Ask the Expert: Encouraging ambitions

One of the boys at our youth club says he wants to be a stand-up comedian. He wants to put on a show for all of the children. Is this a good idea?

We want the young people we work with to be confident, aspirational and inventive, so I think this is fabulous. You have a young person who seems to have found a particular interest in something, and he feels safe enough to experiment with it in his youth club. There is a strong element of trust that he is expressing here and it should not be undermined.

You could support him in setting up a performance for him with his friends and supporters. Coach him in the ways that audiences might give him feedback on his comedy. If he can be helped to understand that some might find it funny and others may not and that this is all part of the comedy world, then he is going to have a realistic experience.

Use his enthusiasm to ask others if they have a particular skill they want to share, and create a project, concert or talent show.

Answered by Tracie Trimmer-Platman, senior lecturer in youth and community work at the University of East London