Right
London Riots.
I am full of feelings about all this.
There is a vast majority of young people who have nor rioted.
There are some on the fringe of the riots
1 being entertained by it all
2 being tempted to join in under the cover of numbers and the excitement of it all.
It is all like an action movie or a violent computer game - and attractive.
We can see there is a large number who are rioting in different locations in London and beyond.
I work with, and have for many years,
worked with young people on the edge,
who are living in violence and anti social behaviour.
I write and share stories about their lives and struggles. I feel with them in their situations.
I work and yearn to understand them and want for them deeply.
I, like you, think that the riots are totally unacceptable - absolutely horrific -
but that is not enough.
Very very sad.
What can be done?
Short tem the local communities and the police force and the course of law has to manage the crisis - but -
what about the long term?
I have two challenges in my life.
1 How to burst a bubble.
Firstly I am challenged by
young humans, living in a bubble.
Trapped in a cycle of
a spliff habit, alcohol dependancy,
no reason to get out of bed,
twittering on Facebook and
trapped in the benefit system,
and clinging to security with their peers.
Life is not challenging or stretching.
They have no responsibility for anyone or even themselves.
It is a bad place for them to be.
It is a bad place for the rest of us to be.
My challenge is how can I get through to them.
How can I facilitate them in bursting their bubble?
I can't burst their bubble, it needs to be an act of
liberation by them themselves.
I know so many young beautiful intelligent humans
who are trapped in such circumstances.
I am on a mission to be of some use.
2 Burst a Bubble 2
Young humans involved in serious crime.
Drugs, knives, guns, violence, BMWs, prison.
Here they are, and all their friends and opposition parties,
in a cycle of socially and personally negative relationships.
How can I facilitate them bursting their bubble?
How can they burst out of their networks
to form more positive human networks?
Place these two ingredients together and an explosion will happen - sooner or later.
We cannot leave families
and young people to
become and exist in these circumstances.
I don't know what to offer in just a few words.
But there is a massive need for social and emotional learning
Their families are also very much in need too.
It is no use saying 'lock them up'
because we have no space for them
and it only criminalises the more.
These young lives need to to be able
to self determine their lives
positively.
They, like us, need a reason for living - to choose that
because oppression does not change people -
it is only themselves who can change.
They can become like ourselves
who would not wish to riot, loot, have fun in extreme vandalism.
It can be done.
It must be done.
BUT
we need to get humans on the ground to do this specialist work with them.
Nurture, involve, new skills, new values, new spiritual inner life.
I have experienced this in my life.
Seeing those at the bottom
become significant humans
giving of their intelligence and personalities
to become more than useful members of communities
and in our society at large.
Young humans services have been hit deeply recently.
Massive cuts.
Employment is an escape from poverty
and relational ghettos.
We need to do something about disaffected young humans.
Otherwise they will take the risks of behaving like this
because it breaks their boredom.
www.pipwilson.com
