The janitor made me do it

Brody Cameron

It’s that time again – an upcoming/international conference just around the bend, drawing closer every day. Is it just me or do they actually creep up on a person? It seems as if it was just yesterday that I had arrived home from the Canadian National Conference in Newfoundland and was unpacking my suitcase. The conference that is coming up now is the International Child and Youth Care Conference, Promise into Practice, which is being held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada this coming August.

I believe that the exchange of knowledge within our field is of paramount importance and a crucial piece of the foundation upon which Child and Youth Care practice is built. Attending conferences is one way that we build that foundation. It can also change your life.

I have already begun packing my bags for Victoria. It was actually about three weeks ago that I dug out the suitcase, located my travel adapter, and salvaged the lint brush. I can’t help but get really excited about another conference. Despite the fact that all my luggage was “rerouted” on my last two trips, I am still looking forward to the journey. After all, the journey we take in our careers as child/youth care people is as important as the stops that we make along the way.

Up until two years ago Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada was the place I called home. Then one day, I was flipping through the latest issue of the Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies (https://www.cyc-net.org/Journals/ijass.html) and I saw an advertisement for a conference that was being held in Drogheda, Ireland. Almost immediately I drifted off into a daydream; I was drinking Guinness with leprechauns and trying to sweet-talk the angelic barmaid (think The Corrs or Roma Downey)*. I decided that I was going to “pop over to Ireland for the conference" – you know, dreaming, like most poor students living on a student loan.

Have you ever looked at one of these advertisements for a conference and asked yourself, “Will I go or not? I wonder if I will know anyone there?” you’re not alone. I can remember having these thoughts before I departed for my first conference. I was worried that I wouldn’t know anyone. Once at the event you will quickly start remembering faces and come to recognize the “regulars” (if it’s an international conference, for example, you know that Leon Fulcher will be there!). The people that I have been fortunate enough to meet in my travels have been wonderful.

What an exciting experience: to be able to get together with people from all over who are all into the same thing. I enjoy knowing that I am guaranteed to learn something new. There is a plethora of new ideas, tricks of the trade, literature, insight, etc., waiting for you, and the best part about this is that most of the people that you will meet at a Child and Youth Care conference are more than happy to share their gold dust with you. This open exchange and sharing of information can only be seen as a good thing. New workers, students, and even old-dogs alike will benefit. As well as the Child and Youth Care worker benefiting, the field also benefits as it moves towards professionalism, and self regulation.

I was unsure at the time if Child and Youth Care was really what I wanted to dedicate myself to. My trip to Ireland trip was to be the test or deciding factor. The decision that Child and Youth Care was definitely for me was made as I sat in the audience at that conference in Drogheda and listened to Thom Garfat’s story of how he ended up in Child and Youth Care work. Often I have found myself in the middle of the night working at the computer, wondering what road my life would have taken had I not attended that first conference. The answer is that I have no idea, nor does it concern me. I enjoy immensely the work that I do and know that I made the best choice. The past two years have been the best two in my life.

Today, I call Co. Tipperary, Ireland, home. The decision to “pop over" for the conference and to stay with Child and Youth Care was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The idea of practicing in a different country had great appeal to it. I believe that I have been able to learn a great deal more about the Child and Youth Care field here in Ireland, than I would have, had I stayed in Canada. Child and Youth Care (called Social Care here) in this country has only existed formally since 1970. That was when they held the first formal training program for Residential Child and Youth Care workers. It was only in the early 1980's, that day care and project work, became formalized. The first degree in Applied Social Studies-Social Care, created by Dr. Niall McElwee, only happened in 1995. Because Child and Youth Care is so new here, some great opportunities exist for someone still wet behind the ears. Ireland has afforded me the opportunity to explore a number of different avenues in Child and Youth Care (as well as being a front line practitioner), such as lecturing and research.

Well, it's about time that I get back and finish packing that suitcase. Sometimes it all seems so unreal. When I stop and look at the road I've traveled over the last two years, sometimes I need to pinch myself. Right now Child and Youth Care seems to offer new opportunities around every bend. I am not sure how long my journey will last, but I continue to be thankful for all that I am learning. One conference. To stop and think how much one conference can really change a life.

Now, if you do go to that conference in Victoria, remember, it doesn’t end there. You can always plan to come visit Ireland yourself. EirCan is hosting an international conference on Child and Youth Care practice in Ireland in 2005 “watch for details to appear on CYC-Net. Hope to see you over here.

* Larry, the bar man did not quite fit the bill of “angelic barmaid" I sought, (however dare I be the one say to him that his “jailhouse tatts" were not attractive) nor did I find any leprechauns – YET!