The birth of a project

Cathie Cox examines the development of Youth Route 70 - and some of the issues faced when setting up a youth work project. 

content: introduction | in the beginning... | hope ahoy! | a spoonful of medicine | growing pains | recognition of worth | catalytic rank | youth participation | induction of the worker | operational practicalities | conclusions | references 

In this piece I want to look at the experience of setting up a project in the rural area of the Douglas Valley in Clydesdale, Lanarkshire. As we discovered, an application to the Rank Foundation's Youth or Adult? Programme is much more than a two page summary. It should carry a warning that it can seriously affect professional practice (and home life) in making young people partners in power.

In the beginning....

Life before Rank was pretty mundane as far as youth provision was concerned in the area. The three villages of Douglas, Glespin and Rigside have approximately 360 young people aged 12 - 19 years. There is absolutely no commercial provision of any kind for young people. No sports halls, recreation facilities, picture halls, discos, cafes, clubs, fashion shops, chain stores - nothing associated with youth or attractive to modern day teenagers.

Worst of all there were few local adults showing any interest in the needs of young people. Instead there were many adult voices raised in condemnation of the young ones who were not satisfied with the country facilities enjoyed by the older generations who had (apparently) been content to while away their teenage years in the village without resorting to rebellion or hanging around aimlessly.

Community education had four full-time members of staff to provide services (youth work and adult education) to all age groups in the Clydesdale area (population 58,000 within 512 square miles). Given existing constraints, this meant there was little opportunity for change. Strathclyde Regional Council prioritizes staffing and financial resources towards young people in urban areas (particularly those classed as areas of priority treatment i.e. where statistics clearly show numerically higher indices of need). Many highly  innovative youth work projects of this type have been financed through the Urban Programme. Projects such as purpose built youth centres (concentrating on non traditional pursuits such as music e.g. recording studios, photographic work, hairdressing / beauty therapy or computing), anti-vandalism projects, youth arts, detached youth work and youth information are all success stories in Lanark Division. Although each piece of work is different they are all dependent on additional staffing, resources and (in most cases) local involvement. While engaging with the community is a key element of community education (CeVe 1990) this does not always result in the identification or involvement of enthusiastic adult helpers to undertake youth work. This is clearly identified in Youth Work in Scotland (HMI 1991) as a major concern for both statutory and voluntary agencies.

Prior to having any knowledge of the possibility of Rank funding, the one night a week, irregular youth clubs in both Douglas and Rigside were each run by two local volunteers. There had been problems in both clubs including a violent incident involving a worker and members, and relationships which tended to emphasize controlling young people rather than enabling them to become critical participants in their community. A number of young people were dissatisfied. One of the ways they expressed this was through complaints to community education that they had waited eight months for the start of Duke of Edinburgh's Award activities in their area. 

Since no leaders to initiate the award scheme could be provided (existing part-time staff and volunteers were content to spend less travel time in working in more accessible places with realistic premises and support), and since the 'rebels' with a cause were all females, a girl's club was suggested as a stop gap measure. A local woman (who had two teenage sons) was recruited to operate this club which became very popular with an average of fifteen girls aged 14 - 16 attending. This one night a week provision had little resemblance to a traditional youth club (no pool, ping-pong and porridge). It was taste and try time with lots of gossip and chatting added. Local people with interests and hobbies popped in and other evenings were spent discussing relationships, money, booze and boys. Things might have continued in this vein for some time had not Rank reared its lovely head!

Hope Ahoy!

The Principal Community Education Officer had met Chris Dunning of the Foundation at a conference and quickly realized that the needs of the young people in the Douglas Valley could perhaps be met via Rank's Youth or Adult? Programme. An initial meeting, which included the local regional councillor and the local area community education officer (ACEO), left people with a feeling of hope and no hesitation in accepting the challenge of proving the need for a project for young people with young people involved at all stages

Encouraged by the possibility of a youth worker dedicated to the three villages to create (with young people) youth work experiences of an innovative but not experimental nature, the ACEO redirected staff time to work with young people to make the application to Rank for funding. The feeling of powerlessness, of being in a local authority structure, could at last be combated by not just preparing an application for funding, but by engaging young people in a developmental process. This process could ensure they acquired the necessary skills to know and say what they wanted from the project. It involved them at every stage of the application through to the interviewing of the worker and being on the management committee of the project. This became work which attempted to 'respond to and engage young people so that their interest, enthusiasms and potential can be developed' (The National Advisory Council for the Youth Service 1988:11). Community education sees the educational dimension in youth work as all important. Although this may be accomplished in an informal setting, the aim has to be clear otherwise activities would be disorganized and no progression would occur.

Also active in the partnership were parents, the local regional councillor, Clydesdale Association of Youth Workers (CAYW) and the Association of Local Voluntary Organizations (ALVO). ALVO agreed to handle all the administration and finance of the project if it became a reality. Strathclyde Regional Council agreed to the time commitment of the ACEO to manage the worker and the use of office premises within the local primary school as a base for the worker. Such collaboration is in line with the thinking of Roderick (1985) who argued that while adult education and training require a variety of skills, the starting point should be identification of needs, project design and marketing of the project. These demand a variety of people with different skills. This engagement and involvement of local adults, young people and agencies to develop relevant learning opportunities is central to the values and principles of community education as described in CeVe (1990).

All very well in theory but this left the ACEO in the driving seat and since the values of community education are best expressed through practice, more time allocated to face-to-face youth work in the Douglas Valley became a priority. In terms of credibility and integrity, preparation for the application had to reflect the needs of the young people, be backed up by realistic research, provide young people with insight into possibilities and vision by arranging visits to other projects while keeping the villagers informed of what was afoot. This was all to be accomplished in a seven month period (May - December 1991). Flexibility and responsiveness were keynotes of the approach to youth work practised by community education.

A spoonful of medicine

Morning sickness was nothing compared to early attempts to get young people out of the villages to see other young people and their projects. Fear of the unknown plus a lack of knowledge or confidence led to only three turning up for the first visit to a dry pub.

Later visits to an information cafe, youth development team meeting and youth centre had increasing numbers attending but little spontaneous talking by our young people. Enough listening and looking did enable them to formulate ideas as to what they felt was needed:

a)   a person:

      someone to listen to them and work with them

      who would be available both day and evenings (not just once a week at a club)

      whom they could turn to in time of crisis

      who would get advice into the villages

b)   a mobile base for youth work:

      music, photography, hair/beauty corner, computing and cafe facilities

c)   a minibus:

      to get to facilities outwith the valley

Training courses always seem a good idea at the time but were unknown to the youths and, therefore, treated with fear and suspicion. Would it be like school? All myths were dispelled after the first residential weekend at Gracemount Youth Centre in Edinburgh. The programme undertaken gave the young people a taste of the three F's (the ACEO's priorities for participants in community education). The residential was FREE, FUN and FUNCTIONAL!

Knowledge and skills in committee procedures led to office bearers being appointed and young people joining in the partnership on an equal basis to form the Youth Route 70 steering committee. Increased involvement through more regular contact encouraged trust and honesty. Better support systems led to adult leaders being viewed more positively and a gradual youth empowerment process occurred. Education for employment, for life, for the world, for self development and for pleasure were collectively expressed as the concept of continuing education advocated in the Alexander Report (1975). The community worker's task in bringing about this change in the community is to do things with people rather than for them. One of the fun activities at the weekend was the creation of a name for the project and a graphic as an emblem.  Youth Route 70 was chosen as the name - the A70 road links the three villages and the mobile youth bus would become a regular vehicle on this road.

Growing pains

To acquire the skills in buying and running a mobile resource, the group become members of the National Playbus Association and two young people plus two volunteer parents attended the national conference at Brighton - yet another new experience which resulted in a successful application to Strathclyde Regional Council to purchase an old bus. Support was granted with further funding following from The Prince's Trust, Loanningdale Trust and a local businessman in the haulage business who offered secure storage for the bus.

Research to prove the need for the project was being undertaken throughout this period. For example, police statistics confirmed that three murders had taken place in Rigside within the previous seven years, and there were other indicators of the frustration of poverty, poor housing and ill health. The boredom of the youth population was leading some to turn to crime, drinking and drugs. Youths did not have a real role in the community and could not look forward to the steadying influence of a job alongside older more mature adults. Youth unemployment statistics proved twelve young people were chasing every available job in the area. Under-achievement in education was confirmed by statistics from the local secondary school. Young people from these three villages were three times as likely to need guidance support than their peers from other villages and fewer stayed on beyond the minimum school leaving age.

The Plowden Report (1967) stated that environmental and parental influences (not to mention the emphasis on health and school standards) are amongst the most significant in affecting a child's school achievement. Young people from these three villages were often labelled disinterested and apathetic by adults in authority when the reality was the youths concerned had narrower life experiences than others from different social backgrounds. Atkin and Bastiani (1984) have argued that improving home-school relationships brings mutual benefits to young people, families, school and community. Community education staff, working in conjunction with parent volunteers and the steering committee of Youth Route 70 attempted to inform and involve primary and secondary schools in all aspects of the funding application. However, 'if families and schools are to work together in an active partnership, schools and teachers will have to change as well as families and parents' (Bastiani 1991:80).

As the confidence of the young people involved in the project grew they decided to undertake some public relations  work by holding public meetings in each of the three villages and issuing invitations to people they considered 'worthy' citizens like the bank manager, head teachers, doctor, local business people, etc. Attendance and support were mixed but the skills, courage and determination on the part of the youth committee were clearly demonstrated in the two page summary of their application.

Support papers, background information, management proposals, financial projections, constitutions, etc. were all discussed, prepared and presented as the final application in December 1992. The Steering Committee was proud of its efforts but would the application meet with success?

Progress could not now be halted - the bus arrived, work parties converted the interior, painted and decorated, purchased goods and equipment but would it need to operate or provide services without the essential ingredient of the youth worker?

Recognition of worth

Raising the profile of the work undertaken by the young people associated with Youth Route 70 was high on the priority list from the beginning. The fact that an environment had been created to allow young people time and space to increasingly take responsibility for their own activities was fundamental and surely worthy of recognition.

Clydesdale Crime Prevention Panel decided that Youth Route 70 should be awarded their Silver Rose Bowl, the top award of 1992, in recognition of their good citizenship. Their decision was unanimous - showing that police, social workers, head teachers and leaders of communities throughout Clydesdale valued young people's contribution to society.

Further honours were bestowed on them, including an honourable mention and certificate from the Community Enterprise Scheme 1992, sponsored by the Post Office in recognition of their creation of a community facility for young people by young people. In October 1992 Youth Route 70 became the only youth group in Strathclyde to receive a bronze certificate for taking part in the Royal Anniversary Challenge. This recognized the skills in negotiation, planning and campaigning that young people had acquired in working towards their goal of securing facilities to be managed by young people in a rural area. What a sense of achievement this gave to the young adults, their parents and the communities! Someone outwith the villages valued their young people.   Some of the barriers have been broken - more still need to be.

Catalytic Rank

Where was Rank while all this was happening? No promises of funding were ever made, yet the support, encouragement and a listening ear were always available via Chris Dunning of the Foundation. He remained supportive when attendance at committee meetings rose and fell - sometimes reflecting views of only one or at best two of the villages. He showed he believed 'small is beautiful' and allowed the band of young people time to grow in knowledge and confidence as well as members. Keep things simple he kept reminding us!

The key concern of Rank was the service which would be given to young people. This was felt to be dependent on having the right management structure, parent group backing and recruiting the right individual. With this is mind, medium term plans included enabling young people to be equal partners in the management and interview processes.

The group kept working. The fact that an application to the Rank Foundation was being prepared proved helpful when funding applications were made to other bodies. Decision makers seem to favour cocktails of funding packages. When the Rank Foundation announced its intention to fund the project what excitement! What celebration! What an event! It was a dream come true. The real work could begin - finding the right worker.

Youth participation in decision making

As part of the extended application to Rank the roles of all participants were clearly identified, as was the job description of the worker. Young people's needs were at the forefront of this description. Face-to-face work; development of the project; and time to study towards professional qualification (a degree in Informal and Community Education) made up the three component parts. Everyone was clear about the 'super person' required to fulfil the role but the process of ensuring the right person was appointed was lengthy and time consuming.

Young people played an active part in planning this process. They stipulated that they required all candidates selected for interview to undertake one evening's work at a youth session in one of the villages before attending an informal interview where each candidate would rotate round three groups (comprising parents, young people and representatives of local organizations/community education/Rank). These three groups would question all applicants individually regarding their skills, experiences, aptitudes and aspirations. Following these two stages the individual formal interviews would be held with young people being in the majority on the panel.

Careful planning of this process meant that the candidate's practical ability could be observed and tested by youths on their own territory (although opinions formed in this way were very subjective) while at the informal interviews a more objective assessment was made by fourteen young people and twelve adults. Questions to be asked at the formal interview were adapted in the light of responses made by interviewees at the informal stage e.g. more probing questions were asked about how disciplinary issues would be handled. Clearly young people did not want an authoritarian style of worker who would discount the value of youth involvement and empowerment. Since experiential learning is a process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience, it can be seen that in making the links between the thinking and the doing young people were totally involved in this process.

Of the three hundred and fifty people who requested application forms sixty three returned these and a shortlist of seven was invited to attend for interview. The high proportion of those who did not return forms was attributed to the requirement that a statement of approximately one thousand words to support the application was required. Included in this was information about personal values, ability to work with people, ability to make and cope with changes in personal practice etc. Despite this process the interview panel debated for four hours at the conclusion of the formal interviews before reaching a final unanimous decision. Young people had not been involved in a tokenistic way! En route to empowerment young people had participated equally in problem solving, critical analysis and decision making.

Induction of the worker

Since staff are the most valuable resource of an organization it is imperative that a good induction programme is offered to enable the worker to proceed effectively with the job remit with the minimum of delay and the maximum of confidence. Eventually the Youth Route 70 worker would be responsible for part time staff, volunteers, project resources as well as programme planning, report writing, financial control, health and safety procedures etc. While some of these will be covered in professional training it was recognized that an investment of time to meet the individual's immediate needs as well as the needs of the organization would be beneficial.

Prior to the worker coming into post information on timetabling arrangements, expense claims, resource lists, contact names and addresses, health and safety matters, maps etc. were collated. Members of the steering committee accompanied the worker on visits to primary and secondary schools, church groups, meetings of local organizations and key individuals. Overall responsibility for the induction and familiarization process rested with the ACEO who also provided daily support for the initial two weeks of the project. It is believed that this system reduced the anxiety level of the new worker.

Operational practicalities

Support, supervision and forward planning sessions are vital to the progress of both project and worker. A regular monthly session with additional support available through informal contact with the ACEO or members of the management committee was planned. Respect, empathy, genuineness. acceptance of errors and failures are essential to the supervision process where critical reflection is encouraged to refine practice.

At the monthly meetings of the management committee reports are received from the youth worker and decisions are made on future programme developments, purchase of resources, grant/funding applications, fund raising activities, bus repairs etc. Project policy, monitoring and evaluation procedures and the establishment of priorities are all functions of this group which is comprised of young people, parents  representatives of ALVO, Clydesdale Association of Youth Workers, community education, Rank and the local regional councillor.

Involvement as equal partners in this process ensures the curriculum addresses the real issues affecting the lives of the young people in that they develop skills in decision making. Improvements in relationship building are made and confidence is improved. This 'curriculum' is likely to be 'hidden' - where happenings that may be perceived by some as problems are developed as educational opportunities. Learning can take place anywhere - even in the back of the mini bus. The community must be recognized as an accepted centre of learning. Kelly (1989:11) talks about a curriculum as 'the overall rationale for the educational programme of an institution'. Within such a framework activities should be responsive and relevant to the group's situation, should be negotiated to allow for greater flexibility while providing education and fun.

Figure 2.1: Some key considerations when setting up a project Preparation.  Everyone needs to be aware of their role in the partnership regarding a new project. Have the responsibilities of individuals and organizations been discussed? Interview procedures. Everyone on the panel needs to be as objective as possible yet needs to be comfortable with the questions being asked. Management Committees. To be effective all members must be familiar with the aims and objectives of the project. Additionally, they must form part of the forward planning and evaluation process each year. Thought should be given to the time needed for this as well as to the mechanisms required. Support. Support to the worker in a project is vital. Formal and informal supervision and support must be available. If members of the management committee (especially young people) are to be involved in providing support their training needs must be identified and met. An identity. Being known and understood is essential for projects. This means building an identity within the project - and communicating this to others. To ensure all sections of the community know about the project an ongoing publicity and communications strategy needs working out and implementing. Who will take responsibility for this (remember the worker can't do everything)? Whose needs are being met? Questions must be constantly asked about why particular events feature on the programme. Is it because the worker is comfortable with them? Does the programme provide a balance between young people having a real say, stretching themselves (physically, mentally, emotionally) while still having FUN?

Conclusion

Under the leadership of the youth worker the project has developed in a positive and encouraging way with a core group of young people and parents working together effectively at challenging other people's negative perception of young people in these three rural villages.  Young people are now firmly in the driving seat (not of the bus - which has had its ups and down not to mention crashes along the way), to see this project and this worker through the next five years and beyond. Youth work is born and growing up in the Douglas Valley.

References

Alexander, Professor K. J. W. (1975) Adult Education: The Challenge Of Change, Edinburgh: HMSO.

Atkin, J. and Bastiani, J. (1984) Home and School, Nottingham: Nottingham University School of Education.

Bastiani, J (1991) 'Fallacy - 'A Change of Teacher's Attitude Is All That Is Needed', in O'Hagan, B (ed.) The Charnwood Papers : Fallacies in Community Education, Ticknall: Education Now.

CeVe Scotland, (1990) Pre-Service Training for Community Education Work, Edinburgh: Scottish Community Education Council.

HMI (1991) Youth Work in Scotland, Edinburgh: Scottish Office Education Department.

Kelly, A. V. (1989) The Curriculum, Theory and Practice, third edition, London: Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd.

National Advisory Council for The Youth Service (1988) Youth Work In Rural Areas, London: Department of Education and Science/ Cardiff: Welsh Office.

Central Advisory Council for Education (1967) Children and Their Primary Schools (Plowden Report), London: HMSO.

Roderick, G. (1985) Widening the Field, London: Society for Research into Higher Education.

Cathie Cox is an Assistant Principal Community Education Officer in Strathclyde. She was heavily involved in setting up Youth Route 70.

First published in Mark K. Smith (ed.) (1993) Setting up and managing projects, London: YMCA George Williams College/Rank Foundation.