The week the Dutch team came to visit us was enlightening, tiring and fun! Having felt that we got into the nitty gritty of our work towards the end of our trip to Amsterdam, the UK team were keen to get going when the Dutch touched down. They had a tiring first day as their journey from the airport to their accommodation took far longer than expected – plus it was raining - so for the first evening we tried to take it easy by playing a game about the different hats we wear in life. (The de Bono Group Six Hat Theory) We were encouraged to consider the perspectives we look at the world from and consider other ways of seeing in the upcoming week.
The second day started with workshops at Goldsmiths University with the youth and community work students. It was interesting to see the students present their work and talk about their approaches to youth work. I think it gave the Dutch team a taster of what a student of youth work in the UK explores on their course.
In the afternoon we took a (long) walk to a youth centre where we were given a presentation by one of the leaders of the Not for Profit Working With Men and the head of youth work provision in a South London borough. Both presentations were insightful and got everyone talking. We then grabbed dinner and headed to the National Theatre to see the acclaimed play Les Blancs. It was a packed day both in terms of content and experiences, we all came away exhausted but with lots of thoughts and questions regarding wat we had seen so far.
Day 3 saw the turn of the North London team. We had a moving and impactful presentation from Clasford Stirling and Stafford Scott who taught us about the history of Broadwater Farm. We learnt about the high unemployment, social isolation, racism and police harassment that led to the uprisings in the 1980s. Everyone found this session really impactful, particularly the Dutch team as it highlighted the severity of the historical (and present) structural racism in the UK, helping them understand where we were coming from in our angle on the importance of African diasporic youth work.
Later we had a tour of Broadwater farm and then headed over to KORI – a community youth charity based in Turnpike Lane. We were served amazing African Caribbean vegan food and then heard presentations from the workers at KORI explaining their work. I also gave my presentation on the intergenerational work we do at Ubele.
The next day I was unable to attend the morning sessions in Brixton (at the Soup Kitchen and BCA) but joined the team in the afternoon at the Ladywell adventure playground. We had some lovely presentations from Kristina’s young people. You really got a sense that they create a sense of family at the centre which is especially important for young people who may not have secure family units at home. We also got to have a go at an abseiling crate challenge and run around on all the big wooden structures, like the big kids we all are.
All in all a good week, now we have to start thinking about our conference in October!
