Teamwork

The Participatory Appraisal training is over. Now we have to go out and do fieldwork. We have to go out within our communities and find out what people think of safeguarding services. Safeguarding, if you don't know what it means which is fine if you don't as before last week I didn't, is the protection of vulnerable people - children, old people, lots of people. In PA, teams of three work best - one facilitator, one observer and one 'anti-saboteur'.

Billie and Dee, long term friends, grabbed me, presumably on the assumption that I look like I know what to do. In theory I should; ex journo, ex masters, research is my middle name.... Though most probably they reached for me because we have things in common, we listen to one another, we empathise or laugh.
I bump into Billie in the loos after we've done our planning.
"God I'm nervous," I tell her.
"Yeah me too, I'm so nervous, why is no-one else nervous?"
"Mad isn't it?" I laugh, nervously.

There's a fourth in our group because of the odd number in class. Beth has done it before but the mum of three works so won't be around when the rest of us make tits of ourselves.

No we won't. We'll be fine. That's the good thing about teamwork; one person's weakness is another person's strength and this kind of thing, armed with sheets of paper and strips of stickers, post-it notes and coloured pens, at least holds the promise of being good fun.