We kicked off the month of March by delivering 9 taster sessions over two days at Uxbridge College as part of the College’s Knife Crime Awareness Week. Over the course of the two days we worked with 122 young people helping them to identify, understand and tackle some of the root causes of challenging behaviour and introduce to them alternative strategies of coping with violence. The programme marked our first at a College and in this month’s Khulisa Voice column, our Fundraising and Resources Assistant, Alex Bamgboye, shares reflections from this experience.
Being one of the newest members of staff at Khulisa, I was eager to get involved in any programme delivery opportunities. So when asked if I would like to attend the Uxbridge College Knife Crime Awareness taster, I jumped at the opportunity. In reflection, I think contributing to this movement for awareness at Uxbridge College and representing Khulisa’s values and visions was an important milestone in my current journey.
Three thoughts that came to mind from the experience are as follows:
1. Conflict is universal
Uxbridge College is one of the biggest colleges in London with hundreds of young people aged 16 years old and up. During this two-day taster session, we were able to engage with many young people in our first ever college programme. One striking collective thread during the two days spent there was the universal nature of conflict despite the differences in its manifestations. The programme opened discussion for personal experiences as well as giving young people an opportunity to gain more knowledge in managing conflict. It was comforting to see that relationships between students and staff were able to be strengthened through the different forms of conflict they all had experience. Often the pupils would be surprised to hear that their teachers had experienced violence. Something deemed negative, was able to unite the programme participants.
2. Young people have a lot to add to society
Once the topic was presented to the young people involved in the taster sessions and after a few icebreakers, opinions and thoughts were expressed right until the end of the session. It was very clear that young people are very aware of their environment and the community that surrounds them, and just want to be heard. Platforms that allow young people to be active agents of change in their community are therefore really important. Youth development must have young peoples voices at the centre of this change, because they do have something to say but just need to be listened to.
3. The importance of relatable youth workers
This experience at Uxbridge College highlighted the strength of the ‘Face It’ programme and the programme delivery staff. The passion of the staff created an inviting space to allow participants to feel free to discuss their inner most thoughts, without judgement. It demonstrated how relevant the programme is for young people in today’s society, as life can get so busy we rarely have non-judgemental spaces to discuss and reflect on our emotions, thoughts and behaviours.
Overall it was a great experience to see Khulisa’s impact first hand, and to witness young people being courageous with sharing their personal beliefs and hopes for themselves and for our community.