Note: To keep the young person's identity confidential, we refer to them as 'G' throughout the example below. Any individuals in the header image are for illustrative purposes only and are not the subjects of this case study.
About Youth Outreach
The East Riding Youth Justice Service has an established programme which diverts children away from the Criminal Justice System. Funding from the Humber Violence Prevention Partnership was used to strengthen their outreach community support and further develop their early help offer.
Outreach support workers collaborated with other agencies in the East Riding, such as the anti-social behaviour team and Humberside Police. They targeted hotspot areas to positively engage and deliver interventions to young people.
Casual Sexism and Homophobia
A support worker heard sexist and homophobic remarks from some of the young people. Comments included, "I’m not doing that because it’s gay," "Girls can’t do tricks on a scooter" and "Girls belong in the kitchen." One boy also asked his friend for permission to make a bracelet.
Although the support worker challenged these comments, it was a consistent theme that needed addressing.
The young people did not see the problem with the comments, or that they could be viewed as bullying and discrimination. According to the young people, "Their gay friend said they could say it" and "None of the girls mind."
Addressing the Comments
The support worker discussed the comments with a group of young people. Though the group initially shut down the conversation, they eventually explored the meaning behind their remarks. Thanks to YouTube videos, one boy realised that girls could in fact do "cool tricks" on scooters.
Positive Friendships
Another young person, G, spoke to the support worker about friendships. G struggled to understand if their friend was being mean to them or just ‘bantering.’ The support worker and G explored what banter really means, the difference between bantering and bullying, and how this can make you feel.
G often argued with their friend at college. Because the relationship caused them a lot of stress, they were unsure if they were really friends. By looking at examples of healthy friendships with the support worker, G was able to identify positive and negative traits in friendships.
Further Information
If you find yourself in a similarly stressful situation, you can try grounding techniques like the ones featured on NHS England.
Our Anyone. Anywhere. campaign helps young people recognise the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships. To learn more about the campaign and download the free resources, click the button below.
