THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

By Emma Johnston, YouthAction NI.

The Wizard of , a film based on Frank L Baum’s fantasy novel ‘The Wonderful ,’ has been a timeless classic for many of us. It tells the story of a young girl, Gale, from City, struggling with the arbitrary ways of adults and who dreams of a place ‘over the rainbow’ where she wouldn’t continuously end up in trouble. A strange sequence of events results in Dorothy being caught up in a and then arriving in a different, colourful and magical land: the .

‘, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore”

All parts of our lives have been affected by an unanticipated twister that has rocked us off course and thrown us from the familiar into the unfamiliar. While experiencing the unfamiliar is an important part of a growth mind-set, the pace and impact of what came at us was something extraordinary and threatening to many. We found ourselves in a place of trouble in many ways, but we can also view this as a place and space to think differently about our world and navigate our way on a journey to possibly something better.

To find answers Dorothy is destined to follow a yellow brick road and travel to the where the all and powerful ‘Wizard of Oz’ will provide the answers to navigate Dorothy home. The yellow brick road showed promise and life in colour but was not necessarily one that could be travelled easily. Dorothy doesn't complete this journey alone and meets a in search of a brain, a missing a heart and a who is seeking courage. They all follow the yellow brick road together to find their ‘heart’s desire’.

During lockdown and throughout these times of uncertainty we can potentially identify with each of the characters in the story of the Wizard of Oz. Similar to the scarecrow, we didn’t feel like we had a brain or the ability to think and act logically. As well as feeling like the rug was pulled from underneath us, our ability to make decisions also became clouded. Many young people, in particular, craved social interactions with friends but this was out of bounds and they faced life at home or elsewhere often with multiple challenging influences and factors impacting on them.

Similar to the cowardly lion we were feeling scared, afraid, and often trying to put on a brave face, when inwardly we experienced worry and fear of someone we know and love being affected by this disabling infection. The courage of our frontline and essential workers and volunteers wore the fur of the lion on a daily basis. Many youth workers demonstrated and continue to demonstrate courage for many young people during this challenging time.

Like the tin man our hearts have been socially grieving; missing the touch and physical contact of loved ones, friends, partners and our social circles as a whole. Others lost heart in having hope; others had little heart for those struggling with poverty and disadvantage; and even some showed no heart by acting irresponsibly. Many young people protected their hearts by keeping connected to others and portraying rainbows of hope in homes and public buildings. They believed that there would be a better place ‘somewhere over the rainbow.’

And like Dorothy, we have been on a journey with no idea if we will ever be able to get to our destination but recognising an inherent need to be a support to others. We acknowledged the changed landscape, looked upon the road and took apprehensive small steps with some belief and hope. We met with obstacles and hurdles, like in everyday life, and sought out resources to support us along the way.

Finally, we remember Toto who walked alongside others, particularly supporting the vulnerable and being there at your side. Like Toto many young people had curiosity to question what was happening, to explore options and to ask for support. Notably however, many young people sought to support others such as neighbours, the elderly, those shielding and reaching out to their peers.

Who and where was our wizard with all the answers in this shocking story? We waited tentatively for direction from leaders, politicians, scientists, health specialists and advisers and the responses were slow and wanting. Instead of finding such direction from others, we have had to search within ourselves, with tenacity, grit and determination. In our youth work spaces, the ‘Wizard of Oz’ characters came to life in the actions of youth workers. We put on our (hypothetical) back packs and began our individual and collective journeys on the yellow brick road. Stripping back all that we knew, we discovered the land of online youth work, becoming more adaptive and creative. We recognise that we have built some mental toughness and resilience through our Individual Care Toolkits, which can help us to flourish when we find ways ‘to fill them up’: reading, exercise and reaching out to others.

We have learned to ‘take stock’ and recognise the value and power of time. Invested time is one of the most precious gifts we offered young people, to work out how to navigate our way together in this new chapter of living. With check ins, updates, remaining a consistent figure in their lives (even though not in a physical sense but more so an emotional sense). All of these actions creates a sense that what we are doing is much more important than the things we ‘have to do’.

We witnessed acts of kindness, young people reaching out to support others in their community, looking out for those in a more vulnerable position, people working hard to make PPE and protective masks; in many ways it was as if we learned how to be ‘less selfish’.

All the while we used the basics of youth work - relationship building, compassion, acts of kindness, humanitarian responses, information and care; that sustained the travellers on the yellow brick road. Targeted programming, the usual centrepiece of contemporary youth work moved to the background and in its place, a landscape promoting an intimacy of connection became more prominent. We got ‘back to basics’ or as some put it returned to ‘classic youth work’ through online zoom technology. Creative energy subsumed in online platforms with online cooking, treasure hunts, bingo calling, doing arts and crafts together and even an attempt to complete miles and miles of ‘walking’ around the home to promote physical, mental health and stamina, creating competition to motivate movement.

Unlike Dorothy, this was not a dream and we will not click our red heels to return to ‘normal’. We can, however, embark on a journey of reflection, to understand how the profession and practices of youth work are enriched through building companionship, compassion and creativity – and a reminder of how potent the fundamentals of youth work can be.