DEIS 15 years <3

I wrote this post a couple of days ago and scheduled it for today. ‘Today’ I’m on a summer camp with young people from the youth org I’ve been working with in the past year. So, on DEIS-Day, I’m a youth worker on duty.

15 years of DEIS, 9 years since I joined, 6 years since I’ve got my Romanian youth worker diploma and 4 years of DEIS UK (which is currently on hold for a bit, but I really feel like it might be time for us to come back).

15 years since this organisation has been creating, in my opinion, one of the most valuable and significant learning opportunities for young people. Opportunities in which young people have fun, socialise, make friends, but also learn a new skill, have the space they need to experiment with different passions and professional experiences, and get ready for a balanced future. In this whole process, young people are young people - not kids, not future adults - they are understood the way they are and their needs are truly addressed.

I got to a point where it’s a bit difficult for me to explain in summary why this is so important. Probably because I’m also too deep into the sector - every day I breathe youth work (different age groups, different projects, different contexts, but still youth work). I am at the same time on the grassroots with teenagers and pre-teens, I also coordinate a project with students, and I’m also involved strategically and executively in a few others.

 I just wanna say… trust me, bro! :)))))) , but let me drop a paragraph I wrote back in 2017, when we were celebrating 7 years of DEIS, and let’s analyse it together:

“In winter, I rediscovered my passion for writing. When you study maths and programming in high school, it’s easy to forget that creativity also exists. However, now I post on the Youth Centre’s page every now and then some of my thoughts and I feel I have the power to help.

For me, this is what DEIS actually means. To make myself useful, to help, to develop myself and know myself. Moreover, it means meeting people who can inspire me and who can support me in everything I want to do, who can help me discover or rediscover my qualities and help me utilise them.

I got to care about these people so much!”

Let me get back to make myself useful, to help, to develop myself and know myself . I strongly believe that this is a common feeling among teenagers. Because they’re not kids anymore and can take responsibility for some tasks, they want to search for and understand themselves, they want to be part of a community, something larger than them. But they’re not yet the adults who have found their place and know how this world works. Back in 2017/2018, I used to start many of my posts saying that “we are young, teenagers, to be more specific. We all have our problems and our drama and we all need to know that we are not alone.”

But from here, deep inside the sector, I will also tell you that what DEIS does is very rare. This level of trust in young people. These opportunities for young people to do, to explore, to discover. This connection between youth workers and young people. Because it’s not easy. It’s not easy at all. These are long processes that might take months or even years. Sometimes you take one step forward and three steps back. There is a lot of emotional work for the youth worker there, behind the scenes, but also for the young person who might be coordinating their first project or might have their first responsibility outside of home. And the most complicated part is the financial side, the main reason we haven’t been doing much DEIS UK stuff. I won’t go into detail about how the youth sector and a few other similar sectors function (not) financially, but if anyone wants to know, message me and I’ll gladly explain it.

DEIS’s motto is keep on going. And for the past 15 years, this organisation keeps on going. On the more difficult road, but with a more significant impact. With trust in young people.

I’ve said this 100 times, and I’ll say it 1000 more, without DEIS, I wouldn’t be me. Thank you! and Happy DEIS-Day! Keep on going!