The following is an excerpt from my opening chapter in Journeying Together. Growing youth work and youth workers in local communities. The book is a 144 page collection of writings looking at the practical issues effecting locally-based youth work. Although it is based around the experiences of The Rank Foundation, it will be of great interest to anyone working with local youth projects and agencies.

You can order a copy from Amazon here.

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Local Youth Work (Part 3)

3. There is a concern with learning and well-being
Many may assume that youth work developed simply to give young people things to do – activities that would stop them causing problems for other members of society. In reality, however, youth work holds a strong tradition of providing welfare services and education for young people. It is motivated by a concern for the opportunities available to young people.

What we now call ‘youth work’ grew out of a desire to help and educate. The early history of the work is linked to Sunday schools that sprung up in churches in the late 18th century, which worked informally to provide Bible reading and basic skills to those who attended (Sutherland, 1990: 126). By the mid 19th century, ragged schools were educating young people ‘in far from ideal settings like stables, under railway arches, church halls and run-down houses’ (Smith, 1999).

As society began to recognise adolescence as a particular life stage, with its own needs and issues (greatly helped by G. Stanley Hall’s (1904) influential work) specific youth institutions began to form. There are various examples of early youth agencies that provided services such as food, clothing, basic health care, and even financial support, in addition to activity and community.

I love the job that I do. We give accommodation to vulnerable young adults, providing places for them to live and stay and be independent. It allows them to learn how to be an adult and how to cope with all those things. I love making a difference to their lives in this way.

Although the government today provides most mainstream welfare and educational services in the UK, youth work is still significantly involved in supporting young people. Usually, this is through informal and relational methods that are difficult for more formal state services to utilise. As such, youth agencies continue to provide advice and information on issues relevant to young people, such as careers, sexual health, and accommodation, amongst others.

The concern with education is still central. While it might be unusual to see a maths class take place in a youth club, workers constantly use informal methods to encourage learning. Examples might include using outdoor activities to build cooperation and esteem, or planning a celebration event as a tool to advance organisational and interpersonal skills among a group.

4. Cooperation, community and belonging are encouraged

The term ‘association’ is perhaps one that is not commonly understood or used in everyday talk, yet it has always been a defining aspect of youth work practice. Association is about individuals coming together for a purpose, allowing them to take part in a larger group or organisation (DoyleandSmith, 1999: 44) as in the example below:

The teenagers at the club were really keen on skateboarding but there was nowhere locally. They decided to petition the local council and with help from our youth agency, organised meetings, events and surveys over a number of months learning valuable skills along the way. There was a real sense of achievement and belonging amongst the group.

Many clubs and activities provide a setting to meet and make friends with people. They facilitate association almost accidentally through an environment of cooperation and participation, where members feel valued and included. These sorts of groups help to provide a sense of community for young people. This idea of ‘community’ is of central importance to youth work as it ‘plays a crucial symbolic role in generating people’s sense of belonging’ (Crow and Allan 1994: 6).

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Part 4 will be published next week. Click here for the full series of posts.