Why think about humour ?

1. Humour in Child and Youth Care Work “Helping workers to learn what they need to achieve for greater competency in practice”John Digney Why think about humour ?

2. Universal ‘truths’ Humour occurs in most (if not all) residential settings and can be a vital part of our work with kids. Humour has the potential to enhance quality of life and outcomes for kids.

3. Thoughts ??? ‘Hardly a word in the language … would be harder to define with scientific precision than this familiar one.’ Sully (1902) DEFINING HUMOUR

6. Observations from Workers CYC NEEDS ‘appropriate’ humour Effective use of humour is a skill Humour depends on context Humour can be a safe approach to working with kids Staff need to understand ‘why’ they use humour

7. 5 ‘Daily Life’ Categories The ‘Care’ element The dle element The ‘crisis’ element Humour & learning Humour for staff

8. Humour as part of the ‘care experience’ for youth • Humour as an expression of caring and compassion, • Humour to comfort and make the ‘care experience’ feel safe, • Humour to project a positive setting (of the care setting for youth), • Humour as an alternative to force or authoritarian approaches.

9. Humour used in everyday interaction with youth • Humour in connection & relationship, • Humour to confirm trust, • Humour to equalise and humanise, • Humour as a way of ‘being with safely’, • Humour to re-connect and restore

10. Humour in crisis prevention and intervention • Humour in pre-defusing • Humour to overcome resistance, (humour to ‘break the flow’) • Humour to defuse or calm

11. Humour & learning • Humour to communicate a message to youth • Humour modelled for youth.

12. Humour for staff • Humour as an aid to coping • Humour to overcome embarrassment

13. Humour Concerns • Humour may require relationship • Humour must be genuine (not forced) • Humour must not be sarcastic or hurtful • Humour relies on precise timing • Monitor reactions • Can be abused • Can be very dangerous

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