One Year on in Dunbar continued

Back to the point...here is something of what has been achieved. The backdrop to all this is that a priority for me in the first year was to meet people..especially young people and get to know some of them so that I can work more effectively with them. it has been done without the luxury of co-workers, so I have been restricted but I still managed to meet a fair few. I hope people have or are now connecting me to the church as a result.

Dunbar Primary School have been dead kind and let me in to do RME classes, assemblies, a new SU Bible club, 2 P7 Camps, a P5 trip to York and various other bits and bobs. They also gave the project £900 and have been good fun to work with. For those who knew me in previous life in Manchester will be amused at the fact I am working with junior age kids. The Junior night at Bredbury was a living hell for me and was only made good if one of them fell over in a puddle or something. I didn't understand them so I was hostile to them. Having my own kids hasd made the difference and much of what I do is run past them before hand, before letting it loose on a class.

Dunbar Grammar School also gave me a warm welcome through the Enhanced Curriculum group, RME classes, assemblies and team meetings. The most unlikely thing I have eneded up doing is the Puppet Club! A great way to meet kids and make puppets. Before you ask, I am not a budding Jim Henson, but I can strike up a conversation with someone whilst sticking boggly eyes on a loo roll.

Dunbar Multiagency 'Youth Provision Group' has been the best way to meet all the others working with young people and trying to get some co-ordinated approaches to doing so. I have been involved in a load of different thigs as a result, like a survey of young people, trips out, a winter youth cafe, etc. It has also opened my eyes to local politics and the nonsense that goes on there. Having been on the payroll of a local authority I got first hand experience of how disappointing people in power are, and how inefficient local authorities are, which was good preparation for here. Things are looking up though so i won't grip too much.

SU Scotland have been a good back up for me and it's been good to get access to their training (very professional and relevant) and their support. I had not appreciated how useful it is to share an office with other people until I moved into my own, on my own. The informal levels of support...even from frosty admin workers are actually missed. The only sign of life in my office is the mildew growing on the walls where hot tea has been thrown. I share my office with the manager of Dunbar United.

So all in all a good year and I look forward to the next.