Bringing Buddhist values into front line work with young offenders

Abstract

‘Whatever you have done or whatever has been done to you—you still have a future.’ Did I dare say this to a drug dealer or a violent young offender? How convincing would it sound to a girl on her fifteenth social worker, or a youth who has spent his life in the care system?When I was young I had a series of strong dreams in which was working with street children in South America. These dreams expressed an urge to rescue young people from difficult situations. But I did not imagine that my career would involve helping young people who parents, social workers, teachers and probation officers considered unreachable, or working with large groups of ‘youths at risk’ to turn their lives around.I had worked in community development, and as a consultant in conflict resolution, team building and personal effectiveness. That work was rewarding, but I wanted to work with people at a deeper level. Then a friend started a charity called Youth at Risk, that is devoted to working in a new way with young offenders and vu...