Conceptualising of Workshops and Meetings with Gracehaven Home
Conceptualising of Workshops Prior to Meeting on 27th September
Our group leader, Clara, had been in communication with Janice, a programme executive, at Gracehaven Home, about our goals and how we can value-add to the organisation, through email. We were glad that Janice had set up a meeting with us as we realised constant back and forth through email did not give us the freedom to directly have a conversation about what the organization needed and expected of us. Between the time that the organization took to reply and how our ideas were changing and expanding, it proved to be a challenge for us to confirm the details of our workshop with the organization. Prior to the meeting with Janice, we came up with and conceptualised a draft for the chosen focus of our workshops, Anger Management Skills. We came up with sample sessions plans, in which the team sourced for various games that we could incorporate into the sessions to make it more engaging for the youth. We decided on tackling how to identify various feelings and how to understand feelings of anger in the first session. Based on what we had been told by the organization, we felt that the residents would benefit from understanding how to firstly, recognise their feelings, more specifically anger and understand that anger can be shown and acted out in various ways. By being more self aware and understanding their own emotions, they would be better able to react in healthier ways when feeling angry, for instance. For the second session, we felt that the focus should be empathy and taking on the perspective of others as well as learning healthy ways to cope with their anger. Upon understanding how their peers as well as facilitators react differently to anger, they will be able to recongize that anger is subjective. They will also gain an understanding of some healthy ways they can cope with their intense emotions. For the third and final session, we wanted to focus on team-building skills as well as social skills with the residents. We hoped that they will be able to see the importance of working together and being aware of each others' feelings.
Meeting on the 27th September
We met up with Janice on the 27th of September at Gracehaven Home. Since some of us had not much background knowledge on Gracehaven home and the youth who stay in the home, she explained to us how the youth are admitted into the home and why they are admitted in the first place. I had no prior knowledge or concept about youth-at-risk and I was intrigued to know that there were two types of cases admitted to Gracehaven; Beyond Parental Control and Child Protective Order cases. Many of the youth have been involved in unsafe activities or have been victims of abuse from their family and hence, the home provides a safe and controlled environment for the youth to develop in. As Janice was explaining to us how the youth are sent to the home, it occured to me how I have taken my upbringing and my rather happy and carefree childhood for granted. Many of these youth are in such situations because they never had a stable home environment in which they felt supported for who they are and cared for. That has led them to look for validation in external places and people, which has many a time proven to be detrimental to their well being and future. Janice also helped us to understand the types of youth we would be working with and told us that the males were more prone to showing physical aggression when triggered or angry. She had told us about a resident who broke the TV out of anger, which really shocked me, as I often do not get angry. It made me understand why such teens needed their brain to be rewired in terms of finding healthier ways to manage their temper. She also shared with us that unlike the boys, the girls are more prone to verbal abuse and bully their peers when angered. Talking about how the youths manage their emotions made me reflect back on how I deal with my emotions and if there was such a thing called a 'right' way of managing how we feel. It is precisely because emotions are a whole spectrum that makes it hard to determine how to manage them. For these youths, I realized that they have not been taught to handle their intense emotions healthily and it was vital that they learn how to do so as it could really save them a lifetime of trouble with the law, in the worst cases. Janice then highlighted that Gracehaven home is a step lower and more lenient than the Boys' and Girls' Homes, which are much stricter in nature. The home provides a rehabilitative setting for the youth, some of whom who have gotten in trouble with the law. If they get better and prove themselves, they will be let out back to their homes. Similarly, those whose family have abused them, seek refuge in the home till a better alternative is found. We then spoke about how the sessions will be split according to gender and age group, so it would be easier for us to manage them.
Meeting on the 4th of October
During our second meeting with the organization, we met with Suzie, another staff at the home as well as Janice. The purpose of this meeting was to firm up details regarding the dates of the sessions and how the residents were to be spilt up. We decided on working with one age group, the 10-14 year olds as per suggested by the staff, who felt that the younger ones whom they had highlighted for the workshop needed more attention. I felt that most importantly, the staff gave us a list of do's and don'ts, which I found helpful as many of us had no experience working with youth-at-risk. One of the things that really struck me was the fact that they kept reiterating that we should not ask the residents why they are in the home. They told us that one volunteer had asked one of the youth why they had been placed in the home, which really angered her. It is important to be aware of what you talk to the youths about and the topics that you engage them about as some of them can get upset easily. They also advised us on what to do if a resident overshares and how we can manage the situation. This made me think about how I had to balance being friendly and also not letting them overstep boundaries to make it safe for everyone. Reflecting on myself and my personality, I tend to have very few boundaries in place and often, that creates a path for people to push me around as I am too timid to stand up for myself. I felt that working with the youth will allow me to be more mindful on what is healthy emotional distance as I tend to get too attached to people easily. It will also serve as a training ground for me to not get too caught up in others' issue and focus on the job in front of me.
Our group leader, Clara, had been in communication with Janice, a programme executive, at Gracehaven Home, about our goals and how we can value-add to the organisation, through email. We were glad that Janice had set up a meeting with us as we realised constant back and forth through email did not give us the freedom to directly have a conversation about what the organization needed and expected of us. Between the time that the organization took to reply and how our ideas were changing and expanding, it proved to be a challenge for us to confirm the details of our workshop with the organization. Prior to the meeting with Janice, we came up with and conceptualised a draft for the chosen focus of our workshops, Anger Management Skills. We came up with sample sessions plans, in which the team sourced for various games that we could incorporate into the sessions to make it more engaging for the youth. We decided on tackling how to identify various feelings and how to understand feelings of anger in the first session. Based on what we had been told by the organization, we felt that the residents would benefit from understanding how to firstly, recognise their feelings, more specifically anger and understand that anger can be shown and acted out in various ways. By being more self aware and understanding their own emotions, they would be better able to react in healthier ways when feeling angry, for instance. For the second session, we felt that the focus should be empathy and taking on the perspective of others as well as learning healthy ways to cope with their anger. Upon understanding how their peers as well as facilitators react differently to anger, they will be able to recongize that anger is subjective. They will also gain an understanding of some healthy ways they can cope with their intense emotions. For the third and final session, we wanted to focus on team-building skills as well as social skills with the residents. We hoped that they will be able to see the importance of working together and being aware of each others' feelings.
Meeting on the 27th September
We met up with Janice on the 27th of September at Gracehaven Home. Since some of us had not much background knowledge on Gracehaven home and the youth who stay in the home, she explained to us how the youth are admitted into the home and why they are admitted in the first place. I had no prior knowledge or concept about youth-at-risk and I was intrigued to know that there were two types of cases admitted to Gracehaven; Beyond Parental Control and Child Protective Order cases. Many of the youth have been involved in unsafe activities or have been victims of abuse from their family and hence, the home provides a safe and controlled environment for the youth to develop in. As Janice was explaining to us how the youth are sent to the home, it occured to me how I have taken my upbringing and my rather happy and carefree childhood for granted. Many of these youth are in such situations because they never had a stable home environment in which they felt supported for who they are and cared for. That has led them to look for validation in external places and people, which has many a time proven to be detrimental to their well being and future. Janice also helped us to understand the types of youth we would be working with and told us that the males were more prone to showing physical aggression when triggered or angry. She had told us about a resident who broke the TV out of anger, which really shocked me, as I often do not get angry. It made me understand why such teens needed their brain to be rewired in terms of finding healthier ways to manage their temper. She also shared with us that unlike the boys, the girls are more prone to verbal abuse and bully their peers when angered. Talking about how the youths manage their emotions made me reflect back on how I deal with my emotions and if there was such a thing called a 'right' way of managing how we feel. It is precisely because emotions are a whole spectrum that makes it hard to determine how to manage them. For these youths, I realized that they have not been taught to handle their intense emotions healthily and it was vital that they learn how to do so as it could really save them a lifetime of trouble with the law, in the worst cases. Janice then highlighted that Gracehaven home is a step lower and more lenient than the Boys' and Girls' Homes, which are much stricter in nature. The home provides a rehabilitative setting for the youth, some of whom who have gotten in trouble with the law. If they get better and prove themselves, they will be let out back to their homes. Similarly, those whose family have abused them, seek refuge in the home till a better alternative is found. We then spoke about how the sessions will be split according to gender and age group, so it would be easier for us to manage them.
Meeting on the 4th of October
During our second meeting with the organization, we met with Suzie, another staff at the home as well as Janice. The purpose of this meeting was to firm up details regarding the dates of the sessions and how the residents were to be spilt up. We decided on working with one age group, the 10-14 year olds as per suggested by the staff, who felt that the younger ones whom they had highlighted for the workshop needed more attention. I felt that most importantly, the staff gave us a list of do's and don'ts, which I found helpful as many of us had no experience working with youth-at-risk. One of the things that really struck me was the fact that they kept reiterating that we should not ask the residents why they are in the home. They told us that one volunteer had asked one of the youth why they had been placed in the home, which really angered her. It is important to be aware of what you talk to the youths about and the topics that you engage them about as some of them can get upset easily. They also advised us on what to do if a resident overshares and how we can manage the situation. This made me think about how I had to balance being friendly and also not letting them overstep boundaries to make it safe for everyone. Reflecting on myself and my personality, I tend to have very few boundaries in place and often, that creates a path for people to push me around as I am too timid to stand up for myself. I felt that working with the youth will allow me to be more mindful on what is healthy emotional distance as I tend to get too attached to people easily. It will also serve as a training ground for me to not get too caught up in others' issue and focus on the job in front of me.
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