Investigative Analysis of the Impact of Youth Policy on Professional Identity and Practice - Term Paper Example

Investigative Study on the Impact of Youth Policy on Professional Identity and Practice Interview with a Youth Worker INTRODUCTION This interview with a Youth Worker is designed to discover whether the Youth Policy has an effect on their professional identity as well as practice. The character of youth work is multifaceted, ranging from amorphous activities to comparatively structured programmes. Its scope is diverse as well as its reach, touching various themes and interfacing with several other disciplines and practices. This ability to be versatile is one of the strong points of youth work. Considering the variety of situations in which the youth operate, it is advantageous that they are able to respond flexibly to this diversity. Division and differentiation of methodology stems from the ongoing attempt to extend the reach of youth work yet conversely, this leads to division and product vagueness (Thole, 2000). It becomes difficult to define the features of youth work as a result (Williamson, 1995). There seems to be a perpetual identity crisis affecting youth work in Europe prompted by ambivalent viewpoints. Both policymakers and workers in the youth sector vacillate between praise and criticism of youth work practice. While it is regarded as a powerful educational tool in the school of life and a way to broaden social environment, youth work is not accessible to those who need it, and to those to whom it is accessible are not in need of it. (Coussée, 2008a). The influence of history is not very strong in youth work (Davies, 1999). This could be due to the high turnover of participants although it is a common trend in social occupations (Lorenz, 2007). Both volunteers and professionals are more focused on the issues of the day or formulating plans for tomorrow. Although the issues tend to recur frequently, the trend is to look to current information and thinking for solutions (Imelman, 1990). This implies that the entire field of youth work fails to learn from its past. With a focus only on the now, it fails to look at lessons from the past and learn from them in order to do better for the future. There are several boundaries between different youth work practices. These include time; clarity of ideas can be obtained by highlighting what is self-evident within the framework of discussion, but may not be amenable to criticism (Heyting, 2001). It is important to examine historical context especially on those factors that seem self-evident. It is also important to look at youth work within its economic, social, cultural, and political background. By the inclusion of context in the practice of youth work, one is able to be more effective and achieve the primary goal of youth work, which is to assist the youth to grow. The location in which the youth work takes place is also significant. In countries which possess a social policy such as the UK, youth work focuses on questions of effectiveness and efficiency. Other countries may have more existential questions particularly those with a social education traditions such as Germany. It may profit the industry to bring these two aspects together in discussion. When effectiveness and efficiency are merged with existential questions, better and well-rounded policies may result which would ultimately benefit the end user. There are also boundaries connecting policy, practise and theory. Academia usually discusses social pedagogical points of view while policy makers concentrate on efficiency and effectiveness. Both of these scenarios discount the impact of practice. There is no Youth Work theory that is founded in practice (Giesecke, 1984). Perhaps because practitioners of youth work tend to primarily be volunteers who may originate from the very communities where they practice and who may not possess academic credentials or be armed with research material to back up their on the ground experience. Thus, their views may be discounted by the academics who formulate theory as uninformed. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS These questions are formulated in order to discuss with a youth worker several critical themes to do with policy and practise in light of the relevant literature examined. 1. From a social education point of view, why do we organise youth work? History has shown us what social movement can do. In order to triumph in the battle of ideas and join together in order to achieve our goals, it is important to incorporate youth work into our social agenda for ideological as well as economic reasons. 2. In light of the Every Child Matters framework, how does your position deal with the forgotten generation? With the breakdown of the culture of industry and trade unionism and penetration of the market in every aspect of the lives of youth, that generation faces greater risks and uncertainties than before. This period also lasts longer than it has in the past and proliferation of poverty and unemployment makes it difficult for them to start their own lives. This is exacerbated by the lack of affordable housing. Furthermore, there has been reduction in much needed youth services. We attempt to ameliorate this by coming up with programmes that address these issues comprehensively. 3. Inter-agency cooperation is an essential element of youth work and there is even a policy guideline on the same. What kind of partnerships do you foster with other organizations and does this increase the effectiveness and efficiency of your programmes? We partner with various other organisations on individual projects as well as having a parent organisation that fights for our rights on a national basis. 4. Has the issue of Youth Opportunity Cards that enables young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to access opportunities to engage in positive activities impacted upon your programmes in terms of participation, or finances? Not really because there is always a surplus of disadvantaged youth who do not access these cards. 5. According to the National Youth Agency (2006), the Hear by Right standards framework is tried and tested to ensure that organizations across statutory and voluntary sectors evaluate and develop practice and policy as it pertains to active involvement of young people. This is founded on the Seven S (DATE) model of organisational change; Skills and knowledge, Style of leadership, Shared values, Structures, Strategy, Staff and Systems. In order to ensure that the youths’ involvement is in-built into the system rather than tacked on, the self-assessment criteria for this system is divided into emerging, established and advanced levels. At what level would you say you are operating at? We are working at an established level 6. It is widely acknowledged by proponents of youth work that professional qualifications may not be necessary in the field of youth work. A lot of exemplary work has been done by unqualified but dedicated staff and volunteers. What benefits accrue from obtaining professional qualifications? There is a lot to be learned from pursuing professional qualifications especially when obtaining skills in how to deal with various characters of people and also for the sake of personal advancement and widening of one’s horizons that comes with training. 7. It is known that staff and volunteers working with the youth are encouraged to develop and achieve their potential through acquisition of skills and knowledge that would enable them to deliver to clients. This process is continuous involving life experience, reading, attending training courses and seminars, and other aspects of workforce development. What opportunities have you come across to progress professionally in your present position? I have attended various trainings and seminars on communication skills, leadership training and development and entrepreneurship. I am also currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in counselling studies. 8. There are various levels of progression when aiming to develop as a youth worker. These levels include youth support worker which involves working in an assisting role, supervised by a professionally qualified youth worker. How would you assess the organisational structure of your organisation with that in mind? Our organisational structure is extremely organic with cross training in various roles evident and horizontal management in force. Upper level management do tend to have professional qualifications but we are largely meritocratic. 9. What would you enumerate as your most significant achievements in the course of your career as a Youth Worker? When I see individual that I have assisted achieving their objectives and making a better life for themselves, I consider that the reward for my work. CONCLUSION The young people are just as affected by society’s issues as others are and require the support, guidance and collective spirit of youth organisations in order to succeed. The government has a comprehensive youth policy that can assist these organisations to cater to the needs of their clients. The challenge comes in for the youth organisations to penetrate the barriers that prevent it from accessing those youth who are in dire need of their assistance. This can be done by incorporation of greater involvement of the disenfranchised youth within their programmes and making it possible for these youth to progress from there. REFERENCES Coussée, F. (2008a). “Cardijn versus Baden-Powell: on the methodical turn of youth work” in R. Gilchrist (ed.) Essays in the history of youth and community work, Vol. 3. Leicester: Youth Work Press. Davies, B. (1999). From voluntaryism to welfare state: a history of the youth service in England, Volume 1: 1939-1979. Leicester: Youth Work Press. Giesecke, H. (1984). "Why do not youth work?" German Youth, Vol 32, No. 10: 443-9. Heyting, F. (2001). "Constructive skepticism: the possibility of a socially critical educational philosophy ', Pedagogy, Vol. 21, No.. 4: 346-58. Lorenz, W. (2007) “Practising history: memory and contemporary professional practice”, International Social Work, Vol. 50, No. 5: 597-612. Imelman, J.D. (1990). "Development and belief in progress, fiction, and historical and cultural relativism and the kenkritische task of education" in JD Imelman, B. Supply, W. Meijer, K. Mulderij, P. van der Ploeg and B. Rank, Cultural Studies. Leiden / Antwerp: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, pp. 10-30. National Youth Agency (2006) ‘Hear by Right’. Retrieved June 11, 2018 from: http://www.nya.org.uk/hearbyright Thole, W. (2000). Children and youth work. An introduction. Weinheim / Munich: Juventa publisher. Williamson, H. (1995). “At the crossroads: youth work in Wales”, Welsh Journal of Education, 1995, No. 2. Read More