In this lecture, GK Experience will delve into their long-term relational youth work approach. They will share how they support brilliant young people who face unfair barriers due to poverty, inequality, and injustice in Glasgow. Unpacking their ethos, they will demonstrate how they actively challenge harmful assumptions. Assumptions that disregard, stigmatise, and label young people as no-hopers and troublemakers. Instead, GK envisions these same young people as Scotland’s next generation of leaders.
The approach
Both leaders and young people will share their journeys—from being supported by GK to becoming adult volunteers themselves. Key to their approach is a deep commitment to:
listening to young people,
understanding their context and behaviours,
remaining flexible, and
providing meaningful opportunities for responsibility and leadership.
Facilitators
theGKexperience is a youth work charity in Glasgow and the wider area. Founded on the belief that all young people are brilliant, and that they all deserve the same opportunities to succeed, they work to make their aspirations a reality. They build long-term trusting and respectful relationships with young people and their families over years. They prioritise listening to their voices and are welcomed by them to offer support. GK are persistent in their engagement, love, and support, especially if it becomes difficult due the barriers they face. Working alongside young people in their local settings and outdoor residential and wilderness experiences, they help them to soar. GK provide an integrated model of support across 4 areas: Residential experiences, local community work, a young leaders programme and tailored individual support.