Empowering Youth and Community Work Practice
1 total work
'What is Youth Work?' is a question frequently asked of youth workers by other professionals and policy makers as well as members of the general public. It is often answered negatively in terms of what youth work is not! It is not counseling, social work, teaching, crime and drug prevention. A supplementary question of 'what do youth workers do?' is sometimes underpinned by various popular stereotypes of practice - 'uniformed organizations, youth clubs, table tennis, pool tables and 'hanging out with the kids'. This seems to create a confused or perplexing situation leaving little or no common understanding other than broad principles, which in themselves suggests that 'anything goes as youth work' as long as it involves young people.This book answers these questions in a clear and concise manner offering a rationale for the professional base of intervention - a purposive relationship with young people. The author(s) explore the structural and theoretical base for youth work, its history and development, ethics and values, key issues that have emerged over time and the current contexts and constraints of practice.