Today all of the YAVs in Belfast will begin working at their placements. I'll be at Woodvale working out the details of the year's work at the church. Usually I'll be at the 174 Trust on Wednesdays, but on Monday I was given the opportunity to go there in the late afternoon and get a taste of what I'll be doing and who I'll be working with. I think that afternoon is one I'll never forget.
Our group dropped me off and we waited at the Hammer, a recreation facility, for the group from the 174 Trust. When they pulled up in the green minibus we found that the Hammer was locked up, so I piled into the bus with them and we made our way to a park with a football pitch. I gave a quick introduction as we travelled to the park but found I was spending most my time trying to understand what this group of excited teens what shouting back and forth. I don't feel like I've had too much trouble understanding people so far but this was a whole new experience.
Once at the pitch we split into teams and played 6 on 6, using the whole field as requested by a few of the boys. I didn't score any goals. I didn't even put myself in position to take a shot. When I played goalkeeper I gave up a goal I shouldn't have as the wet ball slipped right through my hands. But I had a great time and was amazed at how the group seemed to include me almost immediately. Once we were back at the Trust and the boys were given an opportunity to ask me some questions and get to know me a little better, I think I found out why they're so welcoming and inclusive. The group prides itself on being cross-community. That is, the boys come from both Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. But at the Trust they come together to learn, to grow, and to talk about these differences.
After asking me a number of questions, including whether I am Catholic or Protestant (to which I replied Christian and made the boys eager for more conversation on that) and getting to know me a little more, the Trust's director, Bill, steered the conversation towards the value of the month. Each month the boys get to pick a value that becomes one of the topics for discussion that month. August's value was friendship and the discussions, from what I understand, centered around how the group and the last YAV had built a friendship. September's value will be respect.
After Monday's visit I'm extremely excited to begin work at the Trust tomorrow. I'll get to be out on the pitch again and see if I can get that elusive first goal. If nothing else, I'll just try not to make a fool of myself. But even if I do, I know that this experience will be a rewarding one.
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