A Youth worker is a person that works with
young people to facilitate their personal, social and educational development through
informal education, care (e.g. preventive) or leisure approaches. All types of educative approaches are not ethical for youth work, examples for unethical forms of education are indoctrinating, inculcating, and brainwashing. Youth workers can work in many contexts and according to the roles they are known as enablers, facilitators, emancipators, animators or could be known by the set of activities they use to reach out to youth. The validity of youth work approaches are based on whether they are educational, participative, empowering, promotes equality of opportunities, etc. The basic principles of youth work are respecting young people, providing accessible and value oriented opportunities (genuinely useful) for voluntary participation, accountability, being anti-oppressive (e.g.
social model of disability,
unconscious bias training
Implicit bias training (or unconscious bias training) programs purport to expose people to their implicit biases, provide tools to adjust automatic patterns of thinking, and ultimately eliminate discriminatory behaviors. Some researchers say that ...
) in processes, confidentiality, reliability, trustworthiness, and being ethical in keeping boundaries.
In the UK and elsewhere, the main distinction is usually made between ''statutory'', those who work as part of a government run initiative, and ''non-statutory'', those that work in any other context.
See the article
Youth work for a full explanation, and the article
History of youth work
The history of youth work goes back to the birth of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, which was the first time that young men left their own homes and cottage industries to migrate to the big towns. The result of this migration was ...
for a brief time line. In some circumstances, the term should be carefully distinguished from ''
Child and Youth Worker
Child and Youth Care (CYC) is a profession which focuses on the developmental needs of children and families within the space and time of their daily lives.Adapted from Stuart, C. (2013). Foundations of child and youth care. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt. ...
'' which refers to
therapeutic
A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis.
As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...
work in the USA and Canada.
Tasks and duties of direct youth work practice
Engaging youth in participation and aiding youth in locating self is an important aspect of youth work practice. A youth worker needs to identify an "opening" for practice and be willing to make that opening into an "opportunity" by find resources to meet the needs of the work through various stakeholders. When the needs are met an "obligation" should be made to delivering the services and enabling participation of youth at a specific level, this obligation then becomes a part of the macro-system of services. Through participation the youth should be able to locate themselves, their strengths and limitations. Through participation the youth would be able to learn the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values that they have through the relational experience and reflective observation, this leads them to further their growth opportunities.
Main tasks and duties of direct practice's are:
* Establish contact and build relationships.
* Bring contacted youths together in groups/ open events and shared activities.
* Enable participation of youth in activity planning (e.g. sports, arts, outdoors, etc.), project developing (community, educational, etc.), evaluation and review of activities.
* Address, advocate, and educate about youth issues, influences, and interests.
* Provide guidance (in locating self and growth opportunities), instruction (teaching & directing), personal & social education, mentoring and support.
* Collaborative development of community resources, facilities, and services.
* Manage and develop community programs and resources of an organization.
Functions of youth work
Merton, et al. in 2004 through a research report delineated the following as primary functions of youth work.
* Integrative: It is concerned with socialization of youth and introducing them to norms and expectations of society for directing them to social fitness, this has a preparation to adult world function.
* Reflexive: It is concerned with ensuring inclusion of youth perspectives in social institutions, this has an anti-oppressive function.
* Redistributive: It is concerned with ensuring social justice to youth and developing
social capital for youth empowerment.
See also
*
Youth work
*
Youth leaders
Youth leaders are persons that are active in youth work field.
Youth leaders, educator or youth counsellor are not the same as Child and Youth Worker named persons in Canada and United States of America, which are therapeutics youth workers.
They ...
*
Community youth workers Community youth workers are young people and adults who are engaged in education, empowerment, activism, or other activities focused on adolescents in community-based settings, including churches, schools, or community centers. As a distinct field, ...
*
Kolb's experiential learning
David A. Kolb published his experiential learning theory (ELT) in 1984, inspired by the work of the gestalt psychologist Kurt Lewin. The approach works on two levels: a four-stage learning cycle and four distinct learning styles. Kolb's experient ...
*
List of youth empowerment organizations
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One World Youth Project
One World Youth Project (OWYP) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in Massachusetts. Its goal is to create a more knowledgeable, compassionate, skilled, and understanding generation of global citizens while at the same time, inspiring y ...
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International Youth Change Maker
*
Positive youth development
References
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Youth work