Global Youth Work
At Port Talbot YMCA we believe it is important to encourage young people to become aware of the world around us. Sometimes having this awareness brings us into the world of Poverty, Child Labour and Slavery.
OUR YOUNGSTERS WORKING FOR FOOD
During August 2010, young people from Port Talbot, Llandovery and Bridgend YMCA's joined forces to participate in working for food.
We all met up in a field, with no water supply, not toilet facilities and not an electrical socket in sight. Here, our young people had to carry all their equipment to the makeshift settlement where they had to construct a shelter, collect their own water and live off the food supply they were given. They also had to work for their food and any extra's. This work simulated the type of work associated with Child Labour and within Poverty areas of the world.
Despite maintain the UK health and Safety Standards we were able to simulate a number of curtain aspects of Child Labour and Poverty. Although this exercise was our first, we have since developed it further for our next one.
Our aim is for our young people to give thought and look at things from a different perspective. This is what this exercise does with our people who took part making the following comments:
We carried every thing up the hill, it took us a few hours, then we had to collect our water. When we stopped to drink, I can honestly say, it was the best water I ever tasted. I earned it and worked for it.
We had to collect our own water, from a muddy puddle left by the rain. We carried it up the hill then made it clean. It was amazing how you have to deal with getting your own water. At home you don't think about it, you just turn the tap on.
I was surprised how we managed to make meals out of rice, two peppers and a carrot. We also had a couple of apples and banana's. I thought how can we survive on this, but we did. We cooked on a portable gas cooker, and I thought we are still privilege.
When you are hungry you will eat anything, not being picky is not a choice. But when hungry I found myself being full. The food we cooked was not wasted and we were able to put aside some for our next meal.
One important lesson I learnt was to look after things. We didn't on the first night and found our water buckets had holes in them. What a lesson to learn. Water becomes so important and looking after the stuff you collect it, is as important. We had to learn how to repair them as we had no shops to go to, to buy a new one.
Did I miss my mobile, laptop, ipod, silly question, of course I did. But what i did learn is how much effort goes into making these things from recycled metals. But now i won't miss them.
The evenings around the camp fire gave a sense of community, although it got cold what we did was talk about the things we have and how much we don't miss them. So life is different, but it doesn't mean you are sad. I most probably had more communication with others for such a long time.