The placement at Phoenix Detached Youth Project has given me a wide range of opportunities to develop my professionalism, knowledge and values.
From the first day of my placement I was treated as a full member of staff, giving me a lot of independence which helped me to further develop my abilities as a future social worker, learn about being accountable and also gain confidence in working independently. A lot of the work was also done in cooperation with colleagues which improved my ability to work as a part of a team.
During this placement I was able to enhance my communication skills, connect the theory I have been studying at the university with practice and also develop my ability to facilitate group work. Working alongside Mike, Becky, Luke and others gave me the opportunity to critically reflect on my own work and also learn from the experiences of people who have worked with young people for many years.
During my time at Phoenix DYP I was part of many projects such as the intergenerational nail painting, one to one work with young people, facilitating group work, developing information packs such as the Legal Highs film, working on the Organ Flash Mob, break dancing sessions, detached work on the streets and at the local school and many others. Having the chance to work on many projects has taught me the ability to multitask and also show me the variety of tasks and issues youth workers deal with on a daily basis.
In addition to the new skills I am taking away from this placement the understanding of the importance of youth work in our communities, the holistic approach voluntary organisations can offer and how beneficial it is to build good relationships with other organisations.
Overall I feel the time at Phoenix DYP has been a very valuable learning experience.
