Yet another reason to be proud...

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There has been something that has stood out to me throughout this week in the various rehearsals I’ve directed, training I’ve facilitated and exchanges I’ve been part of.

The something on my mind is a quality that I think sets YTYT people apart from your average group of individuals.  You wouldn’t think this particular thing would be such a big deal, in that it’s something that you would imagine the majority of people would just have or just be but it sadly isn’t the case.

I often find myself in situations when I’m working with new or unfamiliar groups where I’m faced with a group of people so threatened or resentful about being in a learning environment that they are completely closed to learning.  They’ve often got locked into patterns of thought or behaviour in order to cope with a challenging world and the thought of reviewing those and adapting is too unnerving to even contemplate.  It’s such a shame because in the case of the particular group I trained this week it sets them at such a disadvantage. 

So, picture the scene 14 people in an organization I won’t mention the name of…all professionals, all doing very demanding jobs arriving for an afternoon of training.  The bitterness, resentment and defensiveness is almost tangible as it’s coming off at least two thirds of the people present in waves.  It’s a situation as a facilitator you’d really rather not be in.  Fast forward 3 and a half hours as the course is being wound up and the atmosphere’s very, very different, people are reflecting on how much they’ve learnt, how much they’ve enjoyed it and I’m feeling more than a little relieved.  I’m left with the thought that it’s such a pity they couldn’t have arrived with that openness, that I had to work so hard to get them to see that I’m on their side, that I don’t want to berate them for getting it wrong but to look for chances of making things better with them.

Now contrast that with a Yew Tree Youth Theatre session.  In every one I’ve been in this week there has been exactly the opposite outlook.  Almost every single person in the room has the most open and optimistic attitude about the session ahead…there is a sense that they are ready for any possibility and that there is nothing to be afraid of, even if at times stepping out of comfort zones is a distinct possibility.  In this arena I feel like I have the best job in the world and it’s the promise of this that means I anticipate YTYT sessions like they are a treat not a necessity…

I hope in reading this you recognise the importance of the way you all approach our work and in doing so make a promise to yourself to remain as open and ready for the possibilities as you are today…

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