Introduction to Youth Work

Working with young people, their Whānau, families and the community is an honourable and privileged vocation to pursue. Regardless of where you or your ancestors have come from, it is important to appreciate and respect the cultural and social aspirations of Māori, Pasifika peoples and other communities and uphold and honour the history of Māori as tangata whenua.

Article 31 of The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (defined as ‘every human being below the age of eighteen years’) asserts the right of the child ‘to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts’ and advocates that parties to the Convention should:

Watch the following video to hear Rage Minihinnick’s story, how hope changed his life and how community advocate Denis O'Reilly has inspired him to become a youth worker.

Self-care

To help others, you must also help yourself. Good mental wellbeing goes beyond just feeling happy every day. You should also be able to thrive and realise your potential. If you keep yourself physically healthy, your mental wellbeing will improve as well, but it also takes more than that. The three aspects of mental wellbeing that you can manage are:

• connections with others
• mindfulness
• purposeful activities.

It is important to look after your mind, body and wairua by implementing and sustaining self-care strategies.

Hauora

Hauora is a Māori philosophy of health unique to New Zealand. It comprises of taha tinana, taha hinengaro, taha whanau, and taha wairua.

1. Taha whanau: Social well-being

   Family relationships, friendships, and other interpersonal relationships; feelings of belonging, compassion, and caring; and social support.

2. Taha hinengaro: Mental and emotional well-being

   Coherent thinking processes, acknowledging and expressing thoughts and feelings and responding constructively.

3. Taha wairua: Spiritual well-being

   The values and beliefs that determine the way people live, the search for meaning and purpose in life, and personal identity and self-awareness (For some individuals and communities, spiritual well- being is linked to a particular religion; for others, it is not).

4. Taha tinana: Physical well-being

   The physical body, its growth, development, and ability to move, and ways of caring for it.

   Each of these four dimensions of hauora influences and supports the others.¹

Work-life Balance

Purposeful activities can be your work, a hobby, volunteer opportunities or anything else that gives you a sense of purpose.

Work is one important source of purpose. Going to work can improve your self-esteem, establish social connections, enhance your financial security and allow you to contribute to society.

Being in an environment that challenges you allows you to feel accomplished when you get through all the hurdles. Your actual responsibilities and activities depend on what your job is, but it is important to maintain a work-life balance as well.

Perfect work-life balance is difficult to achieve, so it is up to you to decide which aspects you need to focus on more. There are times when you may need to focus more on earning money instead of spending time on your non-work interests.

There are also times when you need to be with your family more than you need to be at work. Both situations are fine as long as you do not overdo it. Regardless of what you need, try to maintain the boundary between your work and personal life.

Emotional resilience is associated with the ability to regulate or calm your mind after experiencing challenging circumstances. Those equipped with emotional resilience, are able to use this as a means of overcoming adversity and develop intrinsic motivation. Emotional resilience is a trait that is often developed over time. An individual’s emotional resilience can be affected by many circumstances and it is these circumstances that determine coping ability and the drive to move forward.

In a technologically evolving world and one in which social media is of high influence, it is no wonder many of us feel emotionally drained at the prospect of comparing ourselves to the glamour or success of others. It is important to understand, however, that being emotionally resilient is not about constant winning. It is what actions are taken in order to build strength and perseverance.

Emotional resilience, in many ways, ties closely with a high level of emotional intelligence.Individuals who can acknowledge and understand their feelings and what drives their motivation are likely to also view hardships as a temporary situation.

Emotional resilience coexists with the abilities in any of the following areas:

• self-belief
• self-compassion
• enhanced cognition.

Elements of emotional resilience

When closely observing emotional resilience, the foundations are presented in the three following elements.

1. Physical elements: Physical elements refer to physical factors including one’s strength, energy, health, and vitality.
2. Psychological elements: Psychological or mental elements include characteristics such as an individual’s adjustability, attention, and focus. It also refers to how one perceives themselves in regards to their self-esteem, self-confidence, emotional awareness and regulation, self-expression, thinking, and reasoning abilities.
3. Social elements: Social elements refer to the interactions and relationships whether it is work, partner, children, parents, friends and so on. It is also one’s presence in groups, and their likeability, ability to communicate, and level of co-operation².

Influences of emotional resilience

Just as there are elements of emotional resilience, there are also factors that influence how strong an individual’s level of resilience is. The following diagram³ demonstrates some of the factors which have an influence on one’s emotional resilience. Each of these factors is then explored in further detail.

As a strategy to ensure you implement and maintain self-care, you will be asked to develop a plan. Part of that plan includes keeping a journal. Throughout this programme you will engage in self-reflection and write regular journal entries. 

Research shows that keeping a journal can help you:

• Stretch your IQ
• Evoke mindfulness
• Achieve goals
• Develop emotional intelligence
• Boost memory and comprehension
• Strengthen your self-discipline
• Improve communication skills
• Heal emotionally, physically, and psychologically.
• Spark your creativity and
• Build self-confidence

To start you off, pick one of these questions and write down your answer. This is just for you to start your journey of self-discovery. There is no pressure to share your answer. Simply start writing with no judgement.

1. What makes you feel powerful?
2. What makes you feel calm?
3. What makes you feel in control?
4. How do you encourage yourself when you're trying something new?
5. What's a choice you can make this week based on your needs?
6. How do you shift your mindset if it isn't working for you?
7. How do you recharge?
8. How can you celebrate yourself today?
9. What helps you slow down and feel more present?
10. What can you do today that you didn’t think you could do a year ago?
11. What's a goal you want to accomplish and why?
12. How do you put yourself first without feeling guilty?
13. How do you practice self-acceptance?
14. How do you stay focused and steer clear of distractions?
15. How do you trust yourself to make big decisions?
16. How do you set boundaries and avoid absorbing someone else's emotions and stress?
17. How do you savor the time you get alone?
18. How do you notice when you're nearing burnout?
19. How do you share your feelings with the people who care about you?
20. How do you swap envy for joy when other people accomplish things?
21. How do you advocate for yourself?
22. How do you forgive yourself when you make a mistake?
23. How do you ask for help or support when you need it?⁴