Videos to help you engage with young people.
This series of videos is a subset of the Engaging Young People – 30 videos course, aimed specifically for those working with Individuals to give you activities you can use to engage with young people, connect with them and build a relationship They are conversational and interactive activities so that, together, you can then begin to discuss matters that are important to your young person.
I invite you to take a look at these strategies, and to share your experiences either with other members of this site or just with me if you prefer, and let me know if the videos and the activities are helpful to you. Go well!
Lessons
Video 1: Hold That Thought! (Working with Individuals)
An interactive strategy to connect with a young person, when you are having an individual conversation.
Video 3: I Think You Think… (Working with Individuals)
A beaut activity to use when you are talking with a young person, AND someone else.
Video 4: Two Envelopes (Working with Individuals)
Two envelopes, one with ‘easy’ questions and one with ‘hard’.
Video 5: How ya doin’? (Working with Individuals)
A strategy, or really..more an idea, if the young person you are going to be talking with has been around the system for some time…and/or is grumpy about being here, maybe doesn’t want to talk with you…
Video 6: Park it and Talk (Working with Individuals)
An activity when you need to have a tricky-sensitive chat with a young person. It suggests that you ‘park’ what you need to talk about, and spend a few minutes getting to know each other – that is, building a relationship so that you are able to have the important chat.
Video 7: Alert… Advise… (Working with individuals)
This strategy suggests that before you tackle a ‘difficult’ topic, you consult the young person you are going to be talking with, and get some advice as to how to tackle this subject, and what to do if it becomes hard for the young person.
Video 9: Willing and Able (Working with individuals)
An interesting activity for the right person – kind of creative and a bit unusual…and really helpful when a third person is present.
Video 10: I Noticed (Working with Individuals)
An intimate activity where you ask a young person if they would like to hear what it is that you have noticed about them.
Video 11: I See The World (Working with Individuals)
This is an exercise in the development of curiosity, empathy and compassion. An extremely versatile activity you can use in a classroom, a counselling room or walking down the street. It invites a young person to wonder about ‘the passing parade’ of people; who they are as people, where they might have come from, and the circumstances of their life.
Video 12: The World Sees Me (Working with Individuals)
An activity that encourages a young person to think about the tricky balance of being true to their feelings and embracing these, while being mindful of what they are projecting to the world around them, and the impact this will have on how the world will respond to them. A physical activity, both playful and serious.
Video 13: A Week in Words (Working with Individuals)
‘A week in words’ offers a young person a way of reviewing their week by choosing from a list, a number of words that best describes that week, and then… Read More »Video 13: A Week in Words (Working with Individuals)
Video 14: Yes, No, Still Thinkin’… (Working with Individuals)
A great activity for individuals or groups. The example here is of a group of boys saying where they are in response to the question: ‘Do you want to stay at school?’ With three possible responses: Yes. No. Still thinking about it…
Video 15: Hopes and Dreams (Working with individuals)
This activity asks a young person to explore their hopes and dreams…a ‘hope’ being a sort of : ‘Gee, I hope this happens…’ and a ‘dream’ having a bit more… Read More »Video 15: Hopes and Dreams (Working with individuals)
Video 16: Look See Notice Say (Working with Individuals)
This is a reminder to be aware of what we respond to and how we respond in our work with young people.
Video 17: Would You Rather… (Working with Individuals)
‘Would you rather…’ makes use of childhood playfulness to ask a young person if they would prefer to travel through a pit of scorpions? A pit of spiders? Or a pit of snakes?
Video 18: Life is… (Working with Individuals)
This activity, ‘Life is…’, asks a young person to respond to four questions/statements about four elements essential to wellbeing: belonging and connection, sense of self, relationships and a sense of… Read More »Video 18: Life is… (Working with Individuals)
Video 19: Inside – Outside (Working with Individuals)
‘Inside-outside’ looks at the internal and external resources that a young person has available to them to manage the hardships of life; their own talents, qualities and skills; plus what… Read More »Video 19: Inside – Outside (Working with Individuals)
Video 20: Symbols (Working with Individuals)
‘Symbols’ is a powerful activity, which, while embracing the ideas offered in the previous video ‘Inside-outside’ of asking a young person to identify their internal and external resources to manage… Read More »Video 20: Symbols (Working with Individuals)
Video 22: Three Words (Working with Individuals)
A really good activity for families or where a third person is present. Asking each person to describe themselves and each other…and then do some comparing…can be very powerful.
Video 23: Snippets (Working with Individuals)
An activity of imagination. As playful or as serious as you would like it to be. ‘Snippets’ are snatches of conversation overheard while jogging. ‘How would you finish this sentence?’… Read More »Video 23: Snippets (Working with Individuals)
Video 24: Right Now, I Need… (Working with Individuals)
This activity asks a young person, playfully at first, what they need right now? And moves naturally into a more serious conversation about what they might need as a person,… Read More »Video 24: Right Now, I Need… (Working with Individuals)
Video 25: The Best You (Working with Individuals)
Imagine overhearing a conversation about…er…you! What would you hope to hear? And if it was someone you had just met, what sort of impression would you hope you made? And… Read More »Video 25: The Best You (Working with Individuals)
Video 26: Frames (Working with Individuals)
‘Frames’ shows footage of a real – life conversation with Dylan; and demonstrates how a Frame, which contains and focusses a conversation, can, if used creatively and carefully, result in… Read More »Video 26: Frames (Working with Individuals)
Video 27: If I Asked Your Friend… (Working with Individuals)
Imagine if I asked your good friend about you? What would they say? If I asked them if you were fun…what would they say? Loyal? Reliable? A good listener? Our… Read More »Video 27: If I Asked Your Friend… (Working with Individuals)
Video 28: Four Questions (Working with Individuals)
‘Four questions’ is by far the longest video I have posted, but it seemed to need it, so I hope it works for you. It’s an activity about deeper engagement.… Read More »Video 28: Four Questions (Working with Individuals)
Video 29: Going Away (Working with Individuals)
Imagine that you are going away? Grab a bag, pack it…with what? And what if you are going away for a long time? What about if you might never come… Read More »Video 29: Going Away (Working with Individuals)
Video 30: Straight Ahead, Or… (Working with Individuals)
This final video of the 30, explores an idea or an approach…which asks you to make a decision as to how you might start to help a young person engage… Read More »Video 30: Straight Ahead, Or… (Working with Individuals)