In addition to a large number of games and equipment to help pass the time after school, Rm1 Coombe also has a so-called 'whiteboard' - perfectly white, as the name suggests, and which with its very presence is more or less begging you to test your dexterity with a good thick black marker pen to give purpose to your artistic impulses and to adding thought-provoking slogans, or even to play at being teacher. We realised how useful this was at the beginning of the month, as using the whiteboard we were soon debating questions and topics which had been written up on the board, stimulating small talk, conversation and even sometimes deep discussions!
Last week it was my turn to prepare the whiteboard for the topic which was fair trade, so with measureless enthusiasm I attacked two boys who were harmlessly engaged in trying to knock Lego Indiana Jones figures off a cliff (the new Wii game).
I could have asked them for any question that might occur to them around cash crops, exploitation and fair trade...but my enthusiasm gave way first to mild disappointment and then to total frustration. Every attempt to persuade those two youth to give utterance to any statement of more than three words was a failure. I had to concede that, under the influence of the wii, I was about as interesting to them as a lettuce to a shark.
So I reached the end of last week and I was disappointed and had begun to have serious doubts about my suitability as a Youthworker, but unbeknown to me, things were about to change and the young people at Rm1 Coombe were getting ready to surprise me.
Chocolate bananas rule- or the dark power of the wii weakens
With nerves like piano wires and a few new English expressions calculated to check the boys' squabbles and misdemeanours, off I went to work. But my expectation, that I would find pandemonium, was not fulfilled. What happened instead was this: as we were preparing the daily snacks [fair trade chocolate bananas, as a subtle reference to last week's white board discussion topic] one boy delightedly explained the difference between fair trade food and the rubbish food they use in their cooking lessons.
One other boys were impressed by the amazing taste of the chocolate and asked for more information about fair trade, and we finished the Thursday evening session with a song of praise to fair trade fruit and chocolate...made up on the spot.
be blessed
Cookie (Anne)
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