5/9/2012

Young ‘uns

Today we were working with the young ‘uns.  It was complicated by the fact that our young ‘uns attracted other young ‘uns. The other young ‘uns thought it would be a good idea to gate crash the centre we were working in. We calmly got them out and locked the doors. Now face to face they were tiny little things, cheeky rather than vicious. But when you are trying to focus all your attention on supporting the young person in front of you, who is struggling with a difficult bit of text, having a gang kicking the door and screaming can be quite intimidating.

Thinking back to the older people I’d been working with last week, I started to see how a very small number of young children, out of control and noisy could really intimidate a vulnerable person. Especially if it was being experienced week in and week out.

And, if I had nothing else to do, and very little sense of power over my own life, I can see why intimidating someone might be appealing, just to know that my actions were effecting somebody, in some way.

So I feel for the intimidated, I feel for those young ‘uns outside and I feel for the other young ‘uns, Sally and me, trying to get the work done.

Which we did, – and they’re going to be great.

Image by jesspetrie.com