On Tuesday myself and the Prospex team spent the day and evening with Youthwise a detached project in South Birmingham.
We had a great day and was able to join them in the evening on their detached work.
We were really impressed with their dedication, their professionalism and their practice. It gave us chance to reflect on our own detached work and question what we do and how.
Intro and welcome.
Prospex is a youth based charity working predominately on the Bemerton Estate its foundations have been built around on and around detached youth work we have carried out and the quality of relationships we have managed to build with young people in the local area.
The meaning of being ‘detached’ in terms of a house would suggest standing on its own, not joined to another. In a similar way I see detached youth work as being: ‘Working with young people where they are at , on their terms and turf, going out with the mind set to meet their need, passing on information and support in the field as it were. Not having the intention of necessarily of bringing them back to something in order to be able to carry out the required intervention or support.
Effective Detached / Outreach work. The 5 Core principles of detached.
1: Passion (commitment).
This cannot be stressed enough as to how important of these two elements enough most people can learn the skills necessary to carry out detached or outreach work but to really be effective with it you need to have passion for meeting and supporting young people where they are at (out in the field with all that implies and issues that could arise. The job and hours tend to be unsocial and often mean being out whatever the weather. To last at this without passion for what you are doing and the young people you work with is likely to be short lived.
2: Time Spent (visibility)
Visibility is also vital to the progression and effectiveness of the work. If young people can’t see you they won’t access you or what you have to offer. Lets not underestimate the importance of being seen by the wider community. It is important that the wider community also feel comfortable and confident in your presence. The most effective way of doing this is to spend as much time as is possible being just in the community. It is a sad fact that in todays world young people generally have little time spent with them. It is important that this changes and young people are encouraged, made to feel oimportant and empowered to better themselves an dthis is done by spending time with them. Just 5 minutes of our time sat listening , chatting or just being with a young person can have a life changing effect on them or a group.
3: Relationship<P>
This is the key to all youth work and that to of detached / outreach work Without it we have nothing. These relationships can be formed relatively quickly once the young people are aware and confident in us and our presence. It is vital that we make very efferent to make sure that we are able to maintain these relationships by regular contact and accessibility. The young people need to brought into a position where they feel safe and know that you can be trusted. A lot of the young people you will come across have been let down at some point in their past. Make sure that your yes is you yes and your no is your no. Try to avoid making promises that you may not be able to for fill and BE REAL!
4: Transparency, Honesty & Trust
It is highly important to be completely transparency in all we do and say when we are out and about this will lead to stronger better relationships of trust and Honestly. If you are not sure about something that you are asked about say so or tell them that you will get back to them once your have found out the answer. There is nothing worse for a young person that being mislead. Always make your intentions clear to the young people you are working with making sure that everybody you come in to contact with knows who you are and why your there.
5: Looking, Observations & Recordings
Although the last of the 5 key principles it is by no means the least important. Observing the surrounding area and the young people you are working with at any one time should become a natural habit for any detached or outreach worker. The more information about the targeted group you have the more effective your delivery will be. It to is important practice for the safety of those you are working with and those around you. We are never always able to cover our own backs.
Recording the activities and events as they unfold is also an important thing to do. Not only from the fund raising point, having evidence of numbers worked with successes failures etc but also for future evaluation and discussion. This can be done by taking a mental note of the events, conversations and outcomes of the session but should always be written up as soon as possible so as not to forget. This to, means that you have notes that other workers can uses with future work or reference when recalling a particular case or event. This can be done very simply with a standard out line of date, activity description, numbers contacted, aims, observations. Outcomes and necessary actions.
Other things:
It is essential that every worker you send out is CRB checked and you follow good practice it is also a good idea to carry a photo ID card showing who you are working for with phone number etc. Don’t wear this but carry it with you if anyone asks.This could be young people, the police or parents.
It is good to inform the police and any relevant bodies about what and when you are working ie housing assotiations.
It is essential to think long term when embarking on a detached project 4-5 years minimum per worker as it is not a quick fix solution. Also work out what your aims are and what you are hoping to achieve over time.
One of the most commonly asked questions from churches is how do we bring the gospel into the conversation more this will be addressed in another article.
This book helps you understand what detached youth work is, how it differs and the misconceptions churches often have.
It addresses key issues and give key principles for starting out and stresses the need for it to be long term.
This took me two evenings to read and it was more than worth it, Richard Passmore writes from years of experience of doing detached and shares the ups and downs.
The book is published by Scripture Union ISBN 1 85999 739 2 buy it, read it and learn from it.
Available from Tesco.com (just search for Richard Passmore)
It has been interesting doing detached regularly and seeing how numbers change dynamics. <p>
Obviously you don’t go out on your own as it is not good practice, two is perfect but three just doesn’t work. <P>
There have been a couple nights where we have ended up with three workers and it kills any quality work as suddenly you look heavy handed, authority comes across instead of relaxed workers. <P>
You are out on detactched walking past a building site when suddenly two lads you know come running out of a door holding the chain it was bolted with and carring tools from the site under their coats. They see you say hi and run off. What do you do in this situation?
What would you say to the lads?
You know they have stolen from the site do you phone the police?
If you do phone the police what does that mean for the work you are doing on the estate?
If you decide not to challenege them what message does that give them?
What options do you have that best aid your ongoing work?
There are no easy answers here but they are worth working through so you are more prepared when you face such things. I know my answers but why not give your thoughts in the comments below.
A group of young people have discovered that they can stop the busses when they pull up at the bus stop. Someone waits for the bus and when it stops another switches it of. The result of this is the driver has to get off the bus to swicth it on again and when he does the young people jump on and drive the bus off. <P>
There are times as a detached worker where it can seem that you are just walking around without meeting any young people or having any real effect. <P>
Or maybe the only real contact made is a nod of recognition. <P>
To someone starting out this can often seem demotivating and some struggle to see the purpose. But be assured your presence is noticed and it is this process that often breaks down the barriers with a new group who in the end want to know who you are and why you keep walking there. <P>
