• School Leadership Days
  • 11 September 2008
  • 13 September 2007
  • 14 September 2006
  • 14 September 2005
• Working With A Charity
  • The Second Rank Fellowship Charities Evening
  • Charities Evening Report 2006
    • Attending Charities
    • Photos
• Recent CAP Reports
  • Ross Jenkins
  • Hannah Partridge
  • Farzin Mirshahi
  • Archie Wardlaw
  • Robert Sharpley
  • Sarah Potts at the Ellesmere Youth Project
  • Daniella Smith at All Saints Normanton Youth Project
  • Josh Williams at the Hope Family Centre
• Earlier CAP Reports

Luke Jones - My Community Placement with Rank

I am a town dweller who had recently moved to the country. So finding that my placement was right in the East End of London didn’t come as a great shock to me. I was actually quite excited. It was when I found what I was to be doing that the mood changed. Youth Work. This meant dealing with other people my age, younger and older. Would the older ones intimidate me? Would I accidentally make the smallest ones cry? My mind was a flurry. I really felt like I was being thrown in at the deep end – and was suddenly not quite so excited about the two weeks ahead.

How wrong I was. Never before had I felt so welcomed anywhere. Nobody expected me to be an expert in childcare or organising activities (which was just as well, seeing as I accidentally nailed some woodwork to the floor on my first day!). I had been worried about being left to care for the kids myself – but this didn’t happen at all. I was with well-experienced carers who surprised me with their commitment to their cause. I, to my relief, found that I was really enjoying myself. I joined in the kid’s games, was treated like an adult by the workers and had plenty of relaxation with the other carers – many of whom were my age!

It is beyond words to describe the excellence of my hosts over the two weeks. It was like I had been living with them for all my life. I was given my own room, ate with the family and was given an insiders view of working London life. To have a base where I could go back to and relax during such a busy two weeks helped me a great deal. I feel the family I was with would have done the same for anyone. We all aim to stay in touch for a long time to come, which charmed me a great deal.

The relationships I had made will last a very long time into the future, and I am overjoyed that I got the chance to work with young people on such a personal level. They had mastered the combination of work and play, and I am definitely contemplating returning there in the future. I would never have had the chance without Rank, for which I’m very thankful.