Young leaders hone their skills

A group of frontline youth workers supporting young people in London at risk of, or affected by, violence have embarked on a leadership programme that aims to broaden their skills to deliver and lead services.

The group, the first of three cohorts of “high-potential” youth workers to undertake the one-year youth practitioners leadership programme, started in September. They have been selected from the network of 600 community youth organisations that are members of umbrella body London Youth because they have shown leadership potential and influenced their communities (see below).

Called Rise Up, the programme has been developed by London Youth and charity Leap Confronting Conflict along with specialist training company Clore Social Leadership, and is funded by the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit. It has been designed to recognise the broad skills needed to deliver and lead youth services for young people affected by violence, as victim or perpetrator, or at risk from it.

The practitioners will undergo 26 days of training over the year that fits around their work commitments. Core modules include trauma-informed practice, change management, mental health first aid, contextual and transitional safeguarding and business planning. Other training sessions in specialist and general practice and personal development will also be available.

Sessions have been designed by training lead organisation Leap, which has extensive experience of working within custody and community settings and the impact that trauma and societal factors such as institutional racism can have on young people’s behaviour.

The organisers say the rationale behind the sessions is to demonstrate to practitioners the impact that experiencing trauma has on young people so they can “identify behaviours and respond with an open mind and compassion”.

Participants will have access to mentoring and coaching with established voluntary youth sector leaders from across the London Youth network and, on completion of the programme, will have access to an Innovation Fund to implement change in their community to benefit young people experiencing violence.

Shaks Ghosh, chief executive of Clore Social Leadership, said: “Our youth workers deploy their leadership with compassion and passion every day in some of the most challenging contexts, especially when working to reduce violence. Often these youth workers do not recognise what they do on a daily basis as leadership. Those with untapped potential who, given the chance to further develop their skills, hone their behaviours and build a community of other dedicated youth workers, will continue to create the safe spaces that young people need to thrive.”

PRACTITIONER VIEWS
YOUTH WORKERS EXPLAIN WHY THEY HAVE ENROLLED ON THE RISE UP LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME

K’Jaurn, youth worker, Urban Hope:

I work with children and young people aged eight to 19 with mental health problems, some who have a criminal background, others who have been bullied or suffered trauma. There is a wide range of young people who use and attend our services.

I understand the challenges that many young Londoners face; growing up around gangs in the Islington area, I have seen friends lose their lives to violence and known others who have gone to prison.

As someone with lived experience of these issues, I am committed to making a difference to young people’s lives through youth work and have worked in a range of settings including prisons, youth offending teams and youth centres. I’ve been working as a youth worker for a couple of years at Urban Hope in Islington and hope the Rise Up programme will boost my skills in supporting young people and their families at risk of violence or experiencing trauma, because getting the right support could have helped turn their lives around.

As well as developing my youth work skills, I see the potential of Rise Up to increase my confidence as a leader and be a role model for other young people and the community.

Carla, youth worker, Rathbone Society"

Having grown up in a community where drug dealing and gang violence was rife, I am determined to ensure that the environments many young Londoners are brought up in do not determine their life chances. As a youth worker at Rathbone Society in Lambeth, I currently work with 11– to 25-year-olds, who are at risk of gang violence, exclusion from mainstream education, and substance abuse. I also volunteer as a mentor at Ashdon Jazz Academy.

I have worked with young people who have suffered childhood trauma or grown up in a dysfunctional home environment and – rather than receiving support to address their social, emotional and mental health needs – have been labelled as potential gang members and permanently excluded from school at a very young age.

I am joining the Rise Up programme as I feel it will equip me to support and empower some of London’s most vulnerable young people and ensure they can reach their full potential, despite the disadvantages they may face.

Rise Up is a unique and exciting opportunity to continue developing my skills and knowledge that will allow me to have as great an impact as possible in my community.