Young Voices Conference

A thoroughly enjoyable conference. The speaker after lunch was excellent, George Robinson from Lucky Duck Publishing.

A thoroughly enjoyable conference. The speaker after lunch was excellent, George Robinson from Lucky Duck Publishing.

The main theme for his talk was self-esteem, drawing together a variety of topics and giving examples from his own life of how one insensitive teacher can damage our confidence forever. He told a particularly touching story. His father had died when he was three, and so he had no education in DIY until at the age of eleven having passed his eleven plus he took up his place at the local comprehensive. His mother had bought him the brown apron worn for woodworking at the beginning of that summer holidays and he had worn it with anticipation and pride, fiddling and feeling around and imagining in the large front pocket. (Laughing)

For about the first two terms he made a pot mat out of wood. It took two terms because every time he showed it to the master he said " a little more sanding George", so that by the time he took it home to his Mam it was like polished glass. His Mam put it in pride of place on the mantlepiece and proudly showed every visitor her son’s handiwork. Well, little George thought he was the best joiner and the next term, they made something with joints. George’s were a bit wobbly but being a resourceful lad he rummaged around on the floor and found some wedges, which he knocked into the joints rendering the work tight. The woodwork master wandering around his class, paused at George’s table and picked up the mighty piece. Seconds later he called the entire class to form a circle and George imagined with pride that he was about to be praised in front of everyone. However instead of praise he was ridiculed - his box or whatever it was held up high and twisted and wriggled until all the wedges had fallen out. To complete the humiliation he then secured it in a vice, sawed it in two and deposited it in the wastebasket. To this day George is unable to approach a DIY task without the absolute knowledge that he will fail, despite owning practically every mechanical and electrical aid, which his wife has given him over the years in an attempt to boost his confidence. It was a good story.

He talked us through the no-blame approach to bullying.

1. Interview the victim
2. Convene a meeting to include all those involved
3. Explain the problem
4. Explain that no one is going to be punished
5. What can be done
6. Leave it up to the children to decide
7. Organise another meeting to see how it’s going, and another …

There was a fantastic dance show put on by the Dance School of Glasgow at Knightswood. I felt quite concerned that here we were at a conference where pupil participation and mutual respect between children and teachers, parents etc was the absolute focus but that most people disappeared after the workshop. For the award and the entertainment there was practically no one there – pretty tough.