My colleagues and I, in East Sussex, share his concerns. Our generic youth clubs are struggling to survive amid the furore of the Connexions social education programme. Whatever happened to good old-fashioned fun?
I am so bored, repeating the same activities around sexual health and substance misuse. Youth clubs are in danger of losing the kind of people who have always made youth activities fun. Our clubs have little money for resources and yet Connexion coffers overflow. I watched with interest the Connexions summer activities programmes last year and saw thousands of pounds being poured into short-term projects.
Understandably some of us were keen to be involved, especially with the offer of 10 per hour, compared with the 6 most of us usually receive.
Let's face it, the extra money is always handy.
I have watched many excellent youth workers move on, unsure of where their future clubs or jobs lay and disillusioned with the youth service. Connexions may have saved a few "high-risk" cases, but there are still large numbers of young people who benefit from generic, young person-friendly environments in which to socialise, without fear of being hassled by some overzealous youth worker trying to coerce them into putting a condom on a banana.
In my opinion it is the education system that needs an overhaul. Most of the young people I work with hate school. I hated school. If school wasn't such torture, I am sure there would be far less need for inclusion/exclusion groups. Perhaps Connexions could help design a new curriculum for the Government.
I worked at a "special secondary school" in Hampshire where the curriculum forced the staff to teach French to young people who could barely write their own name. Are we trying to create productive, well-informed, mature individuals or a generation of conformist clones who respond to misguided government policy and procedure? Probably not the former. Boredom will rear its ugly head and frustration will take over. We may be witnessing the birth of a new generation of warriors who will challenge the Reading,Riting and Rithmatic culture and bring back the Luddites.
Got something to say in Soapbox? stovin.hayter@haynet com or 020 8267 4767.
