The ‘new’ in our new reality
Posted Sept. 17, 2020, by Melanie Wilson
Ever since the pandemic began last March, we at Youth Catalytics have been talking about our collective “new reality” — what it means for us, what it means for our partners, what it means for the young people on whose behalf we all work. It’s an easy phrase to use, since it encompasses everything at once without isolating what’s truly, meaningfully different.
We decided to figure it out. Today on a staff call we went round our Zoom room, each of us naming things that we’re seeing in our day-to-day work. There were three of us. One of us is a group facilitator who spends a lot of time helping organizations plan their near-term and mid-term futures; one is a trainer who teaches youth development principles and practices to organizations around the country; and one is a program evaluator and jack-of-all-trades researcher. We made one rule: we could only name things we’re directly seeing, hearing, or experiencing in our day-to-day work.
Here’s the list we came up with:
Many organizations, from United Ways to homeless youth shelters, are seeing increased need in their communities. At the same time, their funding has become less stable. It’s increased from certain quarters – such as the CARES Act – while decreasing from more traditional sources. The CARES Act funding will eventually go away. Will the other sources come back? And when?
Employees are working at home, even for jobs that aren’t considered “doable” from home. Supervisors wonder if they need new policies and procedures to manage these newly remote employees. But do they really, or are they themselves simply struggling with allowing employees more freedom and flexibility? (We’re merely reporting the issue, not answering the question.)
Some employees now working at home don’t have adequate computer set-ups, internet speeds, or at-home office spaces. Is this an equity issue, reflecting poor pay or unfair salary differentials? Or isn’t it?
Boundaries with organizational clients have become harder to maintain. Since “work” has escaped its 9-5 box, if a client or partner wants to Zoom from their kitchen at 6pm while dinner simmers on the stove behind them, should we say yes or no? In a pandemic crisis, is saying no even a reasonable, neighborly thing to do? We all need to work together, after all.
Lots of programs for youth are rolled out in school classrooms or after school, in public spaces such as youth clubs or libraries. With these venues closed or only intermittently open, how do these programs get delivered to young people?
Another problem is that lots of young people don’t have computers or fast internet. One agency in W. Mass. told us that 20% of the students in its area either don’t have computers or are living in small towns without internet service good enough to let them participate in virtual classes or programs. For this agency, the problem isn’t just how to make a face-to-face curriculum compelling online; it’s getting young people online to begin with, and keeping them online, session after session.
Some good things are happening, too. Some services, such as street outreach and counseling, can work surprisingly well online. Agencies in California and Michigan have told us that many young people actually prefer virtual contacts, especially at the beginning, when they’re not sure they want to be in touch at all. For youth who might never have been willing to walk in the door, “virtual” is a good, maybe even lifesaving, thing.
Many organizations and coalitions are also finding work meetings via Zoom to be more efficient and effective. (Prediction: The people who say Zoom is a dehumanizing plunge into dystopia are probably going to have to get over it, because there’s no putting this genie back in the bottle.)
If you’ve resolved any of these issues for your organization, let us know by replying below. Otherwise, just tell us what’s happening. We lose sight of it from day to day, but we’re in the middle of a historic event. Let’s document what went right, wrong, and sideways during it.