Advice please - helping troubled teenagers.

[Sailfree]

My wife is a therapist working with troubled youths.

This year we took her 14yr old nephew on a weeks sailing holiday (his first). Over the week we managed to stop him saying can't do that to thinking he might be able to if he tried.

Bribed him with an offer of taking him skiing if he tries harder at school. If the reports back are to be believed its made a big difference to him and he is now coming skiing with us (being cynical we may be being conned by his parents that are feeding us the reports!!).

Wife now thinks we should put more back into society and take some of these troubled teenagers sailing for a weekend. There is an organisation in Southampton that arranges various trips/activities to help build up their self esteem and wife suggests we contact them as she could not take her patients.

Now I accept we need a healthy adult to youth supervision ratio, risk assessments etc and I would need to get myself approved by the police for working with children/youths but can others offer any further advice. Would I need public liability insurance. Obviously we would not be doing this for money and have not looked at whether we pay for all food for the weekend or whatever.

While I have bought up 3 of my own and we seemed always to have an extended family when their friends had problems I do have a concern over control of possibly very difficult youths in a potentially dangerous environment.

I am commercially endorsed YM but never actively worked as such and we have a charter coded boat that potentially sleeps 10. Added this as others may suggest its necessary.

Anyone with any experience of this out there?

 

[Kilter]

I work in a similar field. Insurance can be a bit of a minefield. We've used the Cirdan Trust with great success. They can arrange bursaries to help with the cost.

 

[Sailfree]

Thanks for quick reply and link.

I think I it may be good if I volunteered to help out on one of the trips with the trust first then I may have a better idea of what I don't know and how I may best go about it.

 

[Kilter]

Good idea and the trust would welcome that in my experience

 

[Cloona]

Having done years of youth work in London
I know that opportunities to expand horizons
and learn new skills can literally turn young
peoples lives around.

Young people in difficult/impossible situations
can suddenly realise there are alternatives
and possibilities and other ways
apart from the grim future they see
for themselves.

I personally would never take any youth
away without a clear understanding from
them of what was expected. I would not
bother with anyone who wasn't keen and
motivated - just offer the opportunity to
some-one else. Preparation of the
youngsters for the trip (getting their
heads in the right place) is vital.

Poverty alone deprives a lot of children
from opportunity and remember even
small expenses can be beyond the reach of
single parents on benefit.

Most important the kids will have to trust
you - and if you do not deliver they will let
you know. Do not promise them anything
you cannot deliver and make sure their
expectations are realistic and in line with
what they will acheive.

Make sure you have a good group dynamic
with clearly set targets and aims and make
sure you know what you will do should anyone
become unmanageable or threaten the
safety and enjoyment of others. And make
sure everyone else knows this as well -

You can open youngsters up and turn them
on to another way of life - all the very best -

 

[Hugh Foulis]

Sailfree, you are top, top man. I am chairman of youth rugby at our local club, we have circa 400 kids playing rugby but the reward for the coaching staff when you see a guy with difficulties at home or school turn around because of the friendship and discipline of rugby is fantastic. They get confidence, self worth etc., its brill to watch. I am a H&S professional (oxymoron I know) PM me if I can help with risk assessment or the like, lots of experience in the off-site activity area.

 

[Swagman]

Not advice but compliments and a degree of envy.
Good luck to you. Please pm me.
JOHN

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

And i'll reiterate John's and others comments....

You are obviously a very caring person Sailfree. We could do with more like you.

As an aside. Did anyone see the programme on BBC2 last night about the guy from LSO who was taking a group of kids from a deprived area in Hounslow, and creating a choir from a group of complete novices to take to the 'Choir Olympics' in China?
It absolutely delighted me to see how the kids blossomed under the opportunity, and boys and girls who might otherwise have had pretty low self esteem came to life in a wonderful way. Very inspirational stuff.

If Sailfree's efforts have even half the success of this activity, it will be a worthwhile effort.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

As another aside, suggest you PM Galadriel.... he does something similar every year, and may have some useful practical advice.

 

[tome]

Some experience, not all of it good. I founded the Meridian Trust back in 89 to take disadvantaged children sailing. Now the Meridian Trust Sailing Association

It all went terribly pear shaped for me. I even undertook a training course with W Sussex probation service as a volunteer, but was eventually voted off the Meridian commitee by other interests as the trust gained funding and I became surplus to requirements

In the end, I think it all probably worked for the best and the trust is now a well established entity with a number of boats

I would still get involved as it's incredibly rewarding to see disadvantaged kids working a boat as a team, but I'm very wary of involvement by social services etc

Go for it if you can, PM me if you like as some stuff is not for public consumption

 

[landaftaf]

unbelievable ...... you were simply disposed of by these gits in suits ........ I dispair /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[sighmoon]

This has been a long term ambition of a friend of mine (school teacher), and we half heartedly looked into doing it on my little tub. My boat's much smaller than yours and this created its own issues.

I wouldn't worry too much about very difficult youths, unless you plan on taking violent offenders, the biggest problem you're likely to face is low self esteem.

If you need one or two extra 'responsible adults' for a trip, PM me.

 

[tome]

Worse still as the main git is still around, but cannot say more without risking libel - much as I'd love to

 

[tome]

[ QUOTE ]
I do have a concern over control of possibly very difficult youths in a potentially dangerous environment

[/ QUOTE ]

I shared your concern but found them fine in the flesh. They do need a leader, but if you're confident/cocky they'll respond well. I have some fine memories of the rough gang as we bcame a crew and realised we had to work together.

I like to think they were taking the pi** when they started to call me 'Skip'

 

[Bajansailor]

The Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT, formerly known as the Sail Training Association) have had many years of experience re taking youngsters of all backgrounds to sea and transforming (usually, not always!) their lives.

Their Youth Development Manager (I think that is his official title) is a wonderful chap called Chas Cowell. You could try contacting him for some advice - their website is at http://www.tallships.org

 

[poter]

Yes I watched that programme, I was just amazed at how he brought on the kids to have self belief in their abilities to sing, in a couple of weeks. Just shows what caring & a willingness to reach out can do.

Sailfree just do it, you will get frustrated I am sure with all the legal crap & red tape, but the rewards at the end will outweigh anything the thought police can throw at you.

I just wish that the wealth of life experience exhibited on the forums could be used to help some of the deprived kids in some way, without all the bullshit that one has to go thru to get vetted.

The PC crowed and health & safety administrators have a lot to answer for IMHO.

poter.

 

[TheBoatman]

Roger
I applaud your sentiments and goals - best of luck with the project.

I don't want to throw any cold water about but /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

You spoke about who supplies the food etc.

I think you'll find that under MCA rules if you accept any payment, whether that be actual cash or someone other than you supplying food/drink etc then you are considered to be acting for "hire or reward" and as such operating a commercial vessel. Remember this isn't some friends agreeing to pay something towards the costs of a sailing trip - these are people (kids) that you don't really know and what's more kids that could conceivably give you some problems.

If that is the case then you've just dived into operating a "coded" boat with all the hassles that comes with it.

Anyway, like I said, I like the idea and hope you have some success with it.

Peter.

 

[Birdseye]

you would very definitely need liability insurance - the potential claim for a brain damaged youngster is horrendous. there is no point in doing your social conscience bit and ending up messing your own life through legal problems.

given the UK legal system and the predatory lawyers we have around, I wouldnt go near what you are intending to do. the chances of an accident might be small but the consequences should you have one are anything but.

 

[franky]

A while ago we were mooring up on the Pontoon opposite the Folly Inn (River Medina I.O.W.) the young male crew on the boat ahead all waited on the pontoon to take our line to help us in.
In conversation later with the skipper he told that at the start of the week his crew would have probably tried to steal the ropes.They were all on community service orders and he did this type of trip very regularly and he always sawa a marked change in attitude and behaviour among the participants.

 

[davierobb]

There are various sailing charities working under the OYT banner nationally, see link OYT. There is also a charity fairbridge who run a a tall ship Fairbridge. The ASTO website is also worth a look ASTO..

The OYT use volunteers to supplement full time crew, this is a great way to gain some experience in working with kids with issues. OYT Scotland offer their volunteer staff training in youth work.

Hope this helps, there is a huge difference between working with a relative on a one to one basis and a group of teenagers who's issues are not fully understood by you. The successes of the above charities are amazing and the knowledge they have is invaluable.

I’ve done a bit of sail training with OYT Scotland. I was a bit skeptical of how much they could achieve and the costs involved (I thought what they were trying to achieve was impossible). As a result of sailing with the OYT I am now 100% convinced that they offer a lot of kids a chance to change their life’s around. I deliberately did not use second chance as a lot of these kids have never had a first chance.