There's a lot of misconceptions around what we do as residential youth workers. I think people think that we just keep these kids contained and that we're just there to kind of keep an eye on them and note down what we do, and that that they're all quote unquote broken kids and there's no fixing them. When in reality these kids are vulnerable young people that have not had an appropriate adult relationship a lot of the time or haven't had people that were putting them first.
The way I see it is a lot of the time it's about giving them some hope for their future, that's what we're here to do and that's what gives me the most, is the most rewarding feeling is to be able to, you know, give a young person hope for their future because what they've lived so far hasn't necessarily always been great, and a lot of the times not being great at all.