scholarly journals Shaping the Selves of “At Risk” Youth in Debt and Poverty in the Context of Economic Vulnerability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalle Mäkelä ◽  
Elina Ikävalko ◽  
Kristiina Brunila
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
Neoliberal Governmentality ◽  
Economic Vulnerability ◽  
Work Training

AbstractDrawing on two interrelated areas of youth work, outreach youth work as a place of coordination of work, social benefits and social services, and youth workshops as a place for work training for young people “at risk”, our aim in this article is to analyse how young people in poor financial circumstances are governed through policies and practices in these institutions in Finland. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with young people and professionals working with young people, we ask how the subjectivities of young people “at risk” (and particularly those in debt and poverty) are shaped in the context of economic vulnerability. This shaping is not only from top-down dimensional formation of a subject, but also from the multidimensional flow of power/knowledge via subjects that sometimes possess opportunities of acting otherwise, as delineated in the end of our analysis. In the context of ubiquitous neoliberal governmentality, we delineated a landscape of survival strategies for economically vulnerable young people in these power/knowledge relations.

Smoking to fit a stigmatised identity? A qualitative study of marginalised young people in Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 306-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marita Hefler ◽  
Stacy M Carter
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Inner City ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Smoking Behaviour ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
Structural Inequality ◽  
Former Smokers ◽  
Smoking Uptake ◽  
The Impact

In countries with comprehensive tobacco control, smoking is increasingly denormalised, with smokers subject to social stigmatisation. Qualitative research and commentary about denormalisation and stigma has largely focused on the impact on current or former smokers. Little attention has been given to the interaction between existing stigma among socially marginalised and disadvantaged young people and its role in smoking uptake, maintenance and resistance to quitting, or remaining a non-smoker. This article draws on a qualitative (grounded theory) study of young people aged 16–25 years who attended social services for at-risk youth in an inner city area in Australia, to explore the intersection between stigmatised identity and smoking in a context of increasing smoking denormalisation. Drawing on theoretical conceptualisations of stigma, we outline processes by which participants accept and apply social labels, internalise or distance themselves from stigmatised identities, and the influence of labelling on smoking trajectories, to demonstrate how the persistent dilemma of stigma shapes and reinforces smoking behaviour. The study highlights the need for tobacco control initiatives to align and integrate with broader initiatives to address structural inequality and social disadvantage.

Fanfic’ing Film

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-124
Author(s):  
Andrew Scahill
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Young People ◽  
Fairy Tales ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
Film Festival ◽  
Queer Youth

Fairy Tales Film Festival 2018, Calgary Queer Arts Society, Youth Queer Media ProgramFor the study of youth in cinema, we, as scholars, must always remind ourselves that most images we analyze are created by adults representing youth, not by youth representing themselves. As such, they represent an idea of youth—a memory, a trauma, a wish. They are stories these adults tell themselves about what they need youth to be in that moment. Coming out becomes the singular narrative of queer youth, and positions adulthood as a safe and stable destination after escaping the traumatic space of adolescence. The stories in these films provide important moments for adult queers to “feel backward” (2009: 7) as Heather Love says, and to process the pain of a queer childhood. And for young people exploring their sexuality, these stories are essential for at-risk youth who feel hopeless, trapped, or alone.

scholarly journals Challenges and Support for LGBTQ+ At-Risk Youth

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy L. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Young People ◽  
Family Structure ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
Support Structure ◽  
Structure Level

The number of people who identify as LGBTQ+ has been increasing, especially amongst young people. The LGBTQ+ community faces many challenges. This paper examines responses to at-risk youth who identify as LGBTQ+ in Edmonton, Canada and L’viv, Ukraine from a family structure level, social support structure level, and governmental programs or policies. It also explores how different reactions - such as feminism or patriarchy – have specific implications for these youth. Finally, it looks at how support, activism, advocacy and acceptance, or fear and anger, can create a change within society.

scholarly journals Detached Youth Work: A critical analysis of theory and practice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Natalie Dowling
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Young People ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Key Skills

This thesis provides a critical analysis of the theory and practice of detached youth work (DYW) as a form of engagement with young people which has lacked attention within policy and research. The research aim was to develop a contemporary definition for DYW in order to create a model of best practice and establish a set of key practitioner skills. The thesis addressed three research objectives, 1: To develop a contemporary definition of DYW using current theory and analysis of practice, 2: To critically analyse current DYW processes to establish a model of best operational practice and 3: To evaluate the work of practitioners in order to establish a set of key practitioner skills for effective DYW. These were achieved through an ethnographic case study approach across two locations, employing three interviews with detached youth workers and 15 participant observations. This was combined with an online survey of 32 detached youth workers exploring their experiences of practice. The thesis illustrates the problems, exacerbated by austerity, in supporting marginalised young people. Responding to the first objective it develops an umbrella term to define DYW, while advising on ideal requirements for this form of practice. For the second objective a model of best operational practice is constructed, emphasising the importance of locations of practice, engagement tools and aspects related to the community and police. The final objective of this thesis contributes a new three-stage process for engagement with new groups of young people through DYW, alongside drawing on data analysis to establish a set of key practitioner skills particularly beneficial in development of job descriptions and recruitment consideration. The thesis concludes that greater understanding of DYW is required to support this form of engagement and allow effective practice to make a difference to individuals at risk. Moreover, in responding to the research aim, it evidences the need for effective relationships and the key skills required for any practitioner engaging with individuals and communities. Without investment in youth services this form of practice is at risk of becoming lost or viewed as ineffective due to inappropriate understandings.

scholarly journals GOVERNMENT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH DELINQUENT TRAJECTORIES

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2.1) ◽  
pp. 263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Craig ◽  
Lyndall Schumann ◽  
Kelly Petrunka ◽  
Shahriar Khan ◽  
Ray Peters
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Remedial Education ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Social Assistance ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
Delinquent Girls ◽  
Grade 3 ◽  
Delinquent Boys

The objectives of this project were to: (a) identify early trajectories of delinquency for both boys and girls at ages 8 (Grade 3), 11 (Grade 6), and 14 (Grade 9) in a longitudinal sample of 842 at-risk youth from a multi-informant perspective (i.e., parents, teachers, self-reported youth ratings), and (b) estimate the costs associated with each delinquency trajectory on utilization of resources in the criminal justice system, remedial education, health care and social services, and social assistance. The results indicated six distinct trajectories of delinquency: two low groups, two desisting groups, an escalator group, and a high delinquency group. There were significantly more females than males in the two<em> low delinquency</em> trajectory groups, <em>p </em>&lt; .05 for both analyses. Furthermore, both the youth from the two <em>desisters</em> trajectory groups (13% of the sample) and from the two most at-risk trajectories (<em>escalators</em> and <em>high delinquency</em>, 5% of the sample) each accounted for approximately 40% of the estimated costs to government. It is interesting to note that 80% of the estimated <em>Criminal Justice</em> costs were due to the <em>high delinquency</em> and <em>escalators</em> trajectory groups. Antisocial or delinquent girls cost society more money than antisocial or delinquent boys in all domains, with the exception of the <em>Social Assistance</em> domain<strong>. </strong>Implications for crime prevention are discussed.

scholarly journals Supporting and Accompanying Young People After the Lac-Mégantic Train Derailment (Quebec, Canada)

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s70-s71
Author(s):  
Mélissa Généreux ◽  
Marie-Claude Maillet ◽  
Elise Nault-Horvath ◽  
Cindy Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Social Services ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
Train Derailment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Political Sector ◽  
Gathering Place ◽  
Flow Of Information

Introduction:In July 2013, a train transporting oil derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic, causing major human, environmental, and economic impacts. A community-based survey of people aged 10-25, conducted in 2017, revealed that many young people suffer in silence and report feeling isolated. These observations led to the conclusion that we must make room for young people, and that opportunities for engagement and participation must be provided within the community.Aim:The Public Health Direction of Estrie aimed to identify strategies to promote health and wellbeing for young people living in and around Lac-Mégantic.Methods:A collective reflection half-day was hosted with sixty key stakeholders (school board, other education institutions, health and social services, community sector, municipal/political sector, parents, youth). Throughout the event, participants were invited to build on and learn from accomplishments and experiential knowledge, and develop a common vision of the solutions to be pursued or implemented. All qualitative data sources (verbal and written data from large- and sub-group activities) were analyzed through a content analysis.Results:Several themes (i.e. potential solutions) emerged from the analysis: common venue, diversified activities, communication, collaboration, involvement, support for at-risk youth, intergenerational component, etc. Participants agreed on four priorities for action: 1) creating a gathering place, 2) establishing a Youth Committee, 3) supporting adults working with youth, and 4) fostering a better flow of information.Discussion:Several positive outcomes of the collective reflection half-day were observed, including the mobilization of the participants who greatly appreciated the event, and many promising ideas launched by stakeholders. A social worker is now fully dedicated to supporting youth wellbeing and engagement in Lac-Mégantic. A Youth Committee has been established and projects by and for youth are being implemented. Bottom-up approaches to identify solutions to complex situations are not only effective but also respectful of the local culture.

scholarly journals The SCANS Skills and Competencies Checklist: An Assessment Tool for Youth Work Readiness Programs

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-99
Author(s):  
Lydia B. Blalock ◽  
Linda Strieter ◽  
Luanne Hughes
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Work Readiness ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
Opportunities To Learn ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit

The SCANS Report for America, 2000 (1992) identified the skills youth need to compete in the workplace. The not-for-profit sector responded by implementing programs designed to give at-risk youth opportunities to learn the skills and competencies required to be work ready. Program evaluators, however, are challenged with the need to assess behavioral changes, which at best are difficult to document. In addition, at-risk youth often do not perform well with traditional paper and pencil assessments (for a variety of reasons). Improvements in SCANS attributes must be captured while the youth are engaged in learning and practicing the desired skills and behaviors. The SCANS Skills & Competencies Checklist, developed by evaluators of the RCRE Youth Farmstand Program, is a tool that can be customized easily for use with youth work readiness programs that include an experiential learning component.

scholarly journals The Sustainability of the Youth Foyer Model: A Comparison of the UK and Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Steen ◽  
David MacKenzie
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Young People ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Supportive Housing ◽  
Financial Sustainability ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
National Context ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Cost

The youth foyer model was designed to provide a package of support, including accommodation to homeless or at-risk young people, based on participation in education, training and/or employment as a supported transition to independent living and a sustainable livelihood. Commencing in the early 1990s, the UK has developed a large number of foyers while Australia is a relative newcomer to this kind of supportive youth housing. Unlike in the UK, existing and proposed Australian foyer income generated from current benefits and subsidies is not sufficient to cover the cost of support. We highlight the need for an extensible source of funding specifically for supportive housing for homeless and at-risk youth in order to ensure the financial sustainability and therefore replicability of the foyer model in Australia. We also discuss some issues relating to the translation of the model from one national context to another.

scholarly journals Outreach youth work and employability in the ethos of vulnerability

2021 ◽  
pp. 175774382110219
Author(s):  
Kalle Mäkelä ◽  
Katariina Mertanen ◽  
Kristiina Brunila
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Young People ◽  
Support Systems ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
Construction Of Knowledge ◽  
Poverty And Inequality

There is general agreement overall about the desirability and importance of youth support systems as being crucial for young people ‘at risk’ to help them cultivate their subjectivities about employability. In this article, we take a closer look at these support systems and especially at outreach youth work in Finland. We focus on the construction of knowledge and subjectivities of young people related to it. We argue that among the good intentions in cultivating young people’s subjectivities, outreach youth work tends to operate as a practice for enhancing the construction of psycho-emotional vulnerabilities and employability of young people while translating wider societal questions of austerity, poverty and inequality into questions of individualised deficiencies.

Technologies of evidence: An institutional ethnography from the standpoints of ‘youth-at-risk’

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 604-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Nichols
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Institutional Ethnography ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
Institutional Practices ◽  
Institutional Processes ◽  
Institutional Settings ◽  
The Social ◽  
Youth At Risk

In this article, I investigate the social relations of evidence that transverse and connect schools, homes, the streets, and the courts. This institutional ethnography begins in the standpoints of racialised and ‘at-risk youth’ to investigate how institutional practices – embedded in and constitutive of the new relations of capital and exchange referred to as the knowledge economy – (re)produce intersecting social relations of objectification and exclusion. Beginning with young people’s experiences of silencing and misrepresentation in public sector institutions, the article examines how different forms of evidence are produced and used across the various institutional settings where young people are active. The study demonstrates how seemingly objective institutional processes actually produce the experiences of diminishment and exclusion that young people described.

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