Jack Chat - All Comments

re: Why did the Credit Crunch?

LINDA JACK — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:04:20 GMT

Hi Tim

Our training includes a session on psychology of money and a session on "essential and non essential" spending which begins to look at the values underpinning spending decisions. I absolutely agree re what we are up against, but I think youth work offers a great opportunity to begin to challenge young people about their passi ve consumerism and its impact on the wider world.

For more details about the free training if you are interested visit www.ypam.org

re: Why did the Credit Crunch?

Tim Davies — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:24:55 GMT

When we're up against very sophisticated advertising trying to convince young people to buy, buy, buy then getting to the behavioral change that is needed is a very very tough challenge.

How much does being 'advertising literate' come into the financial capability training you've been developing/delivering?

re: Multi-Culturalism - the Latest Moral Panic

Stephanie Robertson — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:42:43 GMT

I agree with the comment that our culture is very confused at the moment and I definitely think that a major part of the problem is the so called 'PC' ness that seems to be invading every corner of our lives at the moment. For example, the way in which some organisations play down Christmas, for fear of offending people of other religions, when in reality, a large number of non-Christians celebrate Christmas - maybe not as a religious festival but as a celebration that draws us all together. I had loads of conversations with Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs throughout December - about the bargain Turkey they'd bought, or about the nightmare of having family round, or about what to buy the kids. Unfortunately, 'PC' ness is replacing any real understanding of different cultures and papering over the cracks, helping to fuel ignorance and racism however well intentioned it may be. Sadly too, I think the debate is getting polarised between the fear of terrorism etc and extreme 'PC' ness, making it very hard for the rational majority to have a voice. At the end of the day, there's good and bad in every culture and until we can discuss the positives and negatives of our multicultural world without fear of being branded islamaphobic for instance, it's hard to see how society is going to change.

re: Multi-Culturalism - the Latest Moral Panic

Mike Amos-Simpson — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:32:12 GMT

Thats terrible about Estate Agents - would have loved to seen their faces!

I think 'multicultiralism', 'tolerance', 'diversity' are all things that everyone has different takes on. The discrimination experienced by mixed race couples perhaps isn't too surprising - but I had very similar issues when marrying a catholic and a very interesting chat with the local vicar about the contract I had to sign promising to bring up my children as Catholics (which I won't they can choose themselves whatever the paperwork said!).

Something I think that doesn't get discussed much is the evolving 'British' culture. I think often people are afraid to talk about being British or particularly English as often its now perceived negatively, and people are very confused about 'political correctness'. In turn I think this weakens British Culture - our efforts to accommodate and respect the values of others perhaps confuse where we stand with our own values and beliefs.

If so it must make it very difficult to come from a strong cultural background and to then 'integrate' into a confused one!

re: The Poverty Trap.............what future for our children?

Mike Amos-Simpson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:21:56 GMT

This seems like a muddled argument to me - children do have access to a good quality education (at least comparative to other countries) - if you're argument is that poorer children do not enjoy school as much as better off children, why is this?

No doubt at all that poor housing and environment makes it more difficult to learn & study - but surely then the issue is primarily to do with those circumstances - not the school?

I think another overlooked factor is the value on which childrens parents place on obtaining an education. If the parents don't feel getting an education is important or had a bad experience of the education system themselves won't this also have a very big influence on the childrens attitudes to school?

Yes the school curriculum should be continuously improved and updated and I think that those in the formal system can take some learning from the informal sector (and seek to work more closely with them) - but the emphasis should be on doing this first and then youth workers seeking to support young people to succeed in education - not the other way round.

re: Using Sledgehammers to Crack Nuts............

Mike Amos-Simpson — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:24:36 GMT

I think Rob is correct although I think theres more to it than just scarcity - I think that society and particularly parents put a higher value on their childrens education in developing countries because they see it as a serious solution to getting out of poverty.

In the UK I don't think this is the case - 'poverty' here isn't comparable to the third world, and I think there are now generations of people who have had bad experiences with the school system or simply didn't appreciate it for whatever reason and so this has a knock on effect on those peoples children today and the comparative lack of value placed on education.

We've just come back from working with children in Malawi and I wasn't alone in feeling ashamed at how much I'd taken for granted my own education. All of the children we spoke with had ambitions to become teachers, accountants, lawyers etc. - only primary education is free over there and as nearly all of the children we worked with were orphans their prospects of going to school are extremely unlikely. We're going to try and support a small number by raising funds to cover their school fees & related costs but thats a very small pebble.

I also agree with Tony - I think the problem there is that its such a huge undertaking to put in the massive reforms needed (and that would probably include a backlash from teaching unions) - but I don't think the current curriculum is the best way to prepare children for modern society. Society and the skills now needed to work in society are advancing and changing so quickly but the main school curriculum still seems to be based on requirements from a past age. Knowledge is cheap and easy to acquire now - what young people need are skills in how to learn quickly, how to adapt, how to keep up with change and to be flexible. I agree too that there needs to be much more emphasis on social awareness - I don't think the citizenship element yet goes anywhere near far enough and isn't yet high enough on the priority list.

I do think though that youth work has a responsibility to support young people back into mainstream education (if they're not), or to help them get the most from it. This isn't easy though if people don't have faith in that system - I think any future 'overhaul' would need to seek to integrate youth work and informal education towards an overall system working together (now who's speaking of utopianism?!)

re: Using Sledgehammers to Crack Nuts............

LINDA JACK — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 22:05:04 GMT

Tony,

I totally agree with you. It is a real struggle and maybe we need a coalition of educationalists, whether approaching this from political positions or not, to lobby for such an overhaul.

re: Using Sledgehammers to Crack Nuts............

Tony Taylor — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:59:45 GMT

My tendency to verbosity means I make heavy weather of contributing in a succinct way to exchanges like this one, but I can but try!

- I think it's worth stressing that there is a liberal and working class tradition in this country that has a different attitude towards and places a different value on education. For this tradition, education is a perpetual, holistic engagement with all aspects of being a social individual and not just a passport to the labour market. It is a creative, unpredictable process without guarantees. This way of viewing education has been under a relentless attack for at least the last 30 years.

-As for a complete overhaul of the education system this is spot on. But how could this possibly take place without a radical transformation of society itself, without a revolutionary shift in the values, norms and organisations to which we adhere? Of course to say this is to be accused of naivete, romanticism and utopianism, as if folk like me haven't got a clue what being pragmatic means. The dilemma is that if educators do not have a vision and a commitment to a world based on social need and not private and corporate greed, what are their chances of resisting the 'generalised conformity' that pervades certainly contemporary Western society?

re: Using Sledgehammers to Crack Nuts............

LINDA JACK — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:47:25 GMT

Rob

I think that there is probably a different attitude and value put on education where it is scarce and precious. That applies to most things. But I also think that our education system could do with a complete overhaul so that it meets the needs of all children.

re: Using Sledgehammers to Crack Nuts............

Tom Lloyd — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:01:45 GMT

The government has published its Education and Skills Bill today, which will allow it to implement these reforms. While few could argue with the idea of giving more educational choice to young people, the idea of compulsion does seem a bit extreme.

In fact, I wonder if they are backing away from this element. Beverley Hughes was asked yesterday in Parliament how many young people she thought might end up in prison for not paying fines for truancy. The answer was none.

re: Using Sledgehammers to Crack Nuts............

Rob Quinn — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:58:58 GMT

Great blog Linda. At popular complaint about schoolchildren/ young people in the UK is that in comparison young people in developing countries are always keen to go to school? Is this because it is not as widely avaliable, or is it that if there was enough supply to meet demand, the same would happen elsewhere.