Section 4: Practical perspectives of working with and on young people–is it possible for youth workers to work with young people?

2010 ◽  
pp. 74-84
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Workers

scholarly journals Inclusion, Diversity, Equality in Non-Formal Education through the Optic of Youth and Youth Workers

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 94-108
Author(s):  
Martin Brestovanský ◽  
Janette Gubricová ◽  
Kristína Liberčanová ◽  
Naďa Bizová ◽  
Zuzana Geršicová
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Informal Education ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Members

AbstractIntroduction: The aim of the study was to find out what is the understanding of relatively new terms coming into the cultures of Middle-European countries – inclusion, diversity, and equality (hereinafter referred to as IDE) – from the point of view of young people (n=30) and youth workers (n=16) in Slovakia.Methods: For data gathering, we used a method of focus groups (4 meetings). Data analysis was based on three criteria: consistency in understanding the terms, an overview of types of obstacles that keep young people from self-realisation and an explicit or implicit expression of understanding the basic principles of inclusion in education. The content of IDE terms was mostly from the area of the social field. The term diversity was closely explained in the psychological-personal fields.Results: The most frequent obstacles for applying IDE approaches were seen in the social, health and religious spheres. From the pedagogical and methodological point of view, the problem is also in the difficulty of preparing the projects based on the principles of IDE while the youth workers proclaim autonomy in solutions and do not trust the possibilities of using general methods because of specific need resulting from the specific context of their work. Also, they proclaim natural applying of the IDE principles and the existence of specific needs in the informal education does not represent any problem for the inclusion of the group members in the activities of the organisation.Limitations: Work with youth is very varied. Performs in different areas of life and also involves working with different groups of young people. The selected research sample consists of youth and youth workers who are only a partial sample of the sample. It is assumed that in a larger group of respondents (both youth workers and youths themselves), respondents' views may differ somewhat in some of the areas studied.Conclusions: This research provides information on understanding, implementation and obstacles to applying the principles of inclusion, equality and diversity in practice. We believe that the information we receive is very valuable as it opens the imaginative door to the specific kitchens of individual youth organizations where these principles are directly implemented. They show their nature of application in practice, they suggest some risks, as well as a certain bias towards the application of the terms emerging (probably?) from theory. As can be seen from the results of our research, the emergence of specific needs in non-formal education in practice does not pose a problem in the inclusion of group members in leisure activities.

scholarly journals Qualitative Evaluation of Web-Based Digital Intervention to Prevent and Reduce Excessive Alcohol Use and Harm Among Young People Aged 14-15 Years: A “Think-Aloud” Study

10.2196/19749 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. e19749
Author(s):  
Laura Elizabeth Tinner ◽  
Eileen Kaner ◽  
Claire Garnett ◽  
Siobhan Mitchell ◽  
Matthew Hickman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Young People ◽  
Think Aloud ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Social Pressures ◽  
Excessive Alcohol

Background In the United Kingdom, despite some downward trends in alcohol use among young people, over one-fifth of young people reported excessive alcohol use in the past month, which is associated with short- and long-term harm to health. Digital interventions to reduce alcohol use, such as websites, among young people present an appealing and cost-effective mode of intervention that can be integrated into the education system. However, relatively few school-based digital alcohol-focused interventions have been developed and evaluated for young people in the United Kingdom. Objective This study aims to develop a novel web-based intervention, Rethink Alcohol, to prevent and reduce excessive alcohol use and related harm among young people aged between 14 and 15 years, and explore the views of young people, teachers, and youth workers in relation to the content, design, and usability of the intervention. Methods Intervention development followed the person-based approach, using theories of social norms and social influence. Qualitative “Think-Aloud” interviews, either one-to-one or paired, were conducted while participants perused and worked through the web-based intervention, talking aloud. Participants included 20 young people (12 female, 8 male), 5 youth workers (4 female, 1 male), 3 teachers (2 male, 1 female), and 1 (male) clinical professional, recruited via youth groups and professional networks. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically. Results The prototype web-based intervention included normative feedback, information, a quiz, interactive activities, and scenarios. On a rating scale of impressions from poor (1) to excellent (5), participants gave an average score of 3.6/5. A total of 5 themes were identified: content, credibility of the website, making the website easy to understand, design and navigation, and suitability for the audience. These themes reflected views that the content was interesting, credible, informative, and embodied a neutral and nonjudgmental tone, but stronger messaging was needed regarding social pressures and short-term risks regarding safety and risk behavior alongside clarity around pathways of risk; credibility and trustworthiness of information were critical features, determined in part, by the professionalism of design and referencing of sources of information provided; and messages should be succinct and come to life through design and interactive features. Conclusions Together, the data illustrated the importance and challenge of communicating nuanced alcohol-focused public health messages to young people in concise, clear, nonjudgmental, and appealing ways. Young people report interest in clear, credible, neutral, and interactive messages regarding social pressures and short-term risks of alcohol use via a web-based intervention. There is scope for optimization and feasibility testing of the Rethink Alcohol intervention.

scholarly journals Young victims of youth violence: using youth workers in the emergency department to facilitate ‘teachable moments’ and to improve access to services

2020 ◽  
pp. edpract-2019-318251
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Wortley ◽  
Ann Hagell
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Young People ◽  
Youth Violence ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Access To Services ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Improve Access

There have been rising concerns in the UK about the levels of serious violence between young people, especially serious physical violence and knife crime. Interactions with young people in the emergency department (ED) at the time of injury provide an opportunity for screening and intervention in order to reduce the risk of repeat attendances. However, paediatricians and other healthcare workers can feel unsure about the best way to intervene. Embedding youth workers in EDs has started in some UK hospitals, making use of a potential ‘teachable moment’ in the immediate aftermath of an event to help change behaviour. Based on a rapid review of the literature, we summarise the evidence for these types of interventions and present two practice examples. Finally, we discuss how EDs could approach the embedding of youth workers within their department and considerations required for this.

scholarly journals ‘No One Learned’: Interpreting a Drugs Crackdown Operation and its Consequences Through The ‘Lens’ of Social Harm

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Mason
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Social Harm ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Ethnographic Approach ◽  
Empirical Context ◽  
State Interventions ◽  
Structural Inequalities

AbstractThis article seeks to extend studies of social harm by detailing the ways that harm is interpreted, identified and reflected upon by social actors in a specific empirical context: a drugs crackdown operation in a northern English city. Using a longitudinal ethnographic approach, unique insights are reported both from the time that the operation took place and a point in time five years afterwards. The data offer rich accounts of the immediate, short- and longer-term impacts as interpreted by youth workers and a group of mostly Somali young people (aged 13–19). Social harm, it is argued, offers a useful ‘lens’ through which to critically explore the culpability of well-meaning state interventions in the (re)production of structural inequalities.

Responding at the personal (P) level

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Seal ◽  
Pete Harris
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Young People ◽  
Youth Violence ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Young Person ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Violent Behaviour ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Face ◽  
Generative Phase

This chapter outlines how workers can respond on a personal, individual level to youth violence. The authors illustrate how the unpredictable nature of the physical and social space in which youth workers operate requires them to capitalise on and privilege spontaneous encounters and not be afraid to use them to begin to challenge or constructively confront violent behaviour. The authors show how these behaviours are meeting deep needs and that youth workers need to find ways to get young people to understand and acknowledge that, and identify how they may be able to meet these needs in other, less destructive, ways. Part of this process may involve presenting oneself as a blueprint for change, in the context of a relationship that needs to be characterised by warmth, trust and respect, but which should not collude with neutralisation of violence or abandon the young person in the face of structural forces. The authors argue that supporting young people to move into voluntary and paid roles where they can help and support others creates the opportunity for them to move into a generative phase of their own life cycle.

Choosing Life with Youth

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Almeda M. Wright
Keyword(s):  
African Americans ◽  
Young People ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Religious Education ◽  
Black Church ◽  
Black Youth ◽  
Young Person ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Religious Educators ◽  
Prophetic Vision

Death, violence, oppression, and racism have become part of the narratives of all young African Americans. Parents and youth workers are challenged in navigating these realities alongside youth. This chapter asks, What type of vision calls young people out of the cycles of death and violence and into esteemed roles in co-creating lives of abundance? What might a practice of choosing life look like for young people? Considering the theological insights, public ministry, and prophetic vision of one young person, this chapter leads the reader through one example of listening and discernment with youth, highlighting the theological insights and practical strategies that emerge. The chapter then moves to outline the work of key religious educators and religious critics, and contemporary resources and limitations of religious education in the Black church. Finally, this chapter suggests goals, methods, and strategies of critical pedagogy for integrating spirituality and abundant life with Black youth.

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