DUN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN YOUTH-AT-RISK NETWORK, WORKSHOP SERIES - Community Action Network
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DUN LAOGHAIRE
RATHDOWN
YOUTH-AT-RISK NETWORK,
WORKSHOP SERIES
2017-2019
The Youth At-Risk Network Workshop Series, commenced in
May 2017, in Assembly Hall, DLR County Council, Marine road,
Dun Laoghaire. This first general workshop used World Café
methods and was followed up by four other workshops.
World Café methodology is a simple format for hosting
large group consultations and dialogue. It uses a café style
setting – small tables, paper table cloths, pens and
markers, and lots of tea/coffee, water, sweets etc. It
commences with a warm welcome with the host(s)
introducing the Café approach and guiding participants
through the process. It addresses well-prepared
questions at table discussions. Participants are rotated
through different tables and eventually the material is
harnessed through identifying key themes for further
elaboration. The material is used as per previously-agreed
purposes. Repeating the workshops with different themes
helps build a network and members’ ongoing dialogue.
WORKSHOP METHOD
The workshop method used in this series is a form of large group participation, and draws
from World Café. Basically, the method uses small conversations to build a shared, collective
picture of the issue at hand. In this workshop series, variations of the method were used, in
order to keep the workshops lively, interesting and informative. A summary of the fifth
workshop on the theme Youth Mental Health, which consisted two main exercises and a
response from two resource persons, is outlined here as an example of the method.
EXERCISE 1: WORDS & PHRASES
At pre-arranged café tables, participants were asked to think about young people and mental
health and identify words /phrases that came to mind. For this exercise, participants worked in
silence sharing a pen – writing their own words and associating these with the words of others.
This exercise was followed up with a table conversation and after this there was an
opportunity to move from table to table to view the words and phrases from each table. A
selection of these words & phrases are outlined under headings: Person, Worker & Context.
EXERCISE 2: HEART HEAD & HANDS
Using Head, Heart and Hands framework, participants, again working at café tables addressed
the following three questions:
HEART
• How do I feel when I am working with young people who have mental health issues?
HEAD
• What do I think when I am working with young people who have mental health issues?
HANDS
• What do I do when I am working with young people who have mental health issues?
The discussion was captured on posters which were displayed (see selection) and discussed.
Finally, the two key resource persons responded to the material on the posters with a Q & A.
WORDS & PHRASES Awareness
Resistance
Emotions
Depression
PERSON Sex, love & lack of love
Difficult to engage
Self medicating
Self harm
Substance misuse
Trauma / Suicide
Self-esteem Putting on brave face
Anger
Image / body image Coping mechanisms
Misunderstood
Pain / distress Vulnerability
Nothing to do
Eating disorders Withdrawal
Isolated / Lonely
Bullying Misunderstood
Anxiety
Stigma / Silence
Identity
Conflict
Sadness / shame
Positive mental health
WORKER
Knowing when things get worse
Who to turn to for extra help?
Knowledge, Skill
Access to PC & talk therapies
Timely access to right service
Conversations CONTEXT
Frustration
One good adult
Difficult to reach out Parenting / parents own problems
Anxieties – psychosis? Lack of parental support
Being under-resourced Inter-generational abuse
Waiting lists / under-resourced
What is societal view of mental health
Medication as a response
Sexualised language
Funding for therapy
Social media / Friends
Relationships
Teachers / SchoolSelf care / supervision
Fear of getting it wrong
Can’t switch off
Fear of getting it wrong
Under-resourced
Referral – where?
Job satisfaction
Helpless
HEART Overwhelmed / minefield
Boxed-in / apprehensive
Lost / need help
Re-assurance
Worried / frustrated Mindfulness
Empathy / sadness Inadequate training Concerned / worried
Empowering Guilty – fear of action / inaction Hopeful / resilience
Openness / trust
Who do I involve / tell?
HEAD Will my organization support me?
Don’t really know where to refer them
Should I call parents?
Can I help them? Am I able to link up with other agencies?
What will I do? Are there services / supports?
Is this person safe? Is there an adequate framework?
Can I assess risk? What are the policies / procedures?
What is the best approach? Am I equipped / qualified?
What are the limitations? Am I best for dealing with this?
Issues of confidentiality?
Build relationships, listen, manage silence
Show care and respect, be positive & patient
HANDS Be supportive / available
Respect / forward looking
Link with other agencies
Consider art / drama /
Solution focused approach
Positive / narrative therapy
De-brief / supervision
Self-careFIVE WORKSHOPS
1. Workshop 1: This workshop adopted a basic
World-Café approach. At café style tables
participants had a general discussion about the
most significant issues for young people at-risk,
followed by thematic discussions on how to work
together and collaborate on these issues.
Workshop 2 focused on youth engagement.
2.
Participants agreed key concerns about the
challenges of engaging with young people. Two
resource persons, with decades of youth outreach
experience, led a general discussion, contributing
insights and with a Q & A about their experience.
3.
Workshop 3: This workshop addressed the
challenge and contradictions with respect to
cannabis use, exploring dilemmas about cannabis’s
differentiated problematic and recreational status.
The workshop included a response from a leading
psychiatrist in youth addiction and mental health.
Workshop 4: This workshop, which had the 4.
benefit of two social media experts, explored field
worker concerns in relation to young people’s use
of social media, and also looking at the
opportunities presented by different platforms for
improving an engagement with vulnerable youth..
5..
Workshop 5 focused on Youth Mental Health with
attention to concerns for front-line personnel who
encounter challenging mental health issues with
young people and often without access to back-up
supports and services. Two youth mental health
experts responded to these participants’ concerns.DUN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN YOUTH-AT-RISK
NETWORK, WORKSHOP SERIES, 2017-2019
BACKGROUND
The Youth At-Risk Network emerged from consultations between Dublin & Dun Laoghaire Education and
Training Board (including Sports Partnership), DLR – Drug and Alcohol Task Force and Southside Partnership in
early 2017. A network operated some years previously and it was considered an opportune time to have it
revitalized, especially as there were a lot of new front-line personnel working in the field.
PROGRESS
It was decided that the Task Force and Southside Partnership would lead out on the initiative and Southside
Partnership agreed to draw from its training budget to support a series of five workshops. Each workshop
involved large-group participatory methods, including World-Café approach. CAN (Community Action
Network) was engaged to plan and lead these workshops (see workshop outline). Workshops had an average
attendance of 45 and 110 individual field personnel participated at least once. Participants, in addition to Task
Force and Southside Partnership, included personnel from over twenty-five agencies: Child and Family Services
(Barnardos, Carrs, Cottage Home, Exchange House, Extern, Mounttown NYP, Smylys), Community Addiction
Team, Family Resource Centres (Balally, Ballyogan, Hillview and Rosemount), GARDA, Holy Family School, HSE
(addiction, counselling and psychology), PRISM – DLR , St. John Of Gods, St Laurences School, Southside
Travellers, Túsla (social workers, family workers, after-care workers, and CYPSC), Youth Training (Dun
Laoghaire, Tivoli and Sportsreach) and Youthwork (Crosscare – both Dundrum and Dunlaoghaire).
PLANNING GROUP
An open-style Planning Group was established for each workshop, which in effect meant that workshop
participants could also contribute to the planning. In addition to personnel from the Task Force, Southside
Partnership and CAN, up to fifteen additional persons from other agencies participated in planning group.
OVERVIEW
In general, the workshop series was considered a success, with considerable positive feedback. At a
review/feedback session held during the last workshop participants identified the following key outcomes:
• Opportunity for front-line workers to meet and become familiar with other personnel and to learn about
their work and other services in the field.
• The workshop, café-style methods were appropriately used to create and facilitate a learning space and in
particular helped participants learn from each other in the field.
• The experience helped to generate ideas around collaborative practices in the future although it was
acknowledged this is still at an early stage of development.
There is considerable support for the network’s continuance and some interest in developing workshops
through (1) individual agency hosting, and (2) exploring topics such as sexual violence, the dark web, bullying and
worker well-being. Further information etc…………
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