Environmental rescue as a contemporary rite of passage for young males in Inverness

OPERATION ROUNDUP

This discussion paper represents an exercise in conflict resolution which seeks to find a pro-active method of working with teenage males who socialize on the streets and other public spaces. It stems back to the late 1990's in Inverness, when the police launched Operation Roundup to curb real or imagined youth behaviour that was triggering alarmist headlines in the local media. In response, a brief paper outlining the problem in terms of a conflict was distributed to interested parties, eg. the police, Community Education, a local crime and safety project, various youth workers, the Princes Trust, and organizations outwith the area. This was followed by one-to-one meetings to discuss perceptions and ideas about this enduring social problem.

Talks ranged from local developments to the wider socio-economic picture, and the topic was covered quite thoroughly. And although a way forward wasn't apparent at the time, some key observations eventually came to form the corner stone of this problem solving exercise. These were:

1. The issue was mainly to do with young males in their mid-teens, with the observation that lads tended to disappear off the "scene" once they reached eighteen.

2. The trouble was less to do with constant nuisances / offenders, as they were easy to identify and apprehend, as it was with young people moving around in groups, egging on the troublemakers, and being unaware of the risks inherent in group membership, to themselves and others.

3. There was a lack of responsible adult male influence in the lives of many of these youngsters. Historically, non-family men would have played more of a role in the lives of young lads, particularly at work which until relatively recently could have started at fifteen. However, many men now fear and often hate male teenagers, especially when the youngsters are hanging around in groups.

4. The collapse of traditional employment, especially the apprenticeships within the Trades, may have deprived many young males of the prospect of a "heroic" rite of passage into manhood and society. It was within these environments that they would have learnt codes of behaviour which reflected wider social expectations. This inability to contribute was widely associated with a loss of commitment to societies norms of behaviour, resulting in an increase in acts of crime, violence and self harm.



RITES OF PASSAGE

Over time, the subject of rites of passage, which was often mentioned during discussions, came under increasing observation for clues as to how to deal with this social problem. This is to the extent that now these findings lie at the heart of this proposal for action. The term "rites de passage" was coined by French anthropologist and folklorist Arnold van Gennep, in 1909. He emphasized the structural similarities among various rites by demonstrating that all are characterized by three phases: separation, transition and reciprocation. Although he recognized that these categories were not developed to the same extent by all peoples, he nonetheless declared them to constitute a universal pattern. A rite of passage can refer to any of numerous events or circumstances that mark the passage of an individual from one social status to another, with many of the most important and common ones being associated with birth, maturity, reproduction and death. Others are culturally based and might signify initiation into societies or groups.

An ideal rite of passage into society should include:

Male elders who transmit knowledge and wisdom to the next generation.

A body of knowledge that alters a young man's state of consciousness and increases
his level of understanding.

A path that men have travelled before.

A route to adulthood.

A set of standards for social participation and personal behaviour.

Yet, while it is easy to visualise an ideal world in which traditional industry met this criterion and served as a socialising force for males, it is possibly fair to say that this environment was a threatening place for gay men and members of ethnic minorities. Also, the rites of passage were for a largely male social construct in which women were chattels and had little power.

As this train of thought developed, the question was asked whether or not it was possible to design a contemporary rite of passage which was both heroic and which drew young males into public life. In particular, attention was focussed on developments in America where it is claimed that some youngsters have experienced a sort of transition through their involvement in outward bound courses, "ethnic" practices, religious ceremonies, Men's groups and other arrangements. However, while many of these rites were interesting, they did not lend themselves to solving the problems surrounding youth behaviour in public spaces in Inverness. This raised questions as to the relationship between the activity and the rite of passage process. What type of activity could make public areas a more pleasant and safer place for all members of the community, as well as serving as a route to adulthood and social participation?

What developments in America did reveal was an understanding that rites of passage activity can be diverse, can change and yet still serve the historic function. This experimentation with small groups raised the possibility that it might be possible to design something which serves as a rite of passage and which is particular to Inverness and its circumstances.

SOME KEY INFLUENCES

Although there have been various influences on this train of thought, over time five developments have proved to be particularly informative. These are Mentoring, Peer Education, The Army Cadets, Search and Rescue organizations, and concerns about the environment.

Mentoring.
In this field, appropriate adults are trained to build supportive and mainly same sex relationships with problematic youngsters. This movement has been very successful in a variety of areas, for example in education and with children in care, and it demonstrates the value of introducing caring and sensitive adults into the lives of some young people. However, the model itself is one-to-one and intensive, and most young males who are being targetted in this rite of passage exercise do not require, and maybe would not appreciate, such input. Further, it does not create a rite of passage environment.

This movement also offers an insight into how to deal with a gender issue which often cropped up during discussions. It was questioned by some whether all-male groups were necessarily the best rites of passage environment considering that a contemporary process needs to recognise the changed circumstances, needs and roles of women. A clue as to how to progress on this front can be found in the mythological story, 'The Odysses of Homer', which first introduces the figure of the man Mentor as counsellor. However, it was the goddess Athena who presented herself as this male figure and undertook this role. The message being, women must have some input.

Peer Education.
The philosophy underpinning this movement is that youngsters, whose awareness has been raised around a particular issue, are sometimes the best suited to deal with the problems of other young people. This approach, which is widely used in the fields of drug abuse, mediation and bullying, certainly lends itself to tackling problems on the streets. It does not require a great stretch of the imagination to envisage young lads being trained to act in emergencies, be aware of the risks surrounding alcohol and drugs, understand group behaviour and how to deal with conflicts, for instance. In fact, the first paper which was distributed described a model which has come to form a key feature of this rites of passage idea. It envisaged youngsters undergoing a course which increases their wisdom of the streets. In other words, they become more "street wise" - an idea which it was felt could help with the image problem.

However, as with mentoring, peer education on its own does not have the characteristics necessary to serve as a rite of passage.

The Army Cadets.
An experienced youth worker described how he had observed that when many young lads join this organization, their behaviour improves. Caution needs to be exercised here as the army itself, which is regularly associated with the "making of the man", in fact turns out many who end up in homeless hostels and who are unable to cope with life. However, what was interesting about this youth worker's observation was the idea that codes of behaviour could be taught, or picked up in a part-time "disciplined" male environment, and transferred onto the streets.

Search and Rescue organizations.
Although such bodies have existed for a long time, it was an elderly man who drew attention to them as a clue to a contemporary rites activity. He described a long held idea of his, wherein a group of men in the Highlands built a theoretical and practical expertise in earthquake rescue and took part in international rescue missions following such emergencies. He envisaged that participation would be voluntary, with employers giving men time off when they needed to visit an earthquake zone - much the same as happens with the Territorial army. A feature of the man's thinking, and one which proved to be inspirational in terms of this rites of passage exercise, was that his rescue organization also trained up groups of local young men. Consequently there was always a pool of willing and trained volunteers to call on.

Although it was felt that this was a good idea on its own merit, it obviously wouldn't have been suitable for this particular initiative, at least not in the first instance. It was noticeable that the man whose idea it was envisaged it as being a men's project, not a youth one. However, he did raise the figure of men as heroic carers and this led to attention being focussed on similar groups in this country, in particular mountain / hill rescue teams and lifeboat crews. These male dominated, part time, voluntary groups attract widespread admiration, and, apart from gaining the attention of young males, they are also held in high regard by most adult males. This is important as men are notoriously difficult to involve in community life, especially when it comes to youth work, so finding a mutually acceptable activity which will draw them out is central to this exercise. This elderly mans idea also raised three key questions: what could the activity be, how would it be able to involve large numbers of men and young lads, and how would it impact on youth behaviour in Inverness?

The Environment
As it turns out, the answer to these questions might already be with us. For some time now there have been frequent warnings about global warming, the subsequent impact this is likely to have on the climate, and the possible changes it will have on our way of life. That this threat is being taken seriously at the highest levels is underlined by the recent report issued by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It paints a stark picture which many environmentalists suggest we have already entered. And while there is some debate about this, there is strong evidence to suggest that the weather has become more unpredictable and that this is an omen for worse to come.

These predictions are based on observations that we are generally experiencing hotter and longer summers, and that this is connected to water shortages in the South of England and forest fires in countries such as France and Spain. Closer to home, the Highlands has over the last few years experienced a spate of gale force winds, flooding and mudslides, and while this is not regarded as unusual in this region, the frequency and intensity has surprised many people. Some people who have visited tropical countries describe how the type of downpours we now sometimes experience are more akin to rainstorms in those places. Maybe this is connected to scientific forecasts that flooding will be a regular feature of warmer Scottish winters.

The outlook is further complicated by predictions that sea currents which keep the climate in this country temperate, will eventually stop flowing and that this will result in freezing conditions. In other words, there is no clear picture of possible future conditions other than a wideheld belief that we maybe in for a chaotic environmental struggle, for which we need to be prepared.

It is this scenario that might lend itself to providing a contemporary rite of passage into public life, as the possible circumstances which arise could realistically require the involvement of large numbers of skilled volunteers who are able to respond to a range of environmental situations. Further, it is believed that within this new process, young lads could undergo basic training in circumstances that also nurtures a sense of transition into adulthood, public life in Inverness, and the future. And to get to the gist of this exercise, it is envisaged that within this hypothetical situation it would be possible to teach youngsters ideas and skills that they could then take with them onto the streets - hopefully to the benefit of all.


IMAGINING A FUTURE PROJECT

THE TARGE

It is not the aim of this particular exercise to describe something that has been worked out in detail (it has not), or to suggest that this is a project that should definitely happen in the form suggested. Rather, the aim is to construct the outline of a hypothetical model using the information gathered so far, by borrowing a technique from the field of conflict resolution, called Imaging. The theory behind Imaging is that by creatively organizing information and projecting it into the future, it makes it easier to visualize a solution and to think of a way forward. So in this case we will image fifteen years into the future, to a time where it can be realistically imagined that environmental conditions have deteriorated - there's more erratic flooding and high winds for instance - and that within this time span there has been a realization that the problems surrounding young males requires the targetting of resources and attention at this group.

The Targe, as this hypothetical project is called, is a men's organization whose two main aims are to train men in environmental relief work for emergencies in the Highlands, and to do so in such a way that the process creates a rite of passage for young males. The choice of the traditional round Highland shield, the Targe, was decided upon because it was felt that it symbolically reflected its youth policy. On the one hand it is a weapon of chaos and violence, and, on the other, an instrument of protection. Consequently it can be used as a metaphore whereby, theoretically at least, rough-and-ready youngsters join the project and gradually become part of the protective shield. It describes the desired sense of transition from the Trickster level of awareness, associated in mythology with mischieve, cunning, chaos and bloodshed, to a more mature sense of masculine carer within the community - but without them necessarily losing the sense of cunning.

To address the gender issue (which has resulted in some interesting debates), although the Targe is a men's project, and is so to create the historic rites of passage environment, to reduce the risk of it developing unhealthy male characteristics its constitution reserves 50% of the management positions for women. Also, external trainers are employed on merit, and in those areas where women are poorly represented, in the fire brigade for instance, women are actively sought out. This gender safety net is held together by an equal opportunities policy which itself links in with the general ethos of the project.



THE MEN

The Targe employs two full-time male workers - a coordinator and a youth worker. The coordinator works with the wider project eg. the older male volunteers, equipment, adult training and environmental damage activty etc. The youth worker organizes the training of the young males, or 'apprentices' as they are called.

There are around fifty adult male volunteers who have been professionally trained, both to work in a team in emergency environmental situations ( eg. flooding, forest fires, high winds and heavy snow and ice) and to help in the training of the apprentices. Both roles are considered to be equally important, so someone who might be good at relief work, but not have the characteristics to work with youngsters (eg. kindness, patience or an ability to empathise), would be considered unsuitable as a volunteer. The six month training is organized from a hall next to Loch Ness and includes boat handling skills, sandbagging and mud slide digging in teams, basic low level climbing and rope work, searching in groups for missing people in different environments, fire fighting in woods and other open spaces, operating in the snow - using snow shoes for example, using a chain saw, first aid, and converting a hall into an emergency centre with all the facilities reqired eg. food, beds, toilets etc. They are also taught basics in psychology, group behaviour, conflict resolution, and how to work with individuals and groups that are under stress.

With regards to training, it has now reached the stage where certain men have obtained accreditation in key skills, for example in boat handling, chain saw use and first aid, and these individuals have become trainers. However, there is still a substantial input from external related organizations such as paramedics, the army, the local authority, the fire brigade and, in particular, the police. The project enjoys good working relations with these groups and often trains alongside them.

The sense of professionalism is enhanced by the equipment which the Targe can deploy in a variety of situations. It has five rowing boats, two of which have been converted to take a small outboard motor, two ex-army trucks (a number of men were seconded to take Heavy Goods Vehicle licences), a trailer which is always stacked with sandbags, clothing to operate in various conditions, two sniffer dogs which are looked after by two members, first aid equipment, four chain saws, climbing material, three sub aqua suits and diving equipment, bulk provisions of dried food, and all the resources necessary to convert a building or hall into an emergency relief centre, including books, games and toys for the children.

After the initial course, training is ongoing, and while there are core subjects such as first aid and search and rescue, men are encouraged to develop their own expertise in an area of their choice. This is usually achieved through internal training, however, if a man shows a particular commitment to the project and a keeness to develop in a certain field, he may become eligible for external training, with Targe covering all expenses.

An important part of a volunteer's commitment to Targe is that he will undertake the the role of "Journeyman" to a group of apprentices for a six month block every two years. The Journeyman was the figure in the trades who took on responsibility for aspects of the apprentices training, and this often extended to watching out for the welfare of the youngster within the workplace. Targe uses this model as it suggests someone who is caring without being a trained youth professional, and one who has knowledge to impart. However, this role is not left entirely to the discretion of the men. Each attends a basic internal Journeyman course outlining their role and its importance in the lives of these young people. In brief, this includes topics such as:

Youth development: the physical / emotional changes - their possible affects and the difficulties often associated with this age group.

Societies attitude to young males - this being an "unloved" group which generates tensions with the public, especially when they are hanging around public spaces in groups.

The historic role of rites of passage and its importance in harnessing the energy of young males, to the benefit of the community. The aim of Targe is to facilitate this by involving youngsters in masculine caring activity.

The requirement of the Journeyman is to be task and apprentice orientated - helping the apprentices feel involved by giving praise and encouragement.

Interpersonel skills - although this aspect is not over emphasised for fear of leading to self consciousness, the nature of listening skills are discussed as young males this age are easily offended if they think they are being ignored.

THE APPRENTICES

The apprentices are made up of fifteen year olds whose names have often been put forward by the police, teachers and youth workers. The one criterion that they need to meet is that they spend much of their spare time hanging around public places, such as the streets and parks. It is stressed that by socializing in these areas they have possibly built up a local outside knowledge that would be of value if there were to be an environmental emergency in Invernesss. Consequently they are invited to take part in a six month training course to become Junior Environmental Rescue Operatives (JEROS), in which they are introduced to the skills and theory integral to this voluntary work.

Clearly the aim isn't to throw youngsters into potentialy dangerous situations once they have completed their training, but it is to mould a junior member who will be more aware when exposed to damaging environmental conditions. He may, for instance, be better equipped to look after himself, friends and family, and even to be able to help in safe activities eg. sandbagging, searching for missing people on dry land, setting up shelters and guiding people to safety.

The apprentices are divided into two groups of twenty (around eighty pass through the course every year) which meet on different days of the week. The training includes evenings, day and weekend sessions. Five Journeymen are allocated to each group, making a Journeyman / apprentice ratio of 4:1. The role of the Journeyman is to look out for the welfare of his charges when training, ie. to ensure that they feel included and to deal with any organizational problems such as getting to and from a location. And although all groups are facilitated by the youth worker, and individual subject matter is taught by an experienced trainer, it is a key part of the Journeymans role to work closely with his apprentices and to ensure that they learn the "trade". The aim being that relationships are able to develop around the tasks rather than the youngster himself, much as they would have done in the traditional workplace.

Wherever possible the theory is demonstrated with reference to the street environments which the youngsters inhabit. So, for example, discussion around group behaviour and the nature of conflict, will use some of the apprentices' street experiences as source material. And where Targe skills can be honed to increase the everyday safety of the apprentice and his neighborhood, for instance through learning First Aid and how to react in an emergency, this is done so, but without losing the focus of the projects environmental work. The evening sessions are comfortable and relaxed and provide an ideal opportunity to cover these "transferrable" subjects. These include:

Belonging to an all male organization.

It is pointed out that some all male groups, especially when they are made up of young males, are often perceived as being threatening, not just by women and children, but also by other males. Therefore an increased awareness, and an ability not to get swept along by group behaviour, is called for.

First Aid.

This ongoing subject deals with how to stay calm and summon help, resuscitation techniques, dealing with shock, and keeping injured people safe, comfortable and calm. It also introduces apprentices to the subject of death through related discussion, the use of photographs, and visits to the morgue to view the bodies of people who gave permission for this to happen. The idea is to alert youngsters to the reality of death and how it can prematurely happen to themselves and others if they are not careful.

Flooding.

How they happen, theories around why there are more flash floods these days, the areas most at risk in Inverness and its surrounds, how Targe volunteers combine with the rescue services and how the apprentices might safely help. This also provides an opportunity to introduce some of the most vulnerable groups in society: the elderly, disabled, children and pregnant women.

Fire

This includes discussion about what fire is, the increased risks due to hotter and longer summers, what to do if a fire is spotted (whether it be a house or a forest) and how to administer First Aid. It is pointed out that apprentices can join in beating efforts to put out minor bush fires and possibly help to find missing people. The aim here is also to alert apprentices to the dangers of playing with fire, fireworks and petrol.



Gales and high winds

Similarly this subject, which covers the environmental reasons for the increased frequency of strong high winds, is again a good one for introducing vulnerable members of society who are more at risk, if there is a power cut for instance, or if a tree should fall onto their house or car. In describing how apprentices might help in cleaning up after strong winds, the dangers posed by broken glass, rubbish and other debris (especially to children) are mentioned with reference to the mess that many young males make on the streets.

The theory behind setting up an emergency shelter.

This subject is particularly good for introducing a wide range of topics which can increase an apprentices knowlege of his street environment. The shelter's aim to accommodate "refugees" from the community means that it needs to be prepared for different lifestyles, races and sexualities. As such, the apprentices are taught the nature of difference and why this is backed up by the Targes equal opportunities policy. This subject also introduces discussion about group behaviour, problems around drink and drugs, dealing with conflict, working with people who are under huge stress, and assertiveness.

This is not to suggest that the aim of the course is solely to deliver "sublimininal" messages to the youngsters- it is not. As would be expected from Targe's environmental work, much of the training is outside and of a practical nature. It involves:

A team building day where apprentices and men are given exercises to demonstrate the need and importance of working together. This includes agreeing on a team name and a design for their own team's Targe.

One days work with chain saws to introduce the youngsters to these machines - how they work, how they are serviced and safety.

One day session on sandbagging where apprentices are taught to work in teams to stem flooding into houses.

Two days training in boat handling skills where apprentices are taught to row and drive a boat with an outboard motor.

Two, one day, mock search and rescue exercise, organized in conjunction with the police, and in which both training groups (total 40 lads and 10 men) search a designated area for someone acting as a missing person.

A residential climbing weekend in an outward bound centre where apprentices learn the basics of low level climbing and absailing.

A residential weekend at the Targe hall to learn how to set up and run an emergency relief centre.


By the time the training is over, the apprentices have been introduced to most aspects of Targe's work and, while some areas are too dangerous and require more training eg. boathandling and chainsaw use, others, such as search and rescue, sandbagging and helping set up and run a rescue centre, provide a genuine need for helpful and aware youngsters. Also, and of prime importance, it is emphasized that by undertaking the training they have made a commitment to Inverness, and that by increasing their skills and awareness they are in a better position to help others, even if that is done independently of Targe. It is in recognition of this, and the valuable time and effort that the apprentice has put in, that he is officially welcomed as a Targe member.

This is an important moment in rites of passage terms as it symbolically signifies the movement from one stage to another, and by being accepted into Targe the apprentice is being accepted into an adult group as a fully trained Junior Environmental Rescue Operative (JERO). This achievement is highly regarded in Inverness. As such he attends an official ceremomy at the Town Hall, along with the other forty trainees (reminder: there are two groups of approximately twenty), the fifty Targe volunteers and two workers.

Over a meal, speeches are made by a council official and a local celebrity - usually a player from Caledonian Thistle Football club - and this is followed by a medal ceremony. The medals and pins are miniature copies of the Targe that the group decorated on its induction day and which is now hanging in the Targe hall, along with a team photo. The youngsters are also presented with photographed "Freedom of Inverness" cards which entitles them to free bus and train travel throughout the Highlands, free access to facilities in the Aqua Dome, and big reductions at the cinema, Caley football matches, Eden Court Theatre, and a range of sports clubs. They can also get reductions at a number of community minded shops which cater for this age group. In the evening a disco dance is held, for a greatly reduced rate, in a local night club (without the bar) for the lads, friends, family and older JEROS and their friends. (These community initiatives give life to the African proverb: "It takes a village to raise a child").

The JEROS are kept up to date with Targe news by a quarterly newsletter, a website, talks, films and various courses. Also, every year a mock search party is organized by the police and Targe, and, as this is a labour intensive event, it attracts many men and youngsters from within Targe. Everyone brings a packed lunch and it is recognised as a popular and enjoyable day out. In fact, now the police regularly call on Targe in the case of a genuine missing person. There is also an active social side to Targe. For example, there is a small committee of music enthusiasts who enjoy arranging discos or events with bands - usually youngsters like to help organize these. And in the summer a large barbecue is held at the Targe hall and this is another popular venue. So every effort is made to keep the youngsters 'onboard'.

The understanding behind membership of Targe, and possession of the Freedom card, is that the new members try their best not to bring the organization into "disrepute". In this respect, one particular bonus has been the improved relationship between the police and youngsters who would traditionally have regarded them with suspicion. This has evolved due to the high profile the police, as a primary emergency service, have within Targe. As a consequence, now many young males and the police find themselves belonging to the same organization and involved in a joint enterprise which doesn't focus on youth misdemeanours. This allows for Targe related dialogue to take place on the streets, and the improved relationships that have developed enable the police to exert more influence - with regards to anti-social behaviour, for instance.

As one training block ends, another 2x20 starts with two new teams of five men. This ensures that at any one time there are 240 fifteen to seventeen year olds in Inverness either being trained or who have passed through training. Because of this activity there is now in the city a large number of men who have a close affinity with Targe and who support it. However, there is an ongoing debate as to whether there are other activities which could serve as a rite of passage (for girls as well, maybe), make youngsters more aware of their behaviour in public, and lighten the burden caused by economic deterioration, environmental problems and war. An idea that is emerging is based around music, but it is early days yet.

CONCLUSION

Hopefully this collective effort has injected some ideas into the debate in Inverness about the behaviour of some young males. Luckily the situation here is nowhere near as bad as in many inner city areas of Britain, however, urban areas have problems of their own, and with Inverness rapidly expanding, it may not be long before the situation takes a turn for the worse here. So clearly it is best to think in advance, which is evidently what many people are trying to do. If there is any interest in the proposal set out here, then it is possible to use Imaging groups to make adjustments and to draw in the detail. This technique involves bringing together a group of interested people and projecting into the future, to visualise how the project might look and function. It is an effective way of moving an idea forward.

Also, in the Highlands there is an historical experience on which to nurture such an initiative. As most of the contributors were aware, this youth problem has accompanied rapid social and economic change, and these factors are widely recognised as being triggers to more serious male disorder in the form of crime, ethnic cleansing and war. Considering that the Highlands of Scotland experienced the last ethnic cleansing on British soil ( in terms of the eradication of a people's culture, language and political will) and, later on, suffered massive upheaval due to economic cruelty, in the context of current global tensions surrounding rapid social, economic and environmental change, this region could be made into a symbolically thought provoking setting for an initiative which built an expertise in this area, from the local to the global. Apart from providing material which could be used in work with Highland lads, such a resource might also attract people to study, especially if it was attached to the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Thankyou