Good hosts, good hospitality and good food; from the way we were treated you would think we are royalty or something but no that is just the Corrymeela way. From sun up to sun down we were to put it simply spoiled. Three solid meals, tea and coffee in between, fresh fruit, friendly smiles and kind words were common things found during our stay. We will have some MAJOR adjusting to do as we move from having things done for us to doing things on our own. Yet the fact that the staff and volunteers here were so freely giving and kind makes us want to do the same for others, kind of like a pass it on sort of deal.
Not only have we met new people while we have been here but we have also melded more as a group. Although we all come from different backgrounds and different youth work practices we are here on this common journey to learn about another place and further our own knowledge. Rather than just scratching the surface or learning simplistically, we have been challenged to learn more complexly. By digging deeper into ourselves and being open to new experiences that just may change the way we see things. Often times when working with people who are different than ourselves, we need to learn how to be flexible and accommodate to others, which is not always easy but important. Many people preach to treat everyone equally but another way to look at it is by treating everyone equitably, meaning taking into consideration people’s needs and treating them fairly. For instance if a person has a hearing impairment it is not fair to treat them like those who can hear, because that leaves out an essential element to who that person is. Rather it is important to take into consideration our differences and assure that people are being treated fairly according to them. This lesson, among many others was told to us by our guest speaker Dereck Wilson.
Dereck has been a youth worker for numerous years, he was “one of the first certified youth workers in Northern Ireland” to be exact. He also set up one of the first programs to train youth workers. Throughout his experience he has focused much of it on peace and reconciliation programs, including Corrymeela. Dereck had a wealth of knowledge he shared with us that many of us will never forget.
Dereck shared that when entering a new youth work situation it is important to remember that not only is each youth coming in with their own history and background but we are as well. Therefore it is important to remember to leave our “baggage” at the door, to become grounded and approach the upcoming interactions with a blank slate. By being grounded ourselves hopefully the youth will be able to become grounded as well, being able to put their past history in the back of their minds in order to be open to the experiences that may happen. When youth are open it creates a sense of diversity and interdependence. Along with equitability, diversity and interdependence are key aspects to have Dereck says, in any situation, particularly when working with groups in conflict.
Taking into consideration that not all youth are at a program of their own volition, perhaps it is mandatory of a sentence or maybe family life leads them to be there, Dereck mentioned that changing the attitude from having to be there to choosing to be there can make a world of difference. How this actually looks and takes shape is the challenge but it basically boils down to acknowledging the youth’s situation and asking them to consider making an active choice to be there.
An interesting quote Dereck shared with us was: “Your feet are walking into new experiences before your head is into it.” When we first arrived at Corrymeela our feet were sure here but our true understanding of this place was far far away. Even after our time here has almost come to an end, we cannot say we fully understand but we are indeed at a deeper understanding of what youth work looks like in Northern Ireland. We began the blog entry a few days ago with a sign we saw our first day on sight. Corrymeela begins when you leave, now as we pack up our bags to head to Belfast, our real challenge begins.
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