My dream for guidance!

Until recently I thought this dream would stay a dream but my experiences in the last couple of weeks have made me realise some of the things I would like to see in guidance are infact already happening if you look closly enough. Some of the key things I would like to see are;-

More locally based all age guidance projects, based in easily accessible shop fronted premises or perhaps even based in community centre ,staffed by managers who still practise guidance themselves and where career advisors are not only office based but are involved in outreach work, both door to door and with their mobile office going into schools and more remote areas. A service where it isn't just about getting a job and someone ticking a box but where strong links and relationships can be made with members of the local community so that the service can better respond to peoples needs and where local people also have the opportunity to be involved in some way perhaps in mentoring or going into schools to talk about their work, perhaps having job blogs that young people can access to find out what different careers are really like. It would also be a service which took a holistic approach which didn't ignore the realities of people's social situation and barriers that they may face in working towards their goals be that work, paid or voluntary , education or further training. It would be a service where diversity in approaches to guidance was postively encouraged and good practice could be shared and lastly although I could say so many more things it would be a service that could prove it's worth not just by the use of statistic but by using peoples stories.

Knocking on doors, how does it feel?

This should have been included in my last post but I ran out of time, anyway just wanted to share a few thoughts from my experience knocking on doors with Community Regeneration, a project based in Craigmillar. The aim of the project is to help rebuild a sense of community in the area, not only that but to encourage local residents to become actively involved in improving their community, it also helps people with health issues and the process of moving back into employment . I spent the day knocking on doors with one of their Animators (curious title), who had a guidance background herself, we wanted to get peoples opinions of what they thought of the area, how they enjoyed living there, any changes they would like to see, also if there was any help we could give them with health issues or moving back into work. Of the doors we went to, some people were obviously in but didn't want to answer fair enough, others were out, and then we have the people that actually did invite us into their homes and of those I can honestly say that although I didn't always feel entirely comfortable, it was a great way to engage with people and to reach those that can be hard to reach for whatever reason . It was good for many reasons for example it opened up a dialogue that was on their terms, it was a gentle approach a conversation really, and skillfully led initially by the Animator , people were very open and full of good ideas of how they thought the community could be improved, achieveable improvements aswell and things that you could see the local community really getting behind. I learnt so much that day just knocking on doors, I can really see how that could be one of the ways forward in engaging those young people who are harder to reach.

Community Guidance in Craigmillar

My final placement was at Adult Learning Link in Craigmillar and for a number of reasons I was thoroughly looking forward to it, firstly as my background is in youth and community work so being based in smaller projects in the heart of a community is where I feel most at home , second Mark the guidance worker there had already been into speak to the class about his work and he turned out to be quite an inspiring and colourful character so I was looking forward to what I might learn and thirdly the chance to do some adult guidance great! It's quite a small team at ALL comprised of an Administrator, Community Education worker and Adult Guidance Worker, the office had a shop front was based on the main street and so easily visible and accessible to the residents of Craigmillar ,consequently business was booming as people could either just drop in or come in for prearranged appointments. ALL provides a range of services from careers advice, C.V writing, job serach skills, redundancy counselling plus many others. As you may know alot has been happening in Craigmillar over the past 10 years as it is the subject of mass regeneration, most of the old flats have been torn down or refurbished this has improved the area tremendously from a cosmetic perspective, as far as the local community goes to some extent it has become fragmented, many people were decanted out during the regeneration some returned once their houses were ready for reoccupation and some stayed away as they had built new lives elsewhere. I mention this as it quickly became clear from the people coming through our doors how this had effected the diversity of the local population, there was a much greater ethnic mix than I was expecting, people from Africa, Pakistan , Egypt, Poland to name but a few, also many others had been attracted into the area the new good affordable housing. This has had a considerable effect on shaping the services provided at ALL the local community has in effect molded the service consequently it is meeting that communities specific needs, that is one of the beauty of guidance based in the community, we are not just providing a branded homoginised service it becomes tailor made. The other thing that really impressed me was great local knowledge the workers at ALL had,they have a high profile in the community, have good relationships with the local people, basically they have their fingers on the pulse. How do they achieve this? I suppose quite simply they are very welcoming, they get to spend time with people and build relationships,often people will come for more than one visit, some people drop in on a weekly basis just to have a quick chat or odd querie cleared up. It really is part of that community, couldn't help thinking though how great it would be if they could open it up to the young people of Craigmillar, maybe incorporating some outreach work I wonder what would happen then?

Happenstance it's been happening all week!

It's been a great first week on placement in Craigmillar, as usual I've been speaking to lots of people, seen community guidance in action , visited several projects which my placement organisation works in partnership with and I've met a fair few of the good people of Criagmillar. So far so good, and what I've become very aware of this week is the power of happenstance , and the extent to which looking back I can see it influencing my career choices and opportunities.To me happenstance is really a mixture of opportunities bourne out of networking and chance meetings and this week because of it I have been able to reconnect with old colleagues, hear about potential job opportunites and gain some useful insight for my essay. It has also given rise to a few questions about the theory itself , and how it can be used in a guidance situation, as taking advantage of these opportuniites and seeking them out in the first place I think requires a level of confidence, assertiveness that many of the people we are working may not possess. So how do we help enable people to be more confident networkers and to take advantage of opportunities ? This is certainly something that I don't feel we can tackle alone and certainly where young people are concerned it's an issue for parents ,teachers, youth leaders also. Perhaps one of the ways we can can contribute is in career education with young people perhaps incorporating some of the kinds of things we look at within the confident futres team regaerding being effective communicators and things like presentation skills and actually talk about the value of networking and how that is useful not just in the world of work but in other areas of our lives also. There is a danger however with chance opportunitiesthat we get seduced by the proverbial red herring and rather like the bargains in a sale instead of choosing wisely we seize any opportuniites just because they are there and we can, but then again perhaps Krumboltz would say does this really matter is trial and and error such a bad thing isn't it the best plan just to be trying things out, taking risks and grasping those opportunities with both hands ?

Community, Involvement and Guidance

I really didn't buy in to the idea that through our work we are potentially "smashing communities". People are by and large much more mobile now than they once were and often this is to do with going where the work is, but not always, some of us just have a sense of adventure and like to explore. However just because you leave one community doesn't mean that you don't become part of another. I have travelled alot over the years, lived in several different countries, joined different communities and have been greatly enriched by that experience, don't get me wrong it hasn't always been easy but I see it as very much a positive. As we discussed in class there is an up and a down side to everything, communities can bring out the best in us when they are about including, pulling together and looking out for eachother and the worst when they are characterised by small mindedness, exclusivity and isolationism.
My background is in Community Education and nearly all the projects I have worked in over the years have grown from needs identified in particular communities and localities and from directly involving the people in those communities in their planning and development. Projects that are deeply rooted in the community and that are much needed are better equipt to withstand threats to funding and changes in goverment policy as communities feel that they own a particular service and will fight tooth and nail for it's suvival. I think this is something worthwhile to think about for the development of more community guidance. I would like to see less of an emphasis on delivering careers guidance in school, taking it away from those influences and associations. I think there are many young people who would engage with it much more readily if the people offering guidance had a better idea of their world and where they are coming from. Involving young people and other community members themselves in the setting up of small projects and services would be a good idea, meeting young people in their own homes or whereever they are hanging out, youth clubs, community centres etc . Having a real equitable dialogue with young people is so important and I think it can be difficult to achieve this in the school setting.

A Metaphor for Guidance

After the Centigrade interviews a wee metaphor popped into my head about guidance so in light of todays session I thought I'd share it. At secondary school I had a great Art teacher his name was Mr Loyd, he really inspired me and during the time I spent in his class he introduced me to a whole range of mediums and techniques to use in my artwork, but at no point did he ever produce my piece of artwork for me, no where near it , the finished piece was mine alone and I owned it!

Pause for thought on Centigrade

On Monday it was my turn for the Centigrade interviews. The expereience had quite a big impact on me and since then I've spent quite a bit of time reflecting on the whole thing, thinking about what I've learned both about myself and the guidance process. Apparently the interviews went well, the feedback was good and both students seemed to get something useful out of the experience, the question was how did I feel about the whole thing. The reality was that initially I wasn't quite so sure ,I felt it could all have been alot better. The pupils I saw were bright and articulate and I greatly admired their honesty and openess, for example the first young person I saw within minutes of sitting down may no bones about the fact that although it may sound shallow her number one motivating factor in choice of further study and future career was the potential to earn alot of money, as she was fairly materialistic. I was blown away by her honesty and the potential risk she may have seen herself taking in telling me this, I think it's something that perhaps many would not emphasis so boldly through fear of being judged in some way. I didn't find myself judging her but I did catch myself feeling a little sad that this played such a big part in influencing her thinking, but that was my stuff coming in, my values and life experience and I realised that. I told her that it was good that she has realised that financial rewards were very important to her but encouraged her to continue thinking about the other factors that were also important to her in a future career and this is where I would have loved to use the self characterisation exercise, instead we continued our discussions thrown up by the results of the Centigrade Report. I have to say though, the findings did trigger her to identify some of the other factors that would be important to her so I have to say although I didn't particularly enjoy using this type of tool in a guidance interview it seemed beneficial for this particular pupil.
The second interview was a complete contrast to the first, in that they didn't have any fixed ideas about what they wanted to do apart from knowing that they wanted to go to university and they wanted to study for a degree that would have good job prospects on completion. The Centigrade Report was useful for highlighting areas of interest that the person had never considered and I think it was quite a revelation to them,it really opened things up,he asked so many questions, I didn't know the answer to all of them ofcourse but we made a start and I'm sure he'll continue.
So what have I learnt from using this type of tool in guidance, I have to say I didn't particularly enjoy explaining lots of information it seemed a bit of a dry repetitive process which at times I felt got in the way of the guidance process, maybe though that was because of the focus I was giving it . There are ofcourse as we have experienced over the past few weeks many different tools we can use to help poeple move forward in their thinking and I think I have a preference for those that are more creative and encourage free thinking . Having said that I can't deny that the pupils I saw seemed to find Centigrade useful and worthwhile . What else have I learned? I've learned not to rush and I've learnt that silence is golden, that some of the best things happen in this space. I don't find this easy though, and I can feel the panick rising at times (especially when we're being assessed) but one of the best things I did on Monday was at times not say anything , just giving the person a space to think and take things in, and although I sometimes get the overwhelming urge to spout lots of premature advice or information I know I need to stop and ask myself for whose benefit am I doing this is it mine or the clients. Maybe just maybe I'm beginning to learn what guidance is all about .

PCP Is it a pyramid or is it a ladder?

How refreshing this lecture was, and what a great tool to use in our guidance work, it is a tool which potentially we could use in any setting and one which would travel well. I found the self characterisation exercise totally engaging and like the way it helped the client set the scene and the agenda. I find approaches like Careers Scotlands "career planning (one size fits all )journey" so uninspiring, linear and dull, in comparison. The work we did with the Repertory Grid can be quite intense but what I like about it is that journey you go on with it is unique and can be full of surprises .The thought processes it encourage involve going off in all different tangents there is so much to be explored and so many levels you could take it to depending on the needs of the client. Having said all this I don't think this approach that would suit everyone and thats as should be and we may also be working under constraints that make using this kind of approach difficult, however it is an adaptable tool and there will I'm sure be room for bringing elements from it into our practise.

Gloria and Monty Python say it best!

Have just been looking at Sartre's Existentialism is a Humanism (condensed version) with an intro by Glyn Hughes where he sites Gloria Gaynors song as succintly exprssing what existentialism is all about so for those of you who haven't seen this yet or who are too young to remember...

I am what I am
And what I am needs no excuses
I deal my own deck
Sometimes the ace
Sometimes the deuces
It's one life and there's no returning, no revising
One life and so it's time to open up your closet

Thankyou Gloria!
Also for a bit of light relief you might want to check out U Tubes Monty Python's Flying Circus Sartre Sketch.

Back to Carl!

Now what was the question again? Do we agree that the client counsellor relationship is the most important thing?
I feel that I've spent so much time thinking about this one I'm almost chasing my tail so to speak, my recent experiences on placement both with Careers Scotland and Napier University helped to clarify my thoughts.
The client counsellor relationship is a key factor, building rapport is important, being present not ofcourse just physically but mentally, awareness of self , warmth the list could be endless.
For me on a matter of ethics though the element of choice in being that relationship for the client is key, as well the agenda being set by the client (another key element of Rodger's approach). On reflection one of the reasons I felt uncomfortable in my Careers Scotland placement is to a large extent in schools I felt that the two affore mentioned things were missing and it's not how I wish to practice Career Guidance.

Rodger's client centered approach is a useful base on which to build ,but for me as an approach to use in Career Guidance it would have limitations. Rodger's says there is no place for the giving of advice, information or suggestion, we should not be meddling! But for me there is a place for challenging perceptions, to raising awareness to help spark an interest to enable and help people to help themselves and this may well involve sharing information, knowledge and signposting to other resources afterall isn't that why we are specifically training in Career Guidance ?

More thoughts on Schon and the question of autonomy!

Following on from my last post and echoing some of the thoughts of my fellow class bloggers. Clearly access to the internet for one has attributed to a large scale debunking of professional knowledge and the media contributes greatly to the loss of trust in professions per se and professional knowledge, varoius professionals being exposed on a regular basis for either misconduct, wrong doing and generally holding their own rather than the public interests paramount. Unfortunately this type of media exposure does as we know end up giving us a warped view of how things really are for the most part, we only have to look at how stories of sex offenders and child abductions like the Madeline McCann case attributing to the mindset that there's a pedofile on every corner waiting to snatch your child away and that the world is not as safe a place as it used to be, but statistical evidence relating to this does not bear this out .

The issue of trust and how this effects professional autonomy is a big one. We are living in a culture where we are lacking in trust don't feel that professions are accountable and as a result the autonomy once enjoyed is gradually being eroded. Case in point the example Grant gave us of not being able to set his own essay questions any more without having first passed by a board. Autonomy is important in the workplace, doesn't everyone want to be trusted to get on with their role, to know that people trust in their judgement, abilities and experience, afterall isn't it on this basis that we are employed in the first place but with that autonomy shouldn't there be responsibilities such as accepting accountability, transparency in your work and an openess to being challenged .

Schon - The Crisis in Confidence ....

A few thoughts on Schon's article (better late than never).

Schon says in his article that we are wholly dependent on professionals to define and provide solutions to our problems, but is this really the case ? Was it ever the case ? Since the rise in professionals in the labour market hasn't there at the same time at least in the West, been a massive rise in the knowledge base of the general population with greater access to education and with this a huge growth in literacy rates since the turn of the century and hence greater access to the written word (knowledge). With the internet revolution so much information is available at the touch of a button, never have we had the opportunity to be so well informed on all matters trivial to those of great global importance.
If we so wish and are motivated and diligent enough so much of this so called "specialist knowledge is ours for the taking . Specialised knowledge isn't specialised anymore. Case in point, in my previous job I was supporting families who had children with chronic and in some cases life threatening illnesses . Amongst the families I supported there was one very tenacious and inspiring mother who was in such a position, her daughter had been diagnosed with such an illness, after beginning to research the condition her self at length and on a global scale the mother began to question whether the correct diagnosis had been given, over a period of first months and years she has been equiping her self with truely staggering level of knowlege about her daughter's condition to the point where she became more than a match for child's consultant and raised doubts about the original diagnosis.
For some professionals, your judgement being called into question must be a bitter pill to swallow so to speak but it's a good thing and more power to the people for it.

Miss Understood on Tuesday 3rd Feb

Hi Everyone,

This is my very first blog, so far so good for someone not very IT literate.