CPR - How Does it Work?

CPR was developed as a curriculum resource that correlated to the level of relationship between youth worker and young people. As each relationship and connection is unique, therefore the expectations and parameters within which the youth work is conducted are also unique. The question being, can the same programme be delivered by a youth worker with a relatively new relationship with young people, in the same way as someone who has a more established, and therefore more trusting relationship? With the onset of post modernity, and resulting fragmentation more flexible and relational approaches are required. CPR builds on recent thinking around multiple intelligences and learning theory, and provides a framework to enhance work with young people around established curriculum areas as well providing specific resources relating to the five Every Child Matters Outcomes.

CPR – The levels

Exploring this further it was concluded that an issue-based resource could be developed that could be related to on three different levels, rather like the terms: beginner, intermediate and advanced, we created Contact, Progress & Risk. These represent three basic levels of relationship between youth worker and young people.

For example, someone new to a youth work setting that has been working with a group of young people for a month could be classed as somewhat of a beginner. The relationship between youth worker and young people is new and untested; there may be some wariness as a level of trust has yet to be established. This does not mean that effective youth work cannot be achieved, but rather that the activities engaged in may be more ‘safe’ in nature. Therefore the level Contact was developed, giving ideas that would be suitable to use with young people where the minimum of relationship has been developed.

For those who have a more established relationship the Progress was created, the intermediate level of CPR. There is an attained level of trust between young people and youth worker but a truly trusting relationship has yet to be achieved that would enable engagement in riskier activities. It may be difficult to gauge exactly how the young people would react to certain activities. Although the ideas in the Contact level would work well, there is a need to challenge the young people a little further, which is what the Progress level seeks to do.

Risk is, as the name would suggest, the most advanced level. There is a well-established and trusting relationship between youth worker and young people. This enables the youth worker to further challenge the young people and push boundaries that may not have been suitable at an earlier stage in the relationship. Communication is key and young people should be able to feel free to question and challenge the youth worker, to engage, unpack, and explore meaning in the activities. This level may also contain ideas that are ‘risky’ in the sense that it may require an outside trip, or to accompany a young person alone, which should always be done with the utmost precaution to protect not only the young person/people, but also you as a youth worker and in line with child protection guidelines and best practice.

Of course, not everyone will fit so neatly into each category, and when specific CPR resource pages are created they are written in a non linear format, so that you can dip in and out and adapt ideas to suit your particular needs and practice. Resource pages on each of the levels are also being developed to act as a guide to assist you in putting together a programme that will most benefit the young people you work with.

CPR – The Categories

CPR is further split into four categories: Actions, Reflections, Groups and Individuals. In each section there are several ideas for each level (Contact, Progress & Risk). These were developed so that the theme could be explored using different methods and activities, catering for different learning styles and contexts.

Actions involves practical ideas that are ‘active’ in focus, for example one action might be to put on a cabaret evening to raise money for a particular charity, or it could be to put together a directory of local services for young people to be distributed through schools. In this way Actions usually has an outward focus, but also a ‘hands on’ approach that enables the young people you work with to actively engage in the subject being explored.

Reflections is somewhat the opposite of Actions, it enables reflection and meditation on the theme being explored. It is contemplative in nature and may involve the use of image, personal reflection or ritual, and can be ‘spiritual’ in nature. Reflections can sometimes be indirect, for example sticking up a question on the youth club wall and leaving it there for the young people to find, or putting up conflicting images without introduction to the activity. This enables the young people to engage individually and to draw their own conclusions. However sometimes there are more group-focused tasks that require a little more participation. Reflections are there to aid the young people in connecting with the theme on a deeper, more personal level. By giving them the opportunity to not only actively engage with the theme, but also to have the space to reflect upon it will give a more interconnected approach to the subject and facilitate deeper learning.

Groups are activities that can be used with a group of any size. They involve the group either as a whole, as smaller groups, or as individuals, but there is always a cohesiveness to the activities that addresses the whole group. If you have a large group you may find it easier to break them into smaller groups for some activities to encourage inclusiveness. It is important when engaging in group activities to ensure that everyone is given equal opportunity to contribute. You may find that you need to delegate, don’t be afraid to use young people as well as co-leaders. Activities can be anything from games to role-play, many have a ‘team building’ element to help develop and grow the group as a whole.

Individuals was developed specifically with detached youth work in mind, however you may find yourself in a situation where you are required to do some one-to-one work with a young person. Therefore many of the ideas require little preparation or materials, the suggestion are varied so that not all activities revolve solely around discussion, although conversation does play a major part. A lot of the riskier activities involve going somewhere with the young person, e.g. walking around the local area, and because of issues of child protection we have put these types of activities in the ‘risk’ category.

Again all these ideas are adaptable, there is nothing to stop you using a groups idea with an individual or vice versa. You may decide to use just one idea in a session, or devote a whole session to the theme exploring several of the ideas. Activities vary in length, some require preparation, others none. You may find that an idea captures the young peoples imagination and takes you off in a completely different direction, don’t be afraid to go with it.

Every CPR Resource Page is based around a theme, all the ideas, whether directly or indirectly, are somehow connected with the subject. You may be required to think outside of the box with some of the ideas, as it is not always immediately obvious how they relate to the theme. At the top of each Resource Page a brief introduction to the theme is given and how it connects to youth work and young people. This will help give an overview and some perspective to the activities. It is not meant to be fully conclusive, or an in-depth exploration of the subject and we would encourage workers and provide resources to do your own research if you wish to investigate the theme further. The Curriculum Resource pages are formatted in a non linear style, and the feedback from pilots showed that this supported workers to contextualise the resource to their setting and improve practice.

CPR – Story

Every CPR has a short story, this is relating to the theme and is used in one or more of the activities. It can be used in a variety of ways, as a discussion starter, for a role play, as the basis for a piece of creative writing. There is always at least one idea that uses the story, but as with the rest of CPR it is an adaptable resource and could be used in many different ways.

CPR – Scenario

Again every CPR has a scenario and they vary considerably. Some may give the outline of a character, some may give several different perspectives of the same issue, some may be linked with the story. Again these can be used in many different ways, feel free to make up your own scenarios particularly if there are specific issues that affect the group you work with. It may be more suitable to use your own ideas or to add to the existing scenario.

CPR – Weblinks

With every CPR there is a weblinks section, often an idea may be related to a particular site or article on the web and it is here that you will find the link. If an idea has a specific link it will say (see weblinks) at the end of the idea. Some general sites are also given for further research and/or more ideas on the theme. Please note that we are not responsible for the content of these sites, although we check them all, some may change or could have links to sites that you might feel are inappropriate. Occasionally websites are given for the young people to look at, and it is advised that you check these yourself first to make sure that the content is suitable for the young people you work with.

CPR – Resources

There are a variety of extra resources cited, and these are usually in the form of books. We try to suggest two or three books/resources for each theme including youth work books from the National Youth Agency (NYA), National Childrens Books (NCB), Russell House Publishing. Theological resources can also be provided for those working in a Christian environment, or for personal reflection.

Flexibility is key and it is hoped to be a flexible resource which is why the ideas are so short. There is always enough information to make it self explanatory without being too prescriptive. It is recognised that many youth workers lead busy lives, some participating in their spare time, or alongside a full time job and as such tried to make the ideas easily accessible, but unlike most conventional resources care is taken to avoid being overly descriptive. This does not detract from the usefulness of the ideas, and although some ideas will involve some thought others could be picked up straight off the page and used immediately.

Creating your own themes and session plans using the CPR format is promoted and proformas to facilitate this are available. Workers often like to start by thinking of one or two extra ideas to a theme already developed, or to adapt existing ideas to their own theme.

Different Themed Curriculum Resource Pages are being developed all the time and should you feel there is particular issue that would benefit from being explored in this way, specific resource pages can be ordered.

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