My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)

I am right. Once again my ability for group dynamics has struck true. This experiment of a youth program moving in with an adult program is a bad idea. The worst problem is that the youth program is going to suffer. We are being told to change our style and the way we deal with young people. Someone *cough* E.D. *cough*…thinks we are not professional enough. She says we have inappropriate conversations with the young people. What she fails to realize is that we do not just have business relationships. There ARE personal factors going on. When a young person’s parents can’t get enthusiastic about them getting their GED or finding a job that has them making at 18 what I made at 22, they tend to want to see you. When you show an interest in someones life it draws them in. For “official” purposes I get my numbers and they get someone who cares about what’s going on with them. When you’ve helped someone do everthing from find work to take care of their education to show them how to parallel park and get their license it tends to form a bond. Another thing people forget is that I don’t work with adults who just need help finding a job…I deal with teenagers who don’t always know who they are yet. In order for me to do my job I have to help them find at least parts of themselves so we can work together. Some people just don’t understand it. When I look at people in my field there are always strong client/case manager relationships because of some of the things you’ve seen them through at a critical time in their life. When alot of my clients come in we aren’t just talking about their job or education…we’re talking about their life and no matter what my intention, I’m playing a role in it. That makes me more than just a tie behind a desk and I will not revert to being one.