OPINION: Music as a metaphor for youth work
Howard Williamson
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Brian Williams, the former chief executive of the Wales Youth Agency, had his retirement do a couple of weeks ago. He retired last year on the grounds of ill health after leading the agency since itsestablishment in 1992. Before that, he had been the director of the Wales Youth Work Partnership. He started his career as a teacher before moving into youth work and youth service management.The turnout for Brian was impressive, reflecting both his contribution to youth work throughout Wales and beyond, and the affection in which he is held. He received accolades from many people in the field but what surfaced above all was Brian's deep personal commitment to young people, and he regaled us with a variety of humorous but meaningful stories from his practice over the years. Not that Brian has ever been obsessed with youth work. Indeed, he epitomises someone who has effectively struck a work-life balance throughout his life. His family and his friends were also there, and he revealed his lifelong interest in railways and caravanning (without being subjected to cries of "nerd"). Around 9pm he was surprised by the presence of the Cwmbach Male Voice Choir, of which he has been the chairman for some years. Those present, especially those from England, were no doubt moved by the power of song, yet as I listened I pondered that the choir represented, in two ways, a metaphor for youth work. Historically, the male voice choir was a mechanism that connected the generations: it brought younger members of local communities into the orbit of adult life. This, of course, is less and less the case these days, but it is indicative of the new challenges to be faced in how we connect young people to their communities and across the generations. Youth work surely has a role to play here. To the backing of just an electric piano, one particular song reached its crescendo, and I reflected on the strength and range of the human voice. I muttered to a colleague that this was also a metaphor for youth work: "You don't need instruments if you've got the right people." Youth workers do not need the backing of an orchestra if they have the right spirit and commitment to their work: it is their personal character, qualities and competence that command the attention and involvement of young people. That is the essence of all "people work", which Brian himself has always represented so admirably. I am sure that all who know Brian will wish him well in his retirement and I hope that he continues to give something to youth work in the years to come.
