colombians facing off on a basketball court against a group from the US. If I got thirsty, I’d throw some shapes and get a refreshing mocktail from the Calypso bar. If I needed a pick me up I’d head over to the café and get a quick espresso and find myself chatting to the wonderful and industrious team. And on any given day I’d side step countless faces recognising me as "the Y's best talent guy", I mean not everyone said hello but sometimes seeing a celebrity in the flesh can phase people...they're only human ;)

In seriousness this festival has embodies the YMCA, sure we are in a bubble, sure it's sunny and it's a great time but something nuanced is threading through all of this. Some collective spirit, being on the same page, being supportive of each other, that all comes from an innate human nature and doesn't stop or start in the festival.

I understand now why those friends in 2007 couldn't put into words what they had experienced in Prague, because I can't quite either. But everyone feels something. Perhaps the reason we have a shared and mutual sense of our lives being altered is that through this experience, we see the world in a different way and so in turn we see ourselves in a different way. We don’t have to describe it. Just know that new possibilities await, possibilities that transcend culture or language. Keep the momentum going. I'll be looking out for that young Robbie who doesn't think it's for them and telling them that they missed out. 

Particular thanks to

The teenage Russian rock band on the Forest Stage
Cedric dancing like a mad man in cross bar
Tom and Ian smashing countless Big Macs
Vladi directing me and Y’s Best Talent
Ken making me us like a giant
Ben wearing that bandanna and just being himself
Romulo dressing up as a Village Person who doesn't really exist (seriously.. where is the sailor in the YMCA video?!)
The thunderstorm
You

One month to go...

One month to go… 

Well. My last piece was just before the YMCA France General Assembly. As predicted it was extremely hard for me to keep track with what was going on but it was nice all the different people from the French YMCA’s. 

It has been a sad couple of months because I have had to say ‘Auf Wiedersehen‘ to three Germans. Tim the bully, the silly Sophie & the crazy man Dominik. After a good part of a year together, even if I didn’t show it, I was truly gutted as they left one by one leaving me and Clara (the laughing cow).  Soon there will just be me... For like 5 days till the new volunteer comes and I set off home. So it’s cool, I can handle it. 

Works been the same as always really so I’ll fast forward to my tri-national pre-Prague trip to the YMCA House at Salm. This was one of them moments where I get asked to do something and say yes without even thinking or asking about it. Also Cedric went from I have to pay half the fee to just the train ticket to nothing at all to get me to go because my plans had changed for Prague. So yeah, quite interesting being the only English guy but I’m used to that now so it was no biggie. All members from all three nationalities (French, German &  Hungarian Romanians) were all really down to earth and keen on taking part in all the activities. My least favourite being the all day hike. Yeah it was cool doing it but my days did my legs hurt in the morning... My favourite, as always, the international evening!  Each country did a presentation, song and supplied specialities from their country.  

France: Stinky cheese, Wine and Ricard. 

 Germany: Bratwurst, Pasta dipped in apple sauce and German dark beer 

Hungarian Romanians: Sadly only had found out about the trip 48hrs earlier and brought nothing with them, made a sausage out of biscuits. Which infact was quite nice but I wouldn’t advise it in large quantities! 

My last day with the Tri-national crew was spent in Strasbourg. Loved it! Guided tour of the European Parliament, boat ride down the river and a meal with a free bar.  The meal ended up with me, Floriane & Cedric doing the Llama Song for the only YMCA France pin badge. Was probably not my finest moment but was well worth it! 

Now the big one! The Festival itself. Oooooooooh man. You should have been there! First day, as expected, was all the hard graft setting up all the Team Ken shops. First the T-shirt emporium (Martine & Johnny) & YMCA Shop (Rahim & Kelly), then the Tower Café (Rachel & Jack) & finally the Calypso Bar (Me & big lad Tom). The next day was stock up and kick off the festival. Was going smoothly until the storm hit and cancelled the rest of the day... One person injured and two tents destroyed... Not the kind of bang I imagined the festival to start with but a bang nonetheless!  

I could probably go on for pages about it but I'll just hit up 10 of my favourite moments. 

Ken's pre festival 'standing on the shoulders of giants speech' 

Me & Tom SMASHING our 18000 Koruna target by 90000 Koruna 

All the amazing people we met 

Robbie & American Eric's rap duets 

Cedric's dancing skills (In & out of the festival) 

All the nights at the cross! 

The crazy Danish 

Tom's Selfies 

Final night/morning 

The all round feel good sensation throughout the whole time. Rain or shine. 

In all it was a blast. Yeah me and Tom worked all day everyday but we loved it. Without Tom the Calypso Bar would have been an epic fail so thank you ever so much for being part of it! Both of us have gone back with collections of T-shirts & Pin Badges & we would like to know what makes you a collector? 

Would have loved to see a lot more of Team Bolton but we were 40 minutes away from each others hostels so that was the only downside but stuff like that happens you know. 

All in all I will be truly gutted if I don't meet some of these amazing people again & will make it my mission to do so! 

Well. I guess my next post shall be my Post-France blog. Bound to be full of mixed emotions. I still do not know what lies ahead after my time here but I do hope a certain opportunity comes reality! 

One more month to go, 

One more month till the next step on the spiral staircase of life...