Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jon Jolly on February 13, 2009 at 22:32

Thanks Mike,

That's partly my point! I hope to find that the two can inform each other with a happy medium.

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Permalink Reply by David Whewell on February 14, 2009 at 10:48

Hi Jon,

Thought you might like to see this document. It's the one we use in Wiltshire to guide our approach to youth work delivery and the monitoring and evaluating of it. I'd be interested in your comments. E.g. the shift from contact to participation happens at step 3 - illustrated on pages 9 to 12. Hope you find it useful. I've also embedded the document below.

Learning for Life

View more documents from hobbsshoulder.

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Permalink Reply by Jon Jolly on February 14, 2009 at 11:08

Wow! Thanks David for the info. I'll have a read through and see what I find.

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Permalink Reply by Jon Jolly on February 19, 2009 at 19:32

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to answer the above questionnaire. In the past week, I've managed to get 15 responses so far and there is a whole load of mixed opinions! Feel free to complete the survey if you haven't already done so.

Generally people seem to be saying that they can see the benefit of recording outcomes and accreditation, but the process is time-consuming, repetitive and often only justifies their post rather than showing development of young people. Accreditation seems a particularly controversial area from these responses. Some people are saying young people want that sense of achievement, others are saying it’s too close to formal education and just ticks a box.

So I now want to ask some more provocative questions about the general direction youth work is taking in the UK!

Following the Government green papers 'Transforming Youth Work' (DfEE 2001; DfES 2002) and 'Youth Matters' (HMSO 2005), there has arguably been a focus on keeping and reconnecting young people with schooling, training and employment. There has also been an increased push towards 'delivery', accreditation, individualisation and targeting.

The following questions deliberately critique this approach in comparison to a more established definition of youth work listed below.

Mark Smith (1999, 2002) summarises five key elements that define youth work practice over the past 100 years. He states that youth work involves:

• Focusing on young people,
• Emphasising voluntary participation and relationship
• A commitment to association (joining together in companionship or to undertake some task)
• Being friendly and informal, and acting with integrity (workers should not only be approachable and friendly; but also that they should have faith in people; and be trying, themselves, to live good lives)
• Being concerned with the education and, more broadly, the welfare of young people.

Please could you take some time to answer this follow-up questionnaire: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cGZnVEt0ZDRDc19fY0E...

I’ll write up and post the full responses soon.

References:
Department for Education and Skills (2002) Transforming Youth Work - resourcing excellent youth services, London: Department for Education and Skills/Connexions.
H. M Government (2005) Youth Matters, London: The Stationery Office.
Smith, M. K. (1999, 2002) 'Youth work: an introduction', the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/youthwork/b-yw.htm.

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