The past couple days I’ve been at a conference that is hosted by the Indiana Youth Institute. The title of this conference is Because Kids Count and it is attended by Youth workers of all kinds. This year has been an awakening for me to realize how many different kinds of youth work there is out there. I have been humbled to meet so many people who share a passion for working with children. Working for children. Advocating, teaching, learning, coaching, loving, guiding, counseling, listening, and playing.
I heard so many profound statements these past couple of days and it always gives me such great energy to be surrounded by people who have similar gifts, goals for helping kids and families, and the hearts and compassion for others. I have also spent this year participating in a fellowship with other Executive Youth Workers and have found myself continuously humbled by their giving spirits. We have been on three retreats so far, some of us went to Mexico, and we have one last retreat next week to close out this year of personal renewal. The collective knowledge, experience, and overall passion is simply amazing in this group and I could not be more thankful for these lifelong friendships I have been so blessed to establish.
Throughout the work I do, sometimes, it is overwhelmingly heartbreaking and sad. I feel vicarious trauma from the stories I hear, and read, and I am constantly reminded that I have no control over anything in my work. Because the reality is, we have no control over other people. We cannot fix other people. We have a lot of systems that need a tremendous amount of work, and there are some people in the field of mental health and addiction that are quite simply burnt out. There is a lot of paperwork, there is a lot of red tape that creates barriers for getting people the help they need, and there are a lot of dead ends sometimes.
Social work is not a job. It is not a career. It is a calling. It is a blessing. It is a privilege. "Attitude is a switch on the inside and only you can flit it." Dr. Gale Gorke. How we approach a situation from the beginning, what our attitude is, what our vantage point is, is key in how that situation will turn out. This is not always easy. It is always necessary. The way we communicate with ourselves, about ourselves, has an effect on how we portray ourselves to others.
We need to surround ourselves with people who will grow us, encourage and support us, and challenge us. Who is the CEO of your dreams? Your Chief Encouragement Officer. And, who are you the CEO for? Kevin Carroll presented this to us yesterday and I had to pause and think about how fortunate I am to have a host of CEOs. I have always had that. Supportive of my dreams, aspirations, and goals. We can all serve as a CEO for someone else.
"The test of a good person is not what you have to do, it's what you choose to do" - Michael Brandwein.
