Paul Meunier 

Hi everybody. Welcome to the final episode of The Passionate Youth Worker podcast. I'm your host, Paul Meunier. Today is a bittersweet moment for us at YIPA. For the past four incredible years, we've had the privilege of shining a spotlight on youth workers from around the globe who are making a profound impact in their communities. Our mission has always been twofold; to celebrate those who are providing passionate, dedicated youth work and to emphasize the importance of self-reflection as a means to continuously improve the profession of youth work. As we sign off for the last time, YIPA is excited to announce that we are redirecting our energy into new learning opportunities that will improve the lives of young people. We're sad to be stopping the show, but eager for our new adventures. Today, I'm thrilled to be joined by two key members of our team who have been instrumental in bringing this podcast to life. First, we have Barbara Van Deinse, our amazing operations director. Barbara has meticulously edited our transcripts and crafted the show notes that have guided our listeners through each episode. Welcome Barbara.

Barbara Van Deinse 

Hi, Paul. Thanks. You know, I have to agree with you about this being a bit of a bittersweet moment here today, but I want to really emphasize how grateful I am for this chance to wrap up our unique podcast with a kind of a look back, a reflection on all the good it brought to the world.

Paul Meunier 

Cool. And joining us as well is Joanne Rice, our awesome member satisfaction specialist. Joanne's been the producer of the show and lined up all the incredible guests we've had the pleasure of speaking with. Welcome Joanne.

Joanne Rice 

Thank you, Paul. It's a pleasure to be here, and I agree with Barbara. It's very bittersweet, but in looking back I also want to just thank you for your incredible hosting. I've always just been amazed at the questions you offer the youth workers to reflect and share their journey and so thank you.

Paul Meunier 

Well, thank you. In this final episode, the three of us will reflect on what we've learned from our amazing guests over the years. We'll share insights and the valuable lessons that have inspired us and hopefully inspired you, our listeners, to strive for excellence in your own youth work. So, sit back, relax, and join us as we take one last journey through the passionate world of youth work. Ready to get started?

Barbara Van Deinse 

Yes!

Paul Meunier 

All right, Barbara and Joanne, it's been an incredible journey, for sure. I'd like to ask you both, what stands out to you most from our conversations with the youth workers from around the world and Barbara, why don't you go first?

Barbara Van Deinse 

Okay, this is something that we at YIPA already knew, but it really got solidified in a different way through the podcast. Youth workers are amazing individuals! And for us to create The Passionate Youth Worker podcast as a platform for them, I think was such a needed service in the world. I mean this sincerely. Each and every person shared their own story with so much humility and transparency. And for me, that helped me feel a real connection to each person as an individual. And that was kind of unexpected really. You know, I listen to lots of things and listening to podcasts I haven't really felt like, oh, there's a person, I'm connecting with a person. But here I did. Youth workers telling their stories were very inspiring, and it was kind of remarkable to realize that no matter where in the world our guests came from, their experiences of transforming adversity into positive action to help others was such an important reminder of how much we all have in common.

Paul Meunier 

Wasn't it interesting how within a half hour, you feel like you knew somebody so well?

Barbara Van Deinse 

Right?

Paul Meunier 

It seemed almost impossible that people could tell their story so clearly and you feel like you have a connection with them.

Barbara Van Deinse 

I agree, and I think it's largely because they tell it from their heart, the same way they do their youth work. It's straight from their heart. And when you're that connected to yourself, when you're that invested in your purpose, I think that that's the reason for it.

Paul Meunier 

Mhmmm.

Barbara Van Deinse 

I'm glad you noted that.

Paul Meunier 

I was amazed, and each person inspired me.

Paul Meunier 

And each person seemed so different. That was the coolest part about the whole thing. You know, we always talk about how everybody's so individual. I think the podcast for four years of episodes, no two people were exactly the same. They were all unique with different stories and different personality types, and different archetypes, I guess is a good way to describe it. Joanne, what did you learn from all those guests, you spent so much time getting to know them even before I met them. What did you learn from your experience with the podcast?

Barbara Van Deinse 

Yeah.

Joanne Rice 

I think one thing I learned was just how everybody's got a unique story to share. And I just loved that we had the platform to do that for youth workers. Because many times, as youth workers we're so humble and we're really dedicated to the work and close to the work that we don't often number one, sit back and reflect on how am I showing up to youth work and and what am I learning, and what am I contributing, and what am I sharing with others? And certainly, it's hard to talk about yourself. I mean, that's just not something we do. We're always striving to help young people be their best. And I loved how unique every story was, obviously, because everyone has a unique journey into youth work. And I love to hear what they learned along the way, because there was always something that you could identify with, like, oh yes, that's right, I forgot about that piece in youth work. And developing yourself as a youth worker. So, I loved individual pieces as well as the collective community of youth work, regardless of where people are working in the world. Just that dynamic between individual and collective community was so powerful to me.

Paul Meunier 

You talked about getting people to open up and talk about themselves. Almost to a person, we had to have a conversation with each guest and say, This is your time to talk about you. Because you would ask them a question about themselves, and they would go on and talk about how great everybody else was, or how important the youth were, and rarely did they talk about themselves. And so that was one of the things that really struck me is how humble and grounded youth workers are, no matter where they are from, and how much they give of themselves to other people. I don't know if you noticed that too, Joanne, but it was just shocking to me that we had to have those conversations.

Joanne Rice 

Yes, yes, it was. But then again, I get it. I think all of our guests, they have that commitment to service. It's easy to talk about other people, and, you know, what are some things that other people need and that I can provide and, you know, those types of things. But it is hard to reflect. I know I worked in shelter programs. You just don't have the time to sit back and reflect. You know, there's always things going on. There's always needs that you're meeting every minute, and sometimes they're overlapping too. So, you don't have that time, a lot of times, to sit back and reflect and share.

Paul Meunier 

Here's another question to both of you. Our guests really enjoyed doing their podcast episode and building one out for themselves and going through the process of imagining and thinking about what it is in their life that has allowed them to evolve into who they are as a person and the circumstances, the people that they have met, all those kinds of things contributed a part to it. I'm wondering, Barbara, after listening to all these people, how important do you think it is that as we evolve as human beings and grow into our profession as youth workers, that we pay attention to our life experiences and what we've learned and that self-awareness that we need to have. How important is that to you for youth workers?

Barbara Van Deinse 

I don't think that they succeed without it, honestly. I think it's vital. I think it's that critical. You know, in the introduction of every podcast you said we listen to their stories and how they shape their youth work. And that's exactly right. Youth work is more about bringing ourselves to the work than it is about skills or strategies or tactics. It's really who we are that we're giving of to young people. And if we don't understand ourselves at that level, reflect on what makes us do what we do, what makes us who we are, I think that we aren't giving everything we have that is of value to young people. So, for me, it's a vital, vital skill. And each person's story, like we've learned in the podcast, makes a contribution in a unique way. So, that's why I think it's so so so important, that uniqueness about each and every individual is what's going to help our young people find their uniqueness as well and develop and grow.

Paul Meunier 

I agree. And maybe it's even bigger than youth work. It is about growing as a person, right?

Barbara Van Deinse 

Yes, absolutely.

Paul Meunier 

So, you could have been a non-youth worker and probably benefited from listening to everybody's stories because it is inspirational. And Joanne, I know that you have gotten to meet all these guests even a little bit better than I did sometimes. Were you surprised at people's awareness that they had about their own lives? Is there anything that struck you as you were listening to all these guests and hearing their stories?

Joanne Rice 

For me, it was interesting just to hear from them when they were telling a little bit about their story you know, the first time I would meet with them. And how they would make the connections, and how sometimes in our conversations with say things like, Oh, I never thought of it that way, or, Oh, that's how I show up. Those are the experiences that shaped me and who I am. Some of the themes around my purpose is to show up like I needed somebody to show up when I was a young person.

Paul Meunier 

Right?

Joanne Rice 

And so I thought, Oh, that is so true. And when you think about it, because it's just so important, regardless of who you are, where you're from, what your experiences are, just being able to make those meaningful connections with young people, and it really fuels your passion and your dedication too, as you grow throughout your career and your life too.

Paul Meunier 

100% agree with you completely. All right, here's the toughest question I'll ask you today.

Joanne Rice 

Uh oh!

Paul Meunier 

Guarantee it. This is gonna be the toughest question you're gonna get probably all week. We had over 100 guests from many, many different countries. Do you have one particular guest that just really stood out to you as either something you could relate with, or remarkable, or just inspiring? And why don't we just continue to go with you, Barbara, and then I'll ask Joanne the same question.

Barbara Van Deinse 

All right, all right. Yeah, thank you. Well, my pick goes back to June of 2021. It was just our second season for the podcast.

Barbara Van Deinse 

Our guest was Rose Sargent from California, right? Oh my gosh. I remember just being flabbergasted at learning that she was only 11 years old when she chose to leave home on her own to get away from trauma and find a way to figure out herself and her life. She traveled to San Francisco at age 11, experienced homelessness there at that young age and for a good portion of her teen years. I just couldn't imagine myself doing anything like that at such a young age. And the courage and determination that she conveyed in her story really was astounding to me. I mean, there were times in my young life where I felt like, I wish I was believed. I wish people would listen to me, adults would listen to what I'm saying I need, what I say I want, not getting it so much. But I would never have thought, let me just pack my bags, and she did. That kind of courage and determination really sticks with me today. You asked her about that, her answer was humble, while imparting a lesson about the need for adults to value young people's own vision for themselves in their life. We can guide them by giving trust and believing in them and honoring their personhood. I just am so grateful for her experience and that she chooses to work with young people experiencing homelessness now. Imagine how fortunate they are to have this person on their side. I mean that one sticks with me.

Paul Meunier 

Oh, I remember.

Joanne Rice 

Oh, a favorite? Dozens and dozens. I think one for me was Ben's episode where he talked about in great detail about being authentic and genuine in the youth work. And so for me, he really spoke a lot about the art of youth work, because I know, I mean, in my career too, I was like, oh, when's the next training on de-escalation or self-care? You know, I need more tools in my toolbox. But when I heard his episode, and he was talking in length about those themes, it really brought me back to, you know, that is something that I learned early on, really quick, working in shelters, is you have to be authentic and genuine. Because young people, particularly experiencing trauma, you meet with them for the first time, and within seconds they can figure out your vibe, your tone, how you're showing up, and they'll identify it. I mean, they'll be really straightforward with you too, and really help you zero in on okay, you're not somebody I can trust, or you are somebody I can trust. And I think for me, that is one that I really identified with because I think, again it isn't something that's focused on in youth work or even social services in that regard.

Paul Meunier 

Joanne, do you have a favorite episode? Could you narrow it down and dwindle it down to one.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah, I found Ben to be inspiring as well. He seems so calm and so genuine and so relaxed and so self-assured,

Joanne Rice 

Yeah, yes!

Paul Meunier 

About who he was as a person. And I remember specifically him talking about growing up without a father figure, and how important it was to have an adult in his life that could provide him some clarity and direction and be a sounding board. Ben was so good. Well, it would be really unfair if I asked you to all come up with one episode without stating what my favorite one was. So, I did as well.

Barbara Van Deinse 

Go on!

Paul Meunier 

I think that I loved every one of them, no doubt about it, as I know you both did as well. But I found I was gravitated towards a particular subset of the episodes that all had an entrepreneurial spirit to them. I really like the ones that were thinking outside the box and trying something brand new, because the state of young people, as we've learned through the show, is not good no matter where you are. And I think of like Tom Osborne from Kenya, who talked about training everybody in mental health basics. You didn't have to be a psychologist to understand mental health, and he's now sharing that with all the young generation in Kenya. So much of their population is young age and teaching them all about mental health. Or "Neaners," Jose Garcia, from up in the Seattle area in Washington here in the United States who spent time in prison and came out and is now connecting with other young Latino boys and girls, I guess Latina girls as well. But so authentic, so so real. He thought about starting a youth worker program while in prison because he didn't want young people to do this, and so he dedicated his life, once he got out of prison, to helping other people. Or, I think about Aaron Garth in Australia, who took youth work to a whole other level, through academia and really structured and formalized and put together what it takes to be a youth worker, professionalizing it to the nth degree. And that was inspiring to me. One other one just quickly is Carley Kammerer, from here in Minnesota in the United States. And she started a coffee shop, and knew nothing about running a business or starting a nonprofit, but knew that these young people experiencing homelessness needed job skills, got some funding from some people and opened up a coffee shop and has young people to this day who are experiencing homelessness learning job skills so that they can get their feet on the ground and to find their way in life. Incredible courage it takes to do this stuff. But the one that stands out the most is Sylvester Chabuka from Malawi. Sylvester was our guest who was dealing with nutrition for young people, and the mortality rate of young people was high in his area because these people in remote villages didn't have healthy food, and they didn't have a way to store food if they did get it because there is no electricity for refrigeration. And so he was developing these systems that were fundamentally changing the lives of young people by keeping them alive. And I, to this day, think about the courage that he's got and the vision that he has. I dream of a day when he's going to be a famous person and save countless lives because he was able to manufacture food that had healthy ingredients and using solar power to provide refrigeration so this food wouldn't go bad, so these young people wouldn't die of malnutrition. Just incredible stuff. But everybody's in a different situation. Everybody's life circumstances are different. But it just goes to show how incredibly creative and dedicated youth workers are, no matter what their circumstances are and what their life calls for. The commonality that I found is that everybody's just so dedicated to making life better for young people, and I believe us at YIPA share that concern. We all want to see everything get better.

Barbara Van Deinse 

And it was, it was such a strong reinforcement for me. You know, the world's been in a lot of conflict for all kinds of reasons lately, but every couple of weeks, we'd get a new podcast with a real life reminder there are good people all over the world willing to do great work, giving so much of themselves to better the lives of young people, which gives us hope for a better future, a better today, in many cases with the kinds of difference that they're making. Most of them aren't going to get rich or famous doing that, but the reward is really this deep sense of fulfillment that they shared in their stories from knowing, even if they don't see it firsthand with each person, they know they've made a positive life-changing impact by pouring their love into young people. That was the commonality that I saw across all the stories. They were all so powerful.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah, good point. Joanne, did you have a commonality? Did you take one central theme from all these episodes?

Joanne Rice 

I think for me, the theme was again I heard it over and over again about being authentic and genuine and just put making the humanity pieces. Even Carley talked about that, just the, you know, seeing the humanity in everyone. Because I think that is where youth workers just need to start, too, is just think seeing the humanity and which they are brilliant at. So, again, it's so fun to just to hear them talk about how they've done that and how they continue to do that. And I heard quite a bit too, is teaching the next generation of youth workers. Here's what you need to pay attention to and focus on. Then here's how you do it. Again, the art pieces, I think were just so powerful for me too, because, again, we don't often think about that. Even in college, I don't remember a lot of coursework around the art you know how you do things. It was more so here's the diagnosis, and appears the techniques and tools, but just that reflection piece in how to be a good youth worker. And again, these are incredible people with incredible stories. It was just every time it was like, wow, their story was so incredible. How are we going to top that? And then you meet another person that had, obviously another incredible you know, so it was just

Barbara Van Deinse 

Okay.

Paul Meunier 

Barbara, do you want to go first? What words of wisdom or inspiration would you like to leave with the listeners?

Paul Meunier 

Every time, the next guest seemed better. I don't know how that happened.

Joanne Rice 

Yeah.

Barbara Van Deinse 

Right?

Paul Meunier 

As I mentioned at the beginning, YIPA is not going away. We are redirecting our energy into other areas. I think we accomplished what we hoped to accomplish and that was shining a spotlight on incredible people, no matter where they are. And it was really fun at the end of each episode to ask the guest what words of wisdom or inspiration they'd like to leave with the listeners. I was always intrigued and amazed by their answers. So, why don't we wrap up this final episode by giving our words of wisdom or inspiration. I'll go last, and then that'll be the end of The Passionate Youth Worker podcast. How does that sound?

Barbara Van Deinse 

Yep. Thanks, Paul. I want to encourage each and every youth worker - I know you're all humble, like Joanne said - but please share your stories! Stories are how we as humans, how we learn best and how we teach most effectively. Showing ourselves, revealing ourselves, and healing ourselves by shining a light on the experiences that make us who we are. And for me, the beauty of doing it is it encourages real empathy and invites connection. And oh my goodness, we need more of that in the world, right? So, no matter who you are, your story matters. For as long as you live, your story is always growing. So, please just keep on telling it.

Paul Meunier 

Joanne, what words of wisdom or inspiration would you like to leave with the listeners?

Joanne Rice 

Well, I think back to one of our episodes, Ryan, who talked about change happens at the speed of trust. And that was eye opening. Again, I continue to learn, you know, in working with the guests and learning their journeys and their stories, and for me, I would just encourage youth workers just to, again, be reflective. You know, how are you showing up? Are there supports you need? Do you need to reach out to others or connect with others too? Because it's hard work. It's very hard work, regardless of the setting of youth work that you're working in. And just know that just doing little things makes a huge impact. And that was something that I learned early on, because I thought, oh my goodness, how am I going to know all the state resources I don't know on answering the hotline, but I learned really quickly that people just need somebody to listen and believe them and trust them, that they're the experts in their story, in their journeys as young people and just show up authentically.

Barbara Van Deinse 

Mhmm.Paul Meunier 

Paul, what words of wisdom or inspiration would you like to leave with our listeners? Hey, thank you for asking! 100 and some episodes nobody's ever asked me! Don't be afraid to try. Failure is just a lesson towards competency, and our young people are so needing you to be successful. So, keep working hard. Never give up, and don't be afraid of failure.

Paul Meunier 

Thanks for listening to The Passionate Youth Worker podcast. We're out.