See you later, Girl Gang!
/Hey everyone - Annie here!
It’s very strange to say that after almost 4 and a half years working for Canaan Project this is my last blog post. In September, I’ll be starting a new adventure in Havering as a Targeted Youth Co-ordinator (sounds very fancy doesn’t it!). Before I go, it felt only right to share some of the important lessons that I’ve learned at Canaan Project. I’ll try and keep it brief - here goes:
1: Try as we might, we can’t be good at everything - and that’s okay!
I’ve been given so much freedom to try new things at Canaan Project, and to learn where my strengths are as a youth worker. Thankfully (although I didn’t think it at the time!), I also learned where my weaknesses are too - and as hurt as my pride might have been at the time, it turns out that outdoor activities and Annie just don’t mix. That being said, it didn’t make me less of a youth worker when the girls raced ahead of me (or above me?) on the rock climbing wall when my knees were quaking at the bottom looking up. In the end, I tried to use this to my credit - when some of the girls didn’t want to climb, I’d give it a go again, and after seeing me step up and try, they were able to give it a go too.
2: Young people should be championed all the time - not just 9-5
This might sound strange to you office workers, but it turns out that youth work isn’t a 9-5 job, even if you do end up leaving on time. Youth and community work is something that demands more than just your time - it involves heart, creativity, your experiences and your desire to see change. There is nothing more frustrating than being in a room with people who don’t understand youth work - but just like my rock climbing endeavours, rather than being cross, it’s an opportunity to celebrate and share some stories about the amazing young women I’ve had the privilege of working with at Canaan Project. Whilst my audience might not understand after story-time, they do see passion and they do see why our work is needed: because young people - especially young women - are inherently valuable, and they deserve a chance to flourish.
3: Don’t stop learning - or listening
I’ve definitely got better at listening as I’ve got older, and part of that is down to the young women at Canaan Project. Girls Club offered a time and a space for me to share and to build relationship - but the bulk of building relationship is actually listening, understanding and wanting to know more. Some of the greatest life lessons I’ve learned are from the girls themselves - like how to be brave in the face of adversity, how sometimes stubbornness is your greatest asset, and that sometimes all a bad day needs to become a good one is making chocolate chip cookies (although I sense that eating them might help a bit, too).
I wish I could sum up in one post how life-changing my experience at Canaan Project has been, but instead, I’ll sum up with these words: Canaan Project’s vision is to see young women flourish, but Canaan Project has helped me flourish, too. Thank you to my colleagues, the Board of Trustees, our funders and supporters, our volunteers and Young Volunteers, partners and of course the shining stars themselves - the INCREDIBLE young women of Tower Hamlets. You’ve been a dream come true.
See you later, Girl Gang.
Annie x
