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PART 2 - RECOGNISING THE BARRIERS
The underserved
Are young people really hard to reach or is it more to do with the barriers put up by some service providers? In other words, what is that some organisations do or not do that stops young people from accessing the opportunities that appear to be on offer? Is the range of provision boring, irrelevant or simply not provided?
To work with young people who are distanced from, and do not access, mainstream services, it is vital to share and demonstrate a principled approach, which has integrity, meaning and relevance to young people and their life experiences. These principles guide our actions to prevent us further distancing and alienating the very people with whom we are concerned. To do this, staff who manage and deliver work with hard to reach young people will need to consider the 'architecture' of the Service. In other words, the influences and prejudices we as individuals bring to it, the institutional language and entrenched values of policies and practices which identify young people as dysfunctional and drive and prescribe the way we work and how we identify success. Connexions, 2006 |
Or, is it that some service providers find it difficult to work with young people. For some community centres it may be easier to keep boisterous teenagers out because they demand attention and scarce quality staff resources, and, it's likely to cost money rather than generate desperately needed income. For these providers, it may be easier to blame kids for spoiling things for themselves when something gets broken or damaged than to genuinely create space for them.
I remember walking into one of the busiest and most successful community centres in the country. It was buzzing with activity. The small hall was full of pensioners enjoying dominoes and bingo. The large adjoining theatre hall was full of amateur thespians rehearsing and every other room in the main building hosted adult education classes. Meanwhile, local teenagers moped about outside. I asked the centre manager if young people could use the centre. "Of course" she replied, "as long as they are part of a structured group and can afford the classes". I persisted with questions about what the kids outside could participate in and she cut me short pointing out that these kids could not use the centre because they had been caught throwing stones at the door - I wonder why they were doing that, is it possible they wanted someone to let them in? Youth Worker, Edinburgh |
Black and minority ethnic young people
The membership of local centres, clubs and associations rarely match the cultural and religious diversity of our communities. Yet, now more than ever before, community wellbeing and cohesion depends on reaching out to some of the most isolated young people in our communities i.e. those from minority ethnic and religious backgrounds (particularly those in rural areas) and making sure that local opportunities are open and accessible to them. To reach out to these young people, consider employing workers from different minority ethnic and religious communities who can help build trust and act as role models.
The life chances of black young people are affected by a range of variables leading to their high representation in statistics around children looked after, homelessness, the juvenile justice system and unemployment. It is vital that the potential long-term costs to society of these vulnerable young people are recognised and avoided, and appropriate action is taken to ameliorate their situation. Barn, 2001 |
LGBT
Most young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ( LGBT) people face discrimination and exclusion in their everyday life. The lack of visibility of LGBT adults at school and in society means that bullying and harassment continue to be major problems for LGBT youths, which can affect mental well-being, lead to lower achievements at school and to higher suicide rates, according to a recent report published by IGLYO & ILGA-Europe (Pink News, 2007). Discrimination and prejudice influences the transition of young people into adulthood and is at the root their social exclusion.
LGBT youth experience estrangement from family, bullying and marginalisation at school, which can lead to such problems as underachievement and school drop-out, low self-esteem and mental ill-health. These in turn, the report says, have a negative impact on the capacity of young LGBT people to manage the transition from school to work and to become confident and independent adults who can contribute to society. School (61% of respondents) and family environment (51%) are the places where most young people reported discrimination and exclusion. In comparison, 29.8% of young people faced discrimination in their circle of friends. Pink News, 2007 |
Advice on good youth work practice is readily available from LGBT Youth Scotland http://www.lgbtyouth.org.uk/
Does ageism start at 16?
For young people under 16, the local youth club can be a great place to meet friends and socialise. By the time they are 16, however, the youth club can seem boring and irrelevant as they aspire to access the pubs and clubs of the over 18s. The lack of community facilities for the over 16s may be one reason why so many prefer to drink in the poorly lit parks and embankments in the evenings with their pals.
When I was little we went to the club but I am too old for it now its all the wee ones that go there. We just go to the chippy or walk about really, there is nowhere to go unless we've got money. We go to the café or into town and wander but even when I have got money no one else does so we don't really do much else. It would be good if we had a café just for us something that was free or cheap where we could listen to music. If the wee ones weren't allowed in it would be better. Louise, 16 We don't go to any clubs - only play football. I would go somewhere especially in the winter when its freezing but they don't let you smoke or swear and I would just end up breaking the rules. Friday night is piss up night so I wouldn't be going on a Friday. Now that I am working I don't get as bored as I used to so I am not about much anymore but I still meet up with my mates for a kick about but it would be good if we could use indoor pitches but they cost a fortune. Sean, 17 |
Rural isolation
In more remote rural areas of Scotland, services and opportunities for young people are much more likely to be geographically, structurally and financially out of young people's reach. The biggest problem for them is transport and getting the opportunity to spend time with friends outside school hours.
Most activities such as cinema, ice skating and roller bowl take an hour and a half on the bus where the last bus leaves at 2.30 in the afternoon which is not feasible or practical or even worthwhile!! Public transport is a joke it is more than expensive and times are totally impractical. Gillian, age 17 I go to the youth club once a week over the winter as we have no facilities in the summer. It's a five mile walk and costs 50p. I would like to be able to go ice skating, bowling or underage discos. There is nothing like that locally and everything is in Inverness. That is 120 mile round trip and there is no way of getting there at night or on a Sunday as there is no buses. There are only two buses a day which means taking a day off school or work if on a Saturday. I'd like to see more buses and cheaper (£15 return at the moment from Ullapool to Inverness for a 16 year old!). A closer cinema would be good. A clothes shop locally would also be good! Euan, age 16 Pipe band practice is every Friday in the winter and in the summer I go every Thursday down to the local village hall (not far away, about 2 minutes). I'd like a youth group because we don't have one at the moment because we have nowhere to have one and the only thing really to do round here for young people is the Leisure Centre and hardly anyone goes to that anyway. To go into the nearest city its about £6 on a bus for a CHILD return, so when you become 16 its about £15. Siobhan, age 16 |
The transport and financial barriers simply compound the sexual and emotional health barriers faced by young people who struggle with things like depression, self-harm, abuse and worries about sexuality, teenage pregnancy and sexual health.
Because of rural isolation we still have the highest number of young men committing suicide, it is easy to identify some of the unfortunate circumstances for this to happen, the barriers of sheer isolation not only in the geographical sense but the feeling there is nobody close to turn to as everyone knows everyone therefore may tell others. There are barriers for health in general and especially sexual health. The majority of the young people I work with feel it would be nearly impossible to go to our local GP surgery if something was wrong with them as the first barrier is stepping in the door and knowing the receptionists. The same problems to go to the chemist as always someone there you know. As a youth service we try to help find solutions to those constraints, but the money for providing better transport links isn't there. We have as a youth group came up with an idea of a mobile youth café. This would be an old bus redesigned and would enable us to go out to the areas where people feel very isolated. Also hopefully try to have some nurses and drug workers on board sometimes to give advice. We do take a minibus (when we can get it) to have an evening in Inverness now and then so young people get the chance of socialising together outwith school and without their parents. People see Ullapool as a pretty tourist village in the highlands. And it is. But people don't often see past that and what it really is like growing up in small communities pretty cut off from towns and cities. The young people have the same needs here as anywhere else in Scotland but lack a lot of opportunities based solely on where they live. Youth Worker, Ullapool |
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