What is 2GetThere?
2GetThere (www.2gettherecoaching.nl) is a project created for and run by young people and youth coaches. The project has been funded by the municipality of Arnhem and implemented by the Premature School Leavers Team (Team Voortijdig Schoolverlaten, VSV).
2GetThere has now trained more than 50 young people as youth coaches who will in turn coach young people in their own environment and within their own network in order to help them cope with problems when attending school, or working, or a combination of both. The idea behind this initiative is that young people can relate to each other and speak the same language. The project, which was initially set up using funding provided by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment for initiatives designed to combat youth unemployment, is obviously directly linked to activities initiated in the municipality of Arnhem within the framework of the “school dropout prevention” programme.
2GetThere started in January 2010 by setting up a sounding board committee. Various youth support bodies and youth social services providers in Arnhem are among the members of this group. This sounding board committee meets every three months. This approach creates support for the project and results in efficient collaboration with and coordination between the providers of social services and support. The sounding board committee changes continuously in terms of its composition and form. As does the team of youth coaches.
Based on breedingground principles, the coaches progress through the project and leave it for normal jobs based on their personal and professional development and the progress they make in terms of education. A youth coach normally remains actively involved within the project for a maximum of two and a half years.
As the project becomes more professional, more emphasis will be given to sharing and documenting expertise and knowledge, brainstorming sessions on specific problems and solutions, analysing issues in small, focused project groups and other activities that require incidental attention and for which there is demand. In doing so, we collaborate as much as possible with existing initiatives, organisations and programmes.
2GetThere has now trained more than 50 young people as youth coaches who will in turn coach young people in their own environment and within their own network in order to help them cope with problems when attending school, or working, or a combination of both. The idea behind this initiative is that young people can relate to each other and speak the same language. The project, which was initially set up using funding provided by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment for initiatives designed to combat youth unemployment, is obviously directly linked to activities initiated in the municipality of Arnhem within the framework of the “school dropout prevention” programme.
2GetThere started in January 2010 by setting up a sounding board committee. Various youth support bodies and youth social services providers in Arnhem are among the members of this group. This sounding board committee meets every three months. This approach creates support for the project and results in efficient collaboration with and coordination between the providers of social services and support. The sounding board committee changes continuously in terms of its composition and form. As does the team of youth coaches.
Based on breedingground principles, the coaches progress through the project and leave it for normal jobs based on their personal and professional development and the progress they make in terms of education. A youth coach normally remains actively involved within the project for a maximum of two and a half years.
As the project becomes more professional, more emphasis will be given to sharing and documenting expertise and knowledge, brainstorming sessions on specific problems and solutions, analysing issues in small, focused project groups and other activities that require incidental attention and for which there is demand. In doing so, we collaborate as much as possible with existing initiatives, organisations and programmes.
Learning by doingOn 12 April 2010, the first 10 youth coaches started an education programme based on "action learning" (learning by doing) consisting of short vocational training courses, presentations, workshops and traineeships arranged by various collaborative partners active in providing assistance and social services for young people and teenagers. In addition to this intensive bespoke education programme, the youth coaches receive coaching in personal development and attend a weekly peer review meeting. Personal growth, empowerment, trust and freedom of action in the broadest sense are the focus of this project.
At present over 60 youth coaches have left the programme for a normal job while a number of youth coaches have returned to school and are now concentrating on a course of formal study or personal growth and development. Youth coaches start working as outreach youth workers, attendance officers, prevention workers and for example as social workers. In addition to 10 youth coaches who are employed on the basis of an apprenticeship contract, the project also provides employment for 2 associate mentors who share the knowledge and expertise they have gained from different social science and other relevant educational backgrounds with the other coaches in the project. The youth coaches in the 2GetThere programme have multiple responsibilities. In addition to their main activity as a coach, they build bridges between young people and providers of assistance and social services and also give valuable feedback to those providers: what is effective in helping young people and what is less effective? What could providers of assistance and social services do differently and what is absolutely indispensable? |
ObjectiveThe objective for 2010 and 2011 was to "make contact with and provide guidance for 100 young people each year". This has certainly been achieved. The number of applications during the first six months of 2011 grew exponentially to 3 times the previous level. In 2011, we focused on our network and on improving and extending our collaboration with other bodies and providers of assistance and social services. We continuously strive to optimise our PR and communication activities, expand and maintain our network, document and safeguard the knowledge we acquire and maintain professional progress. When it comes to documenting and safeguarding knowledge, we use innovative tools such as the ‘Get Yourself 2GetThere-map’, which has been developed by one of our youth coaches.
An instrument which acts as a reference work for new and existing coaches and contains all the knowledge and expertise that has been acquired previously. In 2012, we were able to devote greater effort to schooling and content improvement. We also placed a great deal of emphasis on teambuilding after a number of staff changes and the disruptions that occurred during the previous year in the light of uncertainty about continuation of the project. We want to encourage organisations and process-chain partners to contribute and work together even more effectively in order to create an even more resilient safety net for young people in Arnhem and the surrounding area. Not only can we learn a great deal from each other, this also represents an opportunity to reduce costs. In 2013 2GetThere started a satellite project in the municipality of Renkum. After two years, this project is now prolonged with another 2 years. At the end of 2014 the project also started in three municipalities in ‘Zuid Oost Drenthe’, in the north of the Netherlands. Succesfully, this project already have been prolonged. In april 2015 we started in the municipality of Rheden; another two coaches have started successfully here. In 2016 we started the project in the municipality of Zutphen aswell, and other municipalities aswell in the Netherlands as abroad have shown interest in the program. The first steps have been made in Italy, in Sweden, in Germany and in South Africa. |
BEST PRACTICE OF THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE ILO
Apart from other prizes on the field of youth employment, social security and prizes in batteling premature school leaving, 2GetThere became worlds best practice in 2014. Out of 101 projects all over the world, 2GetThere has been chosen to be worlds best practice, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO). MTV, agents of change, came to film us. Here’s the link to the short documentary; https://youtu.be/DpUIO6cCWZI
The five standard criteria for programme evaluation – relevance, effectiveness, impact, efficiency, and sustainability – were complemented by two key characteristics of good practice in youth employment, namely replicability and innovation. The programmes were, therefore, assessed in accordance with the following criteria:
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Relevance measures the degree to which a youth employment programme is suited to the priorities, needs and interests of young people (and other stakeholders, e.g. donors), and whether it is aligned with contextual factors (e.g. the labour market situation). It answers the question of whether the programme is doing the right things to address the needs and interests of young people to, for example, improve their employability, support them in finding a decent job and/or improve the working environment.
Effectiveness measures the degree to which a youth employment programme achieves its objectives. It answers the question of whether the programme is doing things correctly – whether the activities have actually brought about the desired changes for young people. Impact measures the positive and negative changes produced by a youth employment programme, directly or indirectly, intended or unintended. It thereby assesses the extent to which changes in social, economic, environmental, and other development indicators can be attributed to the programme, and the programme only. |
Efficiency measures the results – qualitative and quantitative – in relation to the inputs. It is an economic term which signifies that the youth employment programme uses the least costly resources possible to achieve the desired results. There is a focus on the ability of the youth employment programme to clearly identify and quantify the human, financial, and material resources required and to explain how they have helped achieve the intended results.
Sustainability measures whether the benefits of a youth employment programme are likely to continue after external funding/support has ceased and/or the programme ends. Innovation measures the creativity of a youth employment programme, i.e. the ability to invent and implement new approaches. It indicates whether the programme has used approaches or activities that are new, different, or not well- known. Programmes that address pressing but mostly unaddressed issues in youth employment are also considered to be innovative. Replicability measures the degree to which a programme or its parts can be integrated into other programmes or transferred to other geographical regions or contexts. |
NEW APPROACh
2GetThere has generated a new way of approaching and assisting young people, which is far more in keeping with modern times. The principle of putting young people to work on behalf of other young people is an important element. Tackling the problem from within. In our approach to youth problems and providing assistance, the young people's sense of personal responsibility and personal strengths are central elements. 2GetThere appeals to young people's self-reliance.
Consequently, one of the goals of the coaching provided by 2GetThere is to let young people experience what accepting personal responsibility can offer them. Empowerment and Personal Strengths are important concepts within the project. Another goal is to help young people find their way to the right providers of (social) services for their issues or problems. More specific information and our views on this approach can be found in a later section in this document entitled 'counselling vision'.
Consequently, one of the goals of the coaching provided by 2GetThere is to let young people experience what accepting personal responsibility can offer them. Empowerment and Personal Strengths are important concepts within the project. Another goal is to help young people find their way to the right providers of (social) services for their issues or problems. More specific information and our views on this approach can be found in a later section in this document entitled 'counselling vision'.
PERMANENT OUTFLOW TO JOBS AND/OR EDUCATIOn
The youth coach acts as a "personal counsellor" for the other young people in the programme. The youth coach builds bridges with all the providers of assistance and social services for young people. So the young people in the programme benefit from an accessible and easily approachable point of contact: the 2GetThere youth coach.
Obviously, our main objective is to ensure that young people return permanently to employment and/or school. 2GetThere has created a programme called 2GetThere@work in order to encourage and focus more effectively on creating an outflow into and on the labour market. A number of youth coaches have been asked to concentrate on developing job-seeking skills in order to encourage successful programme outflow by providing individual coaching on how to apply for jobs and by setting up job-seeking workshops for young people. They actively look for job opportunities and build up a network of employers and other parties that are willing to provide a start for the young people in the coaches’ counselling programmes. These youth coaches with a special mission are called 'placement coaches'. This set-up has proved to be effective in achieving rapid and, above all, enduring positive results.
Obviously, our main objective is to ensure that young people return permanently to employment and/or school. 2GetThere has created a programme called 2GetThere@work in order to encourage and focus more effectively on creating an outflow into and on the labour market. A number of youth coaches have been asked to concentrate on developing job-seeking skills in order to encourage successful programme outflow by providing individual coaching on how to apply for jobs and by setting up job-seeking workshops for young people. They actively look for job opportunities and build up a network of employers and other parties that are willing to provide a start for the young people in the coaches’ counselling programmes. These youth coaches with a special mission are called 'placement coaches'. This set-up has proved to be effective in achieving rapid and, above all, enduring positive results.
Experts through personal experience
ll of the youth coaches have personal experience of the issues. They know what it is to be out of work, have no education, have no form of income and no longer have any confidence in their own future. They know how it feels to have so many problems that you sometimes just want to give up.
They are familiar with all these problems. That peer expertise gives them the wherewithal to act as excellent role models for the young people they counsel. The youth coaches develop rapidly; both personally and in their professional role. They tackle areas of little progression in their personal development path and work hard on bettering themselves.
In turn, they pass on what they have learned and new insights to the young people in their counselling programme. Like an oil droplet spreading on water. After all, the youth coaches are also actively positioning themselves in the employment and education market. Based on the breeding-ground principle, the youth coaches leave the programme for a normal job and/or education as soon as they feel ready for this move and opportunities present themselves.
They are familiar with all these problems. That peer expertise gives them the wherewithal to act as excellent role models for the young people they counsel. The youth coaches develop rapidly; both personally and in their professional role. They tackle areas of little progression in their personal development path and work hard on bettering themselves.
In turn, they pass on what they have learned and new insights to the young people in their counselling programme. Like an oil droplet spreading on water. After all, the youth coaches are also actively positioning themselves in the employment and education market. Based on the breeding-ground principle, the youth coaches leave the programme for a normal job and/or education as soon as they feel ready for this move and opportunities present themselves.
Diversity
The team of youth coaches is very diverse. A conscious effort has been made to look for and select a team of young people from very diverse backgrounds. The team not only includes cultural and ethnic differences, there is also great diversity in terms of gender, age and educational background. The project is open to young people who do not yet have a diploma and is designed to inspire the participants from within and awaken a desire to go back to school. The different characteristics within this team ensure excellent behavioural mirroring and invite the youth coaches to assess themselves and recognise patterns in their behaviour that are obstructive and stand in the way of their personal development. Only then can they also act as a mirror for the young people they counsel. Based on inspiration and opportunity.
While voluntary, the programmes in which the young people whom the coaches counsel participate do require a result commitment. A coaching need must exist. Extensive reach is an added benefit of working within a diverse team: all the young people in the programme are able to identify with one of the coaches! We want to offer the young people who participate the opportunity of personally choosing their counsellors. Consequently, we have posted the profiles of all the coaches on our website: www.2gettherecoaching.nl
While voluntary, the programmes in which the young people whom the coaches counsel participate do require a result commitment. A coaching need must exist. Extensive reach is an added benefit of working within a diverse team: all the young people in the programme are able to identify with one of the coaches! We want to offer the young people who participate the opportunity of personally choosing their counsellors. Consequently, we have posted the profiles of all the coaches on our website: www.2gettherecoaching.nl
Our Mission at 2GetThere
By providing personal attention and professional care, 2GetThere offers help and insight to young people who find themselves in a hopeless situation. A 2GetThere youth coach asks questions, inspires, empathises, knows how to get help and has the necessary contacts. The objective of 2GetThere counselling is to help young people believe in themselves again and regain their confidence in a positive future full of opportunities. Self-reliance and inner strengths are important aspects.
Our Vision at 2GetThere
The time we live in today requires a new approach. An approach based on attention, freedom of action and trust is required to put young people back in touch with these important values. 2GetThere’s assignment is to rebuild the faith of young people in their own strengths and abilities and stimulate and motivate them. The 2GetThere team is characterised by peer expertise and diversity.
iChange.uChange.weChange.
iChange.uChange.weChange.
Core values
Our behaviour is based on our core values. Our core values are:
Personal strengths
For young people, by young people
Outreaching and bridging
Trust and freedom of action
Those core values are reflected by how we work and how we are organised. We let young people rediscover their personal strengths and inspire them to grow and become self-reliant. The “for young people, by young people” principle is characteristic of 2GetThere. Our youth coaches speak the same language as the young people participating in the programme, are familiar with their problems and are in a position to say: “we understand what young people need and what their concerns are”. The youth coaches at 2GetThere act as a role model for other young people, deliver customised programmes and identify what is really needed. They do this by adopting an outreach approach to their work and building bridges to the existing providers of assistance and social services. In order to help them do this with complete dedication and professional empathy, we offer trust and freedom of action.
We deliver customised programmes and are flexible. We are convinced that this creates a strong support structure that young people can use to break out of obstructive behavioural patterns and work with confidence on building a positive future.
Personal strengths
For young people, by young people
Outreaching and bridging
Trust and freedom of action
Those core values are reflected by how we work and how we are organised. We let young people rediscover their personal strengths and inspire them to grow and become self-reliant. The “for young people, by young people” principle is characteristic of 2GetThere. Our youth coaches speak the same language as the young people participating in the programme, are familiar with their problems and are in a position to say: “we understand what young people need and what their concerns are”. The youth coaches at 2GetThere act as a role model for other young people, deliver customised programmes and identify what is really needed. They do this by adopting an outreach approach to their work and building bridges to the existing providers of assistance and social services. In order to help them do this with complete dedication and professional empathy, we offer trust and freedom of action.
We deliver customised programmes and are flexible. We are convinced that this creates a strong support structure that young people can use to break out of obstructive behavioural patterns and work with confidence on building a positive future.
Counselling vision
In order to look into the future and clearly present our vision, we need to take a brief look into the past. Each year is another successful year for 2GetThere; a year full of growth, development and placement of a large number of young people in normal jobs and education. But how exactly do you measure that success? What makes the project so successful, what are our success factors? This is a question that people often ask us. So a description of why our philosophy and approach works is appropriate here.
From theory and methodology to young people themselves as instruments
The central focus in the 2GetThere programme is the young person himself. He is his own instrument. Our message here is that 2GetThere does not in the first instance train its coaches to be useful in our ‘conceptual’ societal model and identify a possible place for them in that model. Our vision goes much further. We see the young people in the programme and the youth coaches as equals and make them aware of their inherent potential. Not because this is required by society, but based on the firm belief that once a person has become aware of his talents and personal strengths, he will also be able to find a place in the community.
From ‘becoming who you want to be’ to ‘being yourself’
We look at what drives our coaches as their development path unfolds and during coaching interviews. From within. Not so much with the intention of creating a match with what society expects of them, or what is required, but based on what they need in order to develop and feel useful. What do they need in order to prosper and grow? What inspires them? What is holding them back? Blockades that often arise because they try too much to live up to the expectations of their environment rather than trusting in their own frame of reference. Trying to 'please others' too much in order to belong.
From being stuck in a groove behaviourally to inspiration and dynamism
At present, young people are (cognitively) educated in schools in preparation for a role in society. A role, task or position that we have ‘thought up’ and see as necessary. But isn't it true to say that we can't think of everything? And that our lives often take an unexpected course? Life is dynamic and changeable. There is constant movement and change, at all times and at all levels. The ability to move in time with this natural dynamism is essential. To do so, we continue to focus on developing young people from within in terms of insights and our processes. This explains why the young people we counsel sometimes find their way again very quickly and in an apparently inexplicable way. Figuratively speaking, they have rediscovered their connection to themselves and consequently to their environment.
From ‘what has to be’ to recognising ‘what is there’
We often neglect intrinsic motivation, intuition and meaningfulness. What are the true interests of a particular young person and the youth coach? Who is that coach? Who is that young person? What is important and valuable to him? In isolation from everything and everybody. It is important to help the young person to discover his/her inner strength first, bring him/her into contact with these values and motivation before anything can be achieved via care, attention and dedication. We have to see and recognise what is there first.
From brash self-assurance to self-confidence
Not self-assurance, but self-confidence and being attuned to what is required. In touch with inner values and inner strengths. Our experience with this target group is that they can very quickly relate and commit to our approach because they feel that we really see them as they are. Change can only happen once you recognise what is there and what is going on, i.e. the situation in which the young person finds himself. A listening ear without judgement. Rather than using our own standards, our reference framework and therefore an external motivation as our basis, the flow that fits here is to move towards a motivation that comes from within. Internal. And which is therefore significantly more powerful and natural.
From control to freedom of action and trust
The young people who receive counselling from 2GetThere do not have to adapt to a system of all kinds of rules and procedures. There is time and attention for them, at the level of equals. They can be who they are. This creates space for their inner potential. These young people have essentially become invisible and are now given the space required for them to be seen again. The times we live in require a broader scope. Looking further than the end of your nose. Recognising whom you have in front of you and going outside the box in order to offer what is required. Tailor-made. Without judgement. Only then can you offer true opportunities. This approach ensures that you make contact at a different level. And it is exactly this level that is so important both now and in the future. It is time for change.
From top down to connected
We see it as our task to facilitate these young people and offer them the opportunity of selfdevelopment. So that they can again accept personal responsibility for how their lives develop. Not so that they become the person we think they should be, but to inspire them to be who they are. By simply standing at their side. Contact between equals. Only then can the power of a role model come into play. Literally at a level of equals. No hierarchy, no top down. The questions of today's young people are of a different order. We must listen to them attentively and use that knowledge to our benefit.
iChange.uChange.weChange.
2GetThere: recognising what is needed
Arnhem, 12 October 2012
‘Arnhem continues successful 2GetThere youth-aid project’ was the headline of a recent press
release issued by the municipality. After two and a half years of hard work, we have succeeded
in gaining recognition as a new addition to and partner in the aid and services offering
provided for young people in Arnhem. Growth and a positive outflow within and outside the
project were instrumental in helping the Municipal Executive reach this decision. Project leader
Susanne ten Doesschate-Boekelman has no hesitation in saying 'our goal is to make ourselves
obsolete'. But before that is achieved, young people in Arnhem will have benefited significantly
from this innovative approach.
The fact that the project has gained the support of local politicians and the municipality of Arnhem is significant. It means that they are now receptive to a new and contemporary approach following a period of relatively conservative policy in this area. Above all however, it means that they are prepared to listen to information about what is effective in helping young
people. For young people in Arnhem, this development means that they have access to lowthreshold, tailor-made and appealing support, without a long waiting list, that can help them to find a new goal and a new perspective in their lives. They can make a fresh start. School, work or a combination of both: the coaches at 2GetThere are there to counsel them during this
process.
‘Arnhem continues successful 2GetThere youth-aid project’ was the headline of a recent press
release issued by the municipality. After two and a half years of hard work, we have succeeded
in gaining recognition as a new addition to and partner in the aid and services offering
provided for young people in Arnhem. Growth and a positive outflow within and outside the
project were instrumental in helping the Municipal Executive reach this decision. Project leader
Susanne ten Doesschate-Boekelman has no hesitation in saying 'our goal is to make ourselves
obsolete'. But before that is achieved, young people in Arnhem will have benefited significantly
from this innovative approach.
The fact that the project has gained the support of local politicians and the municipality of Arnhem is significant. It means that they are now receptive to a new and contemporary approach following a period of relatively conservative policy in this area. Above all however, it means that they are prepared to listen to information about what is effective in helping young
people. For young people in Arnhem, this development means that they have access to lowthreshold, tailor-made and appealing support, without a long waiting list, that can help them to find a new goal and a new perspective in their lives. They can make a fresh start. School, work or a combination of both: the coaches at 2GetThere are there to counsel them during this
process.
New approachThe true innovation in this approach is the emphasis on equality and the direct connection between the coaches and the young people. They interact in a natural manner and the youth coach applies himself as an instrument. The youth coach is one of them, a role model and somebody who possesses peer expertise in handling problems that the young people can relate
to at a personal level. Due to the absence of a top-down approach, the young people in the programme are not plagued by feelings of insecurity. The primary focus lies on stimulating personal strengths and self-reliance so that the young people in the programme can stand on their own two feet a later stage - ‘Learning by doing’. The youth coaches also learn skills using this method and pass this learning strategy on to the young people whom they counsel. The coaches develop, grow and learn, thereby demonstrating that they have a deep personal motivation for wanting to develop and grow in their lives. This is inspirational to the young people whom they counsel. Like an oil droplet spreading on water. |
So why is it effective?Today’s world requires low-threshold, direct connections. Just look at the rapid gain in popularity of the social media. You can now make immediate contact with people who were previously outside your direct network with a single press of a button. This person-to-person connectivity is contemporary and important. The youth coach is also immediately available, at the same level as the young person who finds himself at a dead-end. The young person in question may even personally choose his youth coach counsellor. He decides the rate of progress and indicates what he requires in order to become self-reliant. The freedom of action and trust experienced by the young person create self-confidence rather than self-assurance. The direct connection and recognition mean that he does not have to be pretend to be somebody different, but can relax and accept who he is. Many problems, diagnoses, labels and erudite treatment recommendations no longer predominate. All that is left is the person himself, without any trappings. This allows the young person to regain contact with his own values and become his own instrument of salvation. Another key success factor is that 2GetThere’s approach achieves good results but costs very little.
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Collaboration
Our motto is: together we can achieve more and 1 plus 1 is 3! These basic principles are often used by our team. We want nothing more than to collaborate and ensure that we strengthen and improve our connection with our partners. Collaboration is difficult in a conservative city like Arnhem. Is this because we are all active in ‘the same market’? Or is there some element of fear of the unknown? Our goal is to make ourselves obsolescent, but until we can, we want nothing more than to collaborate and ensure that we can learn from each other and grow together to a higher level. We need each other. All our expertise, care and attention and efforts are needed for young people.
Ambition
2GetThere’s ambition is clear: to continue to connect to the questions/needs of young people, to continue to professionalize and publicise our vision and approach. Both nationally and internationally. A film about 2GetThere is planned in order to highlight this ambition. A short film lasting 20 minutes, which will present the essence of 2GetThere. And focus particularly on how the programme kills several birds with one stone and the fact that encouraging young people's own dynamism creates growth and innovation. A continuous process of recognition and acknowledgement of the problems that present themselves and the solutions that are required, and awareness of what this means and how to connect to this process. Only then can we maintain a clear head and keep in touch with what our young people need! Recognition of who they are, in all aspects and in whatever form. And make a connection. Only then can we create something that both appeals and is effective.
Connecting with others: accept your
apprehension and just do it anyway!
Arnhem, 4 June 2012
Have you achieved any of your good resolutions this year? We are now about halfway through 2012 and should have taken the time to look at and become aware of new opportunities. But do they exist and are we prepared to offer those new opportunities to everybody? For example, do opportunities also exist for the lost generation in London's suburbs? The young people who suddenly exploded in a wave of total anarchy last year? A broadcast by Al Jazeera reminded Suzanne ten Doesschate about last year’s riots in London. What could this mean here at home, she asked herself. "Let's not just talk about it, but talk with young people in particular. Openly and without pretension. Not from a position of power, but based on equality and respect."
Have you achieved any of your good resolutions this year? We are now about halfway through 2012 and should have taken the time to look at and become aware of new opportunities. But do they exist and are we prepared to offer those new opportunities to everybody? For example, do opportunities also exist for the lost generation in London's suburbs? The young people who suddenly exploded in a wave of total anarchy last year? A broadcast by Al Jazeera reminded Suzanne ten Doesschate about last year’s riots in London. What could this mean here at home, she asked herself. "Let's not just talk about it, but talk with young people in particular. Openly and without pretension. Not from a position of power, but based on equality and respect."
Engagement
The Al Jazeera broadcast included an interview with a youth worker from Tottenham, one of the areas where rioting had taken place, who shared my opinion. Hanna Adu spoke of 'engagement'. She said that today's young people feel totally shut out. They are unable to participate adequately in a society that mainly talks about them but not with them. I can recognise this need felt by young people based on the stories of our youth coaches. They also say that making contact in a low-threshold way and asking what the young people in question need is effective. Not talking about but with young people. Openly, without pretension.
Any such contact must be authentic and spontaneous, without preconceived goals or hidden agendas. Adu also talks about the lack of tools for dealing with your frustrations. In her view, that is something that is completely lacking. In my opinion, the tools that are effective in this context are talks with young people, individually or in groups, about who they are and what they need. Making sure that you make contact again with your inner self and your personal values, needs, dreams and wants instead of taking out your frustration on your environment and deriving your identity from non-constructive behaviour. Knowing for whom or for what you make an effort and why you keep on going. It sounds simple and it is simple. In my opinion, the simplicity lies in the openness of the aid worker or counsellor. Does that person reveal himself? So the simplicity lies in being who you are and revealing who you are. No ambiguity. Your personal attitude has to be integrated in your professional attitude: the professional has to show his individuality. In the same broadcast, Gillian Slovo says that too many young people do not feel involved in society. And according to her, there are too many of these young people who have nothing to lose. Slovo has interviewed many of the people involved in last year's riots and concludes from stories related by police officers for example that they felt completely overpowered and too frightened to act. The interviews have been adapted in the form of stage-plays based on the original text in order to give the production realism. Very important in helping to process the resulting trauma in the opinion of Slovo. According to her, the problem is mainly a political one. I agree. As one of the youth coaches at 2GetThere in Arnhem indicated in a debate with one of the local political parties: 'Politicians want young people to feel more involved and connected with political issues, but are politicians actually involved with and aware of how young people experience the world today?’
An article in NRC Next on the political left-wing’s image problem talks of a paradoxical solution. A combination of the paternalistic policy of left-wing politics and the moral appeal of right-wing politics. The crux is how to cope with this paradox. Before you can begin to think about achieving anything with these groups, you have to know what is going on first. You have to make contact with this group. Make sure that they feel connected again. Peer expertise and connecting to how young people experience the world is indispensable to this process. There has to be some form of recognition.
Any such contact must be authentic and spontaneous, without preconceived goals or hidden agendas. Adu also talks about the lack of tools for dealing with your frustrations. In her view, that is something that is completely lacking. In my opinion, the tools that are effective in this context are talks with young people, individually or in groups, about who they are and what they need. Making sure that you make contact again with your inner self and your personal values, needs, dreams and wants instead of taking out your frustration on your environment and deriving your identity from non-constructive behaviour. Knowing for whom or for what you make an effort and why you keep on going. It sounds simple and it is simple. In my opinion, the simplicity lies in the openness of the aid worker or counsellor. Does that person reveal himself? So the simplicity lies in being who you are and revealing who you are. No ambiguity. Your personal attitude has to be integrated in your professional attitude: the professional has to show his individuality. In the same broadcast, Gillian Slovo says that too many young people do not feel involved in society. And according to her, there are too many of these young people who have nothing to lose. Slovo has interviewed many of the people involved in last year's riots and concludes from stories related by police officers for example that they felt completely overpowered and too frightened to act. The interviews have been adapted in the form of stage-plays based on the original text in order to give the production realism. Very important in helping to process the resulting trauma in the opinion of Slovo. According to her, the problem is mainly a political one. I agree. As one of the youth coaches at 2GetThere in Arnhem indicated in a debate with one of the local political parties: 'Politicians want young people to feel more involved and connected with political issues, but are politicians actually involved with and aware of how young people experience the world today?’
An article in NRC Next on the political left-wing’s image problem talks of a paradoxical solution. A combination of the paternalistic policy of left-wing politics and the moral appeal of right-wing politics. The crux is how to cope with this paradox. Before you can begin to think about achieving anything with these groups, you have to know what is going on first. You have to make contact with this group. Make sure that they feel connected again. Peer expertise and connecting to how young people experience the world is indispensable to this process. There has to be some form of recognition.
Being seen and being heardDo we actually know what today's young people want and above all need in order to reconnect to society and, once they have done so, what they require in order to continuously develop themselves in the long term Isn't it true that everybody wants to be seen and heard as they truly are? And then be given the opportunity to develop themselves in security and without pressure? If we accept that this is the only way of achieving sustainable growth and development in our young people then half the battle has been won, in my opinion at least.
This is not associated with any financial expense, on the contrary it generates money and security. We are talking here about human values and making contact. Unconditionally. Attention, transparency and professional love are the keywords here. These qualities are capable of making a difference and creating awareness about and among this group which, if we are not careful, may explode at any moment because of their complete separation and the associated frustrations, just as we have seen in the riot-ridden suburbs of London. |
Looking inwardPerhaps it would be useful and interesting to devote the second half of 2012 to inner reflection. Looking towards our inner world instead of always peering out. Our value and identity are not based on things that happen outside ourselves. We need to look for answers closer to home! If we assume that adults set an example for 'our' young people, this also requires us to look inward and recognise what truly happens in our inner world. Making contact is bringing to life what happens inside and between us. Without a top-down relationship, without camouflage, other smoke-screens and false securities that keep us at a safe distance from other people with whom we want no dealings and with whom we see no way of initiating anything constructive. We must start again. Peel away all the layers and recognise what is truly happening without prejudice. Not from a position of power, but based on equality and respect. And that is scary. My advice for the rest of this year and the future? Accept your apprehension and just do it anyway! Susanne ten Doesschate-Boekelman is the project leader for 2GetThere.
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