20 Competitors. 15 PowerPoints. 6 Instructors. 5 Days. 3 Departments. But just one goal – ultimate YAM Glory! Who will make it?? (spoiler, everyone) THIS IS YAM TRAINING 2023.
*DISCLAIMER* You will have to excuse the title of this post – there are increasingly few YAM puns available, and Chitty Chitty YAM YAM was my next bet so count yourself lucky!
Hi, I’m your host Darcy and today we will be looking back at the fond memories of the 2023 Season of YAM Training in Sydney, Australia.
We began the week by nervously introducing ourselves to a room of fellow YAM hopefuls from across Australia. Some of us admitted that we didn’t really know what this YAM thing was all about, but we were united by a shared interest in promoting youth mental health. Thankfully, we were in the capable hands of six amazing Trainers to guide us through the program, as well as two YAM founders and legends to help clarify YAM’s core philosophy and answer our many many questions!
We soon started to realise that the Trainers were presenting the program in a way that mirrored YAM’s educational philosophy – one where traditional power dynamics between instructor and learner are reflected on and broken down by encouraging youth voices to take centre stage.
While we spent valuable time learning the theory and content of YAM, the core of our learning came from putting the program into practice through dialogue and role plays. We were given the chance to practice facilitating sessions as an Instructor, but when called upon, we all harnessed our 15-year-old selves with surprising gusto – this was certainly a highlight of my week!
I feel I can speak for many of us when admitting that aspects of the week appeared daunting at first. We were challenged to step outside of our comfort zones and to reconsider our preconceived ideas about the role of the educator. But this all gave us an invaluable opportunity to explore YAM in a safe space from the perspective of both a facilitator and of a young person – something I am very grateful for.
And despite 15-year-old Aaron’s dripping tap filling every silence from the very first day, and even though grilled eggplant may never be the same again, I am thrilled to have had the chance to spend a lovely week with this lovely group of people and I’m looking forward to hearing how we all get on in the wonderful world of YAM!
Post by Darcy Davitt, YAM Instructor, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia