Evolving Ambitions

There are many things that I have taken for granted in my upbringing; the unconditional support of my family, the ease of which I passed through the education system and the unwavering knowledge that I will always have a roof over my head.

For the majority of the eighty young residents who I am currently working with in supported accommodation run by Evolve Housing + Support, this certainty of a roof over their heads has been pulled from under their feet or occasionally it is something that they have never had. I can only imagine the emotional turmoil that this must cause and what a distraction it must be from the other aspects of life.

It is, I imagine, for this reason that in most cases, you can almost audibly hear the sigh of relief as new customers are offered a place at the hostel. It provides them with a base to start rebuilding their lives, four walls within which they can get back into the routine of life and access the support they require.

On moving in, many of the residents have ambitious dreams about where they want to be in five years’ time. However, it is too often the case that shortly after, they are lacking the engagement required to positively propel them towards these dreams.

Perhaps it is this comfort of a room which often leads to them spending more time at the hostel than they first expect, the certainty of a bed for the night leading them to become apathetic to the opportunities available to them.

Or perhaps it is something that runs a little deeper.

Are there other aspects of my childhood which I take for granted? As I passed my way through the academic system, was I subconsciously being conditioned to succeed in today’s society? For many of the residents at my placement, the education system failed them. They haven’t experienced the support and encouragement that all of us need to take those scary leaps in life. Is this the reason for the lack of drive to progress towards their goals or is it a lack the self-esteem or maybe a lack of knowledge about the non-monetary rewards of the working world?

Most likely, it is a combination of many factors.

I am hoping to delve deeper into this problem as part of my assignment whilst on placement. I plan to work with the customers on a project to help them kick start their journey towards life outside of the hostel allowing them to take ownership of their goals. I’d love them to recognise the unique resilience and grit which their experiences have taught them, experiences that most of us couldn’t even fathom. The challenge of developing a project in an eighty bed hostel is that it houses eighty individuals with vastly different stories, dreams and motivations. We will have our work cut out creating something that will engage them all.

I return to my placement on Tuesday after two weeks away and I am looking forward to developing the project alongside the people it hopes to benefit.