The Importance of Youth Work

What’s your name and what do you do for XLP?
My name is Dimitri McIntosh. I’m the Senior Youth Worker for Tower Hamlets, and I’m from Grenada.

Why are you a youth worker?
I got into youth work by buying a loaf of bread! I was 15 years old going to a youth club ran by my local church. I used to turn up early and the youth workers said “as you’re here, can you go shop and gets us a loaf of bread and chat with anyone else who arrives early?” My youth workers had spotted something in me, and started to release me as a leader by giving me leadership roles.
 
When I was 16, I was writing my CV and the youth workers said I should put “youth worker” in my experience. They said for over a year I’d been living my life serving young people. Fifteen years later, I still love seeing young people being transformed, shaped and changed.

​What brought you to XLP?
​I’d say God. A friend of mine sent me the job advert and I checked out the website. I’d known about XLP, but I didn’t think it was for me so I didn’t apply. Two weeks later, I woke up at 6am and I felt an urge to apply! I thought it must be from God because it’s not a rational thought to have that early in the morning! I applied, went for interview and got the job!

Tell me a story about a young person you’ve been working with
We run a project outside a school, and that’s where I first met Ant. When he first came to the project, he was quite closed off, so I just spent time talking with him. One day he opened up about how he’d suffered a big bereavement – his mum had recently passed away. He’d wanted to talk about it, and he’d felt like XLP had been a safe space for him.

The following week, he invited his friend. We called him Dec.

Then Ant started coming to a different XLP project in the middle of the week that happened to be next to his house. He was eager to get involved in everything! I took Ant and Dec out for pizza in the school holidays, and it’s incredible to see how they’re supporting each other in their lives.
Ant won a Jack Petchey award because of how amazing he’s been at supporting his friend. He’s come from a place where he’d lost something and didn’t feel safe, and in XLP he’s found a place of safety.

What would you say to your 15 year old self?
Keep enjoying the fun ride of youth work. Youth work gives you really fun moments where you get to celebrate and be proud of young people as they achieve and overcome big things, and that is so special. Youth workers stand in the gaps with young people in the highs and the lows.
 
 What impact does XLP have?
A phenomenal one! Anyone can run a youth work project – it’s not rocket science, and it’s not original, but it really does work. You can’t go wrong as long as you put the young people first.