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Youth Work - Techniques Section: Active Listening
Youth Worker: What do we think of the wider sense of sectarianism as a whole, as in wider than just the west of Scotland?
Male youth: I think it’s just like escapism, actually.
Narrator: Active listening is a structured form of listening and responding that focuses the attention on the person who speaks. The youth worker listens, and does not have to agree or disagree, but can simply repeat or paraphrase what has just been said. This endorses what the young person is saying without receiving any judgements from the youth worker. Where possible, sitting in a circle creates an inclusive feel. The youth worker should be part of this circle as this shows their participation in the activity.
Controlled Environment
Zee Suleyman: Can I just ask you a bit about the language? I mean, what kind of language do people use?
Male youth: [unclear-00:01:16]
Zee Suleyman: It’s a controlled environment.
Male youth: It’s a controlled environment, so [unclear-00:01:19] ...
Male youth: [unclear-00:01:16]
Male youth: ... within reason.
Narrator: A controlled environment is a space where young people feel safe and secure to express their views openly without prejudice. What is discussed in the space must always remain within the space, therefore trust is a fundamental part to this work. Having a facilitator that gives clear guidelines and who is open to all comments is a must when developing this work.
Female youth: To be honest, I was quite sectarian until I done quite a lot of the workshops with the Tullocchan Trust, and I realised that saying bigoted comments to people, it really isn’t worth your while, because at the end of the day it’s not very nice, and I think I’ve had that kind of view because I come from a protestant family and I think quite a lot of peoples’ families make the difference to the way people act today because if families didn’t have a view on it, then I think quite a lot of younger people just now would choose their own view and would probably choose a positive view if no one really put a thought into their head, I suppose.
[End of Recording]
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