Don't Take It Personal
Urban youth work is an honor to be a part of, but it comes with it’s challenges. It's often thankless, and the fruit of your investment doesn’t show until years later. It’s not financially rewarding as people think (for many years I’ve been flat broke lol), nor is it glamorous, especially when you are dealing with age old urban issues that lead to death, violence, addiction, and more. Recently as a 19 year vet of urban work, I have been faced with a particular challenge that hasn’t been easy for me to swallow. That challenge is being blamed for things or being accused of things when it has absolutely nothing to do with me, or when the accusations are the furthest from the truth. I’ve put some thought to this and felt the need to write to encourage youth workers around the world. When facing this challenge it will make you want to quit, tuck tail and run. Being blamed for something creates resentment, anger and frustration and it will cause you to do things that