15 Nov There is no silver bullet to share when working with young people.

Not in education,on the street or in the home. Unfortunately, lines of communication (connection) constantly fail for any number of reasons.

There are however some “rules” by which connections are more likely to be made and the desired “result” achieved and they all stem from an adults ability to authentically communicate.

When engaging with young people you need to have credibility-instantly.Said currency offers a minute or maybe two of attention where the game (of interest and attention) is won or lost. And speaking with young people is a game-particularly in schools where there are so many constraints. Thus to think you can step in front of an audience and start sharing a resilence program or motivational speech without creating an atmosphere and relationship is a mistake and one that can never be recovered.Sure your program can be delivered but did it actually connect,promote thought or make any sort of meaningful difference? Or worse still did it just tick a box?

I hang my hat on my ability to own the first one or two minutes of my ‘work’ with young people after which I share the space and the experience. We all have stories and experiences worth sharing. They provide exposure,education and bring us closer together.