Depending on who you
ask, where you are from, or what age you are one might think that priorities
differ between people, but in reality I don’t believe they really do. While
volunteering with theGKexperience Just Do It group and chatting with two of the
young people, one from Black hill and one from Ruchazie, and one young leader
from Ruchazie I found that a lot of our priorities are similar. Being from a
very different background from the young people we work with at theGKexperience
I was surprised and encouraged by their responses when asked what their
priorities were. I received some answers such as my phone, football, and wifi,
but I also received some really thoughtful answers such as family, friends, and
a very profound answer from Josh, one of our young leaders. He said that “he
prioritises being happy and doing the things he wants.” I can relate to all of
these priorities and I think it is important that no matter what age you are or
what background you come from that you do prioritise the things that make you
happy in life.
For me, that means my
family, my community here in Scotland, and my passion for social enterprises
and charities. But I also realise that sometimes we have to prioritise aspects
of our life that we are not as interested in, but are still important for our
development. All three of the young people I talked with mentioned that they do
not enjoy going to school or college but had to make it a priority over other
things because they knew they had to. But interestingly all three of them found
that when they engaged in school and started attending regularly they enjoyed
it more because they made friends and knew what they were supposed to be
learning. Similarly, I also do not enjoy my University course as much as other
aspects of my life but understand that it is an important step for my future
and that I just need to stick it out.
While talking we all
discussed how important going away on residential was for us. When asked, why
do we make going away to residential a priority, both Josh and Shelbie answered
that it is important for making new friends and trying new activities that you
don’t normally get the chance to do. Residential is a new experience for me as
a volunteer as well and I am so glad I was able to go and make new friends and
try new activities. Residential gives everyone the space to be themselves
without any distractions and allows everyone to just have fun.
Going on residential
also reminded me of the days when I was 13 and used to go away to camp each
summer. It reminded me of the fun I had, the team building, persevering through
challenges, and it got me out of my regular routine and into a new space with
new people. I am really proud of the person I am becoming and it is due to the
things I prioritise in my life. I always make happiness a priority, and if I am
unhappy, I try and change my circumstances. We realised even our support
networks want us to prioritise things in our lives. When asked what our
caretakers want us to prioritise, I answered that my family would want me to be
safe, to enjoy what I am doing, and to be healthy. Shelbie thought her mom
would want her to have a clean room and to hang about with the right people.
All three of the participants, Josh, Shelbie, and Chloe all said that they
thought their caretakers didn’t care as much if they made mistakes or were not
perfect, they just wanted them to be happy with what they were doing. Josh said
when he is at GK he just wants to have fun and to encourage others to do the
same. I think I can say for all of us how important theGKexperience is in our
lives and that without it as a priority we would all be in a different place
then we are today.
As Elisabeth Hasselbeck
once said “Nobody’s life is ever all balanced. It’s a conscious decision to
choose your priorities every day.” We can’t expect to always have our ducks in
a row, but we can try to live happy fulfilled lives and encourage our friends
and neighbours to do so too.
Blessings,
Julie Sanders
