And so! I have finally started working with the teens. I am now into my fourth week and have been jotting down my thoughts and reflections about the Teen Program up and out here in rural Scotland, which I will happily share with you:
WEEK ONE:
I've been hired to work 10 hours a week, mostly for Tuesday evenings (6:00-7:30pm with school-age kids and then from 7:45-9:15pm with teens) and Thursday evenings (with teen girls in a program called "Girls on the Move" which, to me, sounds like it should run a lot like BGCA's SMART Girls program). It's voluntary attendance, in that the youth come if they like, but they don't have to. Entrance costs 1 pound (= $2) for the hour and a half. The center is located in a run-down, 2 room, 100+ year-old building in the deprived town of Tayport, and I am told the youth are thought of as "disadvantaged." There are very little supplies available. No carpets, no sofas, no pool tables, no fussball tables, no basketball court, but there is a small kitchen, 3 computers, a few tables plus chairs, two open spaces, a supply closet the size of the trainers office at Leighton School Age Services in Würzburg, and 100 pounds ($200) in the budget to work with. Despite the lack of resources, there is no lack of clear enthusiasm at the possibility that the centre could be the winning recipient of 80,000 pounds of grant money. Fingers crossed.
I've been hired as the Senior Youth Leader (or Lead) and will partner my new co-worker, Euan, who was interviewed the same day as me. Euan goes to Dundee University, just half an hour north of St. Andrews, and will be the Program Assistant. On Tuesday evenings, I have one mentor who will soon be leaving because she expecting her first child. And on Thursday evenings, I have two mentors who will also soon be departing.
So, I'll start with Thursday . . . these are the same girls who came in on Tuesday night. They not only join the Teen Program, but also like to volunteer in helping me out with the school-age kids. They're a really lovely group of girls. Because "Girls on the Move" is meant to encourage healthy lifestyle and fitness, a professional dance instructor was hired and showed the girls some great steps and managed to coordinate a whole dance routine within an hour. I immediately jumped on the opportunity to participate and afterwards was extremely complimentary of the instructor. Unfortunately, my two "mentors" and Euan hung out in the kitchen chatting and drinking hot tea while the instructor was giving her lessons. I was livid. When my so-called mentors eventually resign, Euan and I are going to have a serious chat.
Tuesday night was interesting as well . . . my one mentor there had little control over the school-agers who came. Her conflict mediation techniques were inferior. She had difficulty gaining the children's attention. She thinks we'll "lose" children if we stop serving them chocolate and candy for snack. She told me I should have "observed more" when I jumped in to play a hot potato-like ball game with a group of teen boys and had embraced a sidearm hug around one of the teens. (Did I mention they invited me in to the game??? They actually asked me to play.) She told me I should not have been washing any of the dishes (the girls cooked mac 'n' cheese while one of the hungrier boys dried up, which was the deal I made with him to encourage him to get something to eat if he was really hungry. Besides, it provided me a quieter time to get to know him that otherwise might have been lost had I not offered -- and, people, it's not like I'm that KEEN on doing the washing up everytime. I just quickly sensed that he was the ring leader the others listen to when I introduced myself at the begining of the club. I knew I needed to make my alliance with him. Taking the time to get to know him will, no doubt, pay larger dividends down the road. And my predecessor is stuck on the fact that I offered to wash up the blinkin' dishes????) Grrrrr. Mid-January cannot come soon enough.
So right now I'm thinking the school-age kids will be a walk in the park, and my first move is to introduce healthy cooking club options. Like a professional, I involved all the kids when I asked them about what fruit and vegetables they love to eat and what they thought about a heathly new Cooking Club at the center. They were very excited. The teens will be tricker for me . . . I find they're fussier than the toddlers at the Child Development Center. I know I've got to program plan like I would for SMART Girls for Thursdays and to get my hands on some Teen Guidance Modules, so that I can be more effective.
WEEK TWO:
I'm back at the SAS and YS clubs tonight. Euan and I are going to go through their resource cabinet and see what art activities we can hook the school agers into when they first come into the center. I'll ask Euan if he would like to take up the Cooking Club with the SAS kids for an hour . . . get him onto some ownership of the place, too. I won't get the teen program until sometime in January when my mentor goes on maternity leave, so I'll have to play everything real cool with her until then . . .
sigh, only 3 more until Christmas vacation. Deep breath. I can do this.
Good news today: my centre got the most votes across Scotland today. They've won the 80,000 pounds for the necessary refurbishment! http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2007/11/29/newsstory10619052t0.asp
WEEK THREE:
Uggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of these teens are SHITS. What a night. Oh hell. What have I gotten myself into? Of the regular 8 or so that came, we had an additional 12 who showed up but who never otherwise come. Guess they thought it'd be cool to raise havoc on the teen center. Even the three aforementioned teens said that if it gets this bad next week, they won't come back. Ugh. Hell. Did the presence of the other rowdy 12 just change the WHOLE dynamics. What a shitty night. It does get better, right???? Okay. Take another deep breath. I did learn one thing tonight. Those three hard core teens are friggin' awesome. They have shown me that they really OWN the teen center. You see them in there cooking, taking the 1 pound ($2) charge at the door, putting up the Christmas decorations, doing engagin activities with the school age kids, participating in the sports activities, etc., etc. They rock! And I will be sure to tell them that on Thursday at Girls on the Move Club. Okay, I feel better. Everything for a reason.
Euan said he hated cooking with the school-agers. He said he'll never make tacos with them again. Hmmm, must work on this with him. Negotiation is critical.
WEEK FOUR:
Since I'm still at beginning stages with nearly all of these teens, I made it a point to introduce myself right up front, "Hi, we haven't met yet. My name is Jennifer. What's your name?" After meeting a youth named Noel, we settled into playing the card game Bohnanza (brought over from Germany), and it turns out he's quite the Card Shark. So we got a real rapport going, and after the Christmas holiday he said he'll bring in his poker set and teach us all how to play. He offered an apology (freely given by the way!) for being cheeky with me last week. I took his apology full-heartedly. I'm extremely pleased with my progress, I must say.
Euan's did really well with Cooking Club; he's had his first successful Cooking Club experience with the SAS kids just last night. They baked shortbread cookies (not too healthy, but very Scottish). I'm willing to let the "healthy" slide because he's still on a sharp learning curve with this whole Cooking Club thing. I'm very proud of his accomplishment all the same. I will continue to support him.
And I'm pleased to announce that after meeting with our supervisor, Euan and I are going to help the three dedicated teens (who really own and take care of the Teen Centre) to go through the Scottish reknowned Youth Achievement Award process. Apparently it very similar to BGCA's Youth of the Year Award, whereby young people are encouraged to progressively take more responsibility in selecting, planning and leading activities that are based on their interests. This peer group model will encourage the development of a wide range of life skills through a flexible and informal approach. The three of them are excited. So am I.
