Many newcomers wonder what on earth they will talk about when they are with kids in the program. It feels rather in-your-face to sit down over a mug of coffee and talk about a youngster’s "problems" and why he or she is in the program. On the other hand it’s pretty weak to talk about the weather.

Well, your employers are probably less interested in what you talk about than the fact that you can just talk. They assume that you have a range of knowledge and interests that will help you get a conversation going, because that’s about the most important thing you will get to do.

We succeed in getting youngsters up and running again when we get them interacting. To this extent we are more concerned about the process (that kids and adults engage and talk, so that they can listen and understand each other) than the content (the weather). And if you have no interests, then you’re not interesting. You won’t attract the kids and arouse their interest.

Of course, you may have thought that you’re not meant to bring your interests and passions on to the premises – that you should leave your own stuff at home. Not so! What makes you valuable to the team is that you do have interests and passions, that there are things which fire you up and motivate you, that you bring energy and new ideas to work with you.

Take a child and youth care worker ... and add a guitar, a magazine, an enthusiasm for track events, a recipe, a sharp wit, a love for mountains, an obsession for good movies, a camera, some good jokes, a wet suit, an unashamed love for hamburgers, a soccer ball, a strange hat, the latest scores, a fishing rod, an intriguing book ... whatever ... and you add possibility and excitement and movement to yourself, to the program and to the kids. You will have something to talk about. You will engage with the youth. As the old saying has it — it doesn’t matter what you do with kids, so long as you do something.

Bring your toys with you.