Listen to thisIt’s near the end of my spring youth work class, which I have taught now for more than 20 years. Last week Kaseva, who grew up on a Navajo Reservation, played classical guitar, and his flute. The rest of us danced. We practiced two movements I had learned a few semesters ago from a modern dance teacher who I had invited to our class, passing through and lining-up.
As Kaseva played we wove in and out in the middle of the room. We went wherever we wanted, and surprisingly did not bump into each other. First we did this with no eye contact and then with eye contact. This was done to practice and demonstrate passing through.
Next, we lined up with each other. I stopped the group in the middle of our passing through and we lined-up with another person in a way that our body language mirrored back our impressions of that person at the time. We tried to make whatever configurations best represented what we felt about the other person, and/or ourselves in relationship to the other person. Throughout Kaseva changed the tempo of the music, and our moods and movements automatically followed.
These two movements from modern dance, lining-up and passing through, exemplify rhythmic interactions, I explained. “Youth work, as I have said many times, is like a modern dance in which we move through a day in and out of synch with youth. The challenge is to get a feel for work so we can form as many moments of connection, discovery and empowerment as possible.”
Then we explored together the relationship between what we had just done and various techniques and practices we had learned earlier in the course, such as mirroring, body language, rhythmic interaction, and proximity. I have done this before. Almost always it works as a good learning exercise. Getting up and doing something gets us in the mood for discussion, and of course lets us practice, and this in turn sheds new light on our topic.
While we were talking I said that basketball was also a good metaphor for me. Often I played three-on-three or one-on-one basketball with the youth. Similar to a modern dance we lined-up and passed through as we competed, which brought in another element for discussion, competition, its role and place in youth work. “In hindsight,” I said, “It wasn’t so much about competition as process. We were feeling each other out, gauging the space between us, moving toward a goal (basket), defending, facing off, facing one another, not facing one another, giving eye contact, not giving eye contact, faking, not faking, etc.”
Then the others shared their examples of things they liked to do, soccer, dancing, painting, and hoola hoops, in which they felt they had similar opportunities for rhythmic interactions, engagement, etc. At the end we had the epiphany once again that yes, this is where most of the development in our work occurs, in these interactions – whether a game or chore or sitting quietly each moment, movement and interaction had enormous potential.
As we talked, I smiled to myself. I was back home, where I started as a young youth worker who believed that all my interactions could be powerful if I knew what I was doing. After all these years it still boiled down to this, something so simple, yet complex.
Then Kaseva asked if he could play his flute for us. He explained that as a young boy on the reservation he heard the Navajo play their flutes and he wanted to learn to play.
“Was it hard?” one of the class members asked.
“Sort of. But once I decide to do something with my music I stay with it until I get it.”
"It’s the same with your classical guitar isn’t it. You are really very good.” I said.
He smiled, played his flute, and took us to another place, a very ancient, haunting place. It was beautiful. Afterwards we talked about how music was his grand passion, and how important it was for the kids to find something they were passionate about, and us as well. “To be good at youth work you have to be passionate about it don’t you?” one of the students asked. I smiled and said yes. “Remember how Kaseva made a health food dinner with the youth on his field placement. At first they didn’t like it because the food was not the fast food they were used to. But then sensing Kaseva’s fondness for cooking they got into it, didn’t they Kaseva?”
"Yes, it took some time, but eventually they really started to like the food. But I think they liked cooking it with me even more.”
Then others joined in with examples from their field placements. Time went quickly. Before we knew it the class was over. We said goodbye, and “see you next week.” I packed the materials and stepped outside. It was a nice spring evening. On the way home I felt good, and sensed that the others did as well. We were on to something that was old and new.
