Can you feel the change?

14 May 2008

Y Care International staff Gemma Abbs and Stuart Wroe report on a recent visit of young people from YMCA Wales to our partner, Sierra Leone YMCA, as part of our Youth Justice campaign.

The group of eight young people are from YMCAs in Cardiff, Port Talbot and Mountain Ash in South Wales and all have a special interest in the youth justice system and how it impacts on young people in Wales. They were all specially proposed by their YMCA to take part.

Before arriving in Sierra Leone, they had to undergo two intensive preparation weekends at YMCA Wales’ Newgale Outdoor Centre on the Pembrokeshire coast. Staff of YMCA Wales put everyone through their paces with exhausting and challenging outdoor activities, building individual’s capacities to think and act, but also building a team that would support each other from the moment they landed at the crowded and confusing Freetown Lungi Airport.

In preparation, the group also took part in global youth work sessions. These explored the context of the Youth Justice in Action campaign, youth justice in Wales and Sierra Leone and the young people’s personal experiences of youth justice. The sessions also prepared the delegation for the social realities of Sierra Leone. The devastating effects of ten years of civil war are still being felt by Sierra Leoneans today, part of the reason why young people in the country are being failed by its justice system.

John, Darren and Daniel are from Port Talbot YMCA. Before embarking on the visit, they said, they knew very little about Sierra Leone, and what they had read about it didn’t compare with the reality: “Most of our friends told us it was dangerous and that there was still fighting going on, but it’s safe.”

The entire experience had been an adventure right from the beginning. Darren had never set foot on a plane before. He had to apply for his passport and just about got it in time to go on the trip. “My passport arrived less than a week before we left. I’d never been on a plane before and was nervous about flying. We also had to take a ferry after we got off the plane. I’ve never been on a boat before either, so I did two new things in one go.”

During their week long stay, the group learned about what the justice system means for young people in Sierra Leone, sharing experiences with young campaigners from Sierra Leone YMCA. Together the group visited a remand home for young boys and the Family Court where their hearings take place. If they are lucky, a family member will turn up to bail them. But nine times out of ten, they don’t have any relatives who can, so they are sent back to the remand home for the whole process to start again. “It was chaotic, one solicitor was on the phone the whole time and the other one was reading the paper.”

“At the airport there was a sign saying ‘If you haven’t come to help us, don’t corrupt us’. Later I saw some big houses and big cars and others who have nothing, so that phrase stuck in my head.” Ashley

The young people heard from their Sierra Leonean counterparts about how the decade-long conflict had affected every aspect of their lives. As Daniel puts it, “my life’s been a breeze compared with these guys.” A visit to the Special Court, where rebel leaders are still being tried six years on from the end of the civil war, had also been quite an experience. “The man we saw on trial denied everything and said it wasn’t true. He was accused of trafficking weapons, recruiting civilians and rape.”

The group from Port Talbot said the most shocking thing they saw during the visit was the slum community of Kroo Bay. “But everyone there was happy and getting on with things.” John summed up his experiences saying: “When I first arrived in Freetown, I saw a government poster which said ‘Can you feel the change?’ and it made me think about what Sierra Leone used to be like and what it could be like in the future.”

“These are different kids to the group we brought out here. It’s so nice to see them looking so healthy. They’ve been eating well and they’re just glowing.” Andy Brown, Development Manager of Port Talbot YMCA

When asked what they’re going to do when they get home, the three young men said they will tell their friends how people live, how it really is: “I’m going to go home and do everyone’s head in saying countries like this need help, and not just Sierra Leone.”

And it’s not just their experiences they are taking with them. As the group pilled into their bus to make the long journey back to the UK, there was energetic talk of creating a forum for young people in Wales and getting more young people involved in the campaign. For some of them, it had clearly been a life changing experience that had made them think about what they wanted to do with their lives. Three of the group are now planning to start a youth work training course.

The visit really was a true example of global youth work in action. This group haven’t just come and seen, they will take this home with them and talk to young people like themselves, who won’t get the chance to go to Africa, about what life is like. Not only that, but the group had clearly been changed by the whole experience. I encountered a group of polite, confident, chatty young people, who were happy to stop young people in the street and talk to them about youth justice and what the campaign is trying to do. As Anthony says, “I’ve changed, I’m more confident, I can stand up and speak for myself.” Many of the group weren’t entirely sure where Sierra Leone was before they came. Now they are going away with new friends and a place they can always call home.

By Gemma Abbs, Communications Manager & Stuart Wroe, Senior Global Youth Work Coordinator