The Disengaged and the Trapped
Adrian Wait : UK [12.05]

Is Anybody Listening? This is a question we all raise when exhaustion becomes married to an endless feeling banging our head against a wall, the wall of indifference. The following reflection is shared in the hope that it will find an echo in the experiences of all those who seek to reconcile the disengaged and the trapped within our communities - it is a sigh, rather than a pre-packed easy solution.

Forgive me for being personal, sharing my thoughts and experiences - my aim was/is merely to raise the sense of powerlessness when faced by a system that is forever professing to tackle social exclusion, and to promote community without grasping the need to recognise the individual. It is the regeneration of the individual; the restoration of hope for them; that we will witness the sustainability of genuine community regeneration, community development. Briefly, I wish to share with you my context - 'where I am coming from' then I want to share with you the importance of the 'centrality of things'.

I could write of many experiences through working with communities who are socially excluded, individuals whose life's were blighted and restricted by poverty; and expound the various strategies adopted to tackle their situation. I could write of my commitment to challenging all forms of exclusion; of my experiences of fighting discrimination and striving to restore the dignity of the community, the individual, I have worked with in establishing a community based advice & information project on a 'sink estate'.

I could explore and expound upon the theory and practice of my many years in community development work; I could highlight the problems faced when seeking to bridge the gap within the community - the gap between the disengaged and the trapped. All of the above is embedded within my many years experience both as a 'professional' - paid community development worker; and many years as a voluntary activist.

However I truly believe the most important experience I have are the experiences of being 'surplus to requirement'; of being unemployed and struggling on a 'sink estate' - struggling against the labelling; and the most wicked system that sort to use unemployed people to keep inflation down. All of my working experience is fuelled by my experience of being socially excluded - and more importantly of experiencing the pain of not being able to contribute to my family, my community - being robbed of the gift of giving!. This is a most profound and life-changing experience - a lack of adequate income reinforced by feelings of inadequacy and rejection. And how quickly this can happen to an individual - I had been working on a 'sink estate' since 1989 until October 2003; through burn out; and several key life experiences my health failed and after long-term sick leave the funding body ensured that my contract was terminated; I don't suppose it has anything to do with the fact I was a thorn in their side - pure coincidence.

Now two years or so down the line I am facing life on £56.20p a week - I do not need to spell out to yourselves the pattern reinforced by such a pitiful income - I am being forced further and further into debt - not because I do not want to meet my commitments but because I simply cannot meet them. I recently contacted my Bank to try to arranged a reduced payment on a personal loan - they rejected my offer, even though they of all people know my income and my expenditure - I was receiving £224 per month, they were taking £170 per month, I was able to do this by arranging a mortgage holiday - which is fast closing in on me - and by the kind heart of my brother who buys my groceries!. I was adviced to close my account and "see them in court" ( by a recognised Advice group). I have had to do so, but this is having a profound effect upon my well-being.

This testimony to my experience and vocational reasons for tackling social injustice/exclusion - this is my background - 'this is where I am coming from'

Regeneration: The Centrality of 'Things'
For anyone trying to understand regeneration / community development it is essential to grasp the centrality of 'things'. Community engagement is about 'things', it is about being excluded from 'things', because of a lack of money, low self-esteem. It is about not having 'things' like a job, self-respect, self-confidence, or any plans for the future. But also, it is about having 'things' like isolation, depression, loneliness, ill-health, run-down estates, noisy and often anti-social neighbours !. Where would You begin to tackle such issues ?, would such 'things' enable and encourage you to attend Community Regeneration events ?. Would You have the resolve, the confidence, the heart, to face a room full of confident-professionals who speak of 'empowerment and local strategic partnerships' ?.

The failure to acknowledge the centrality of 'things' has been and sadly remains the major barrier to engaging those who are trapped by such 'things', and likewise challenging those who are disengaged from such 'things' to realise that : "apathy" is an overused excuse to describe and dismiss those who are trapped by 'things' such as an environment that closes in on them, or 'things' that overwhelm and dispirit such as when 'things' breakdown or get damaged, they remain broken and damaged.

Many I'm sure would view the use of the benefit - Social Fund - to ensure that "the kids get a Christmas, just like other kids do", as an abuse of the system. This highlights the gap between those trapped by things, and those disengaged from things.

When people are being trapped by their situation and discounted as apathetic, 'rough & ready', scroungers, poor, disadvantaged, is it any wonder that they become 'excluded'. A sense of self-worth is vital to our lifes; too often this is neglected and undermined by a paternalistic approach that reinforces the gap between the 'helper' and the 'helped'. It can lead to a relationship that disables and dismantles self-worth, 'brick-by-patronising-brick'. Affirmation is the tool to address the needs we find within our communities, not a Victorian-style-charity which keeps the poor, the rough & ready, the scroungers in a prison of benevolent charity. Which serves only to make the 'helper' feel good, and the 'helped' still dependant. This dependency destroys self-worth, reinforcing a sense of helplessness.

Affirmation challenges the disengaged to action, to become a little less disengaged, it also challenges those trapped by the situation to become a little more engaged in the process of change. If renewal, regeneration is to really make a difference within our communities we need to seek to reconcile the gap between the disengaged and the trapped, we need to be realistic about the task ahead of us. I believe that when we do recognise the enormity of the task, it will bring us to our knees - which is probably the best place to start !. The vast majority of people I have met, lived among, work with on the three estates mentioned above are genuine - caring - responsible - committed community-minded people. Their commitment to the regeneration of their community is a tremendous witness to their spirit of engagement with 'things' as they find them, and not as they would wish them to be. They have faith in their community. But this faith would remain sterile without their involvement, participation and action.

Our communities are not God forsaken, God has never deserted those areas where many would not want to be seen, let alone live or even engage with in purposeful regeneration work. But isn't this where God call His Church to be ?.

"I , your Lord and Teacher have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another's feet. I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you. I am telling you the truth; no slave is greater than his master, no messenger is greater than the one who sent him. Now you know this truth how happy you are if you put it in to practice."
( John 13: 14 - 17 )

If the Church is to express God's love and care then it must affirm the people in our inner-cities, outer-estates, and rural communities. If we try to keep Christ in our churches he will break them down -

'for the Son of Man did not come to be served; He came to serve and give his life to redeem many people'
(Mark 10.45)

The Church must work with God who has always been there working to regenerate his people, His world, we are called to be co-workers. God does not 'look after' his people, He loves them, He walks with them, He affirms them, His grace has been, and remains, sufficient to those that take-up the plough, those who have dare to trust his word, and lean on his everlasting love. Is Anybody listening?

Adrian Wait Community Development Worker
(Currently - unemployed)
A Person.