Being there and going out

Most young people in We Are Streetwise never asked for help. Many have learned that adults bring rules, forms and consequences. If you wait for them to come to you, they will not come. Step 1 therefore asks you to go to them: be present where they are, and keep coming back.

Why it works

Behavioural research is clear on one point: the relationship between worker and young person (the working alliance) predicts results more strongly than any specific method. Young people with negative experiences of adults test that relationship first. They watch whether you return, whether you keep your word and whether you judge them. The presence approach (presentiebenadering) builds on this: your reliable presence is the first intervention.

What you do

• Be predictable. Same places, same days, same times. Predictability creates safety.

• Start with their world. Talk about football, music or what is happening in the neighbourhood, not about their problems.

• Remember and follow up. “How did your match go on Saturday?” shows you listened.

• Keep small promises. Each kept promise is evidence that you can be trusted. Each broken one counts double.

• Offer a low-threshold activity. Football, sport or the community garden is often an easier first step than a conversation.

• Know your boundaries. Be friendly, not a friend. Never promise secrecy you cannot keep: if safety is at risk, you must act, and you can say so honestly from the start.

  
  

Watch out

Moving too fast. Pushing for change before there is trust triggers resistance (reactance). The young person withdraws to protect their freedom.

Acting like the police. Take safety signals seriously and discuss them with your programme manager. But if every contact feels like control, young people stop talking.

Disappearing. Coming three times and then staying away for a month confirms what many already believe: adults do not stay.

From practice

In Kanaleneiland-Zuid, our We Are Streetwise group has been running for two years. Young people reach the group in three ways. Trainers meet them at hanging spots in the neighbourhood. Some move on from M&K’s own preventive programmes when there are concerns about crime. And schools, the neighbourhood team and other local partners refer young people to us.

Try this week

Write down which young people greeted you first this week, and which ones you greeted first. Over a few weeks, that ratio shows whether trust is growing.

Key message

Trust is not a phase you complete. It is the base for every next step. Be patient, be predictable and be present.