scholarly journals Challenges and impossibilities of ‘standing alongside’ in an intolerable context: Learning from refugees and volunteers in the Calais camp

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Burck ◽  
Gillian Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Refugee Camp ◽  
The Political ◽  
Liberation Psychology ◽  
Humanitarian Crisis ◽  
Context Learning ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Narrative Practice ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Narrative Framework

This article describes the experience of setting up a psychosocial and therapeutic support project in the French Calais refugee camp, by a group of family therapists and clinical psychologists from the United Kingdom. This came about in response to reports of a humanitarian crisis unfolding on our doorstep, with the British government’s lack of support for the growing numbers of refugees gathering along the UK border with France. The project involved working alongside other agencies in the camp to provide psychosocial and resilience-based therapeutic support to unaccompanied young people, women, children and their families and also to many volunteers in the camp. The process of setting up the work is described, as well as the challenges and dilemmas of offering an intervention in extremely unsafe and insanitary conditions, where for most the experience of trauma was ongoing. The project was informed by systemic–narrative practice and community/liberation psychology, which incorporate the political and social context. A narrative framework offered a way of drawing on people’s strengths and resources, rooted in their cultural and social histories and helping them connect with preferred identities, which we found to be essential in the context of ongoing crisis.

How to introduce a national minimum wage- the UK example

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 630-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill Callaghan
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Minimum Wage ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
International Comparisons ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
The Political ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Low Pay

The article deals with the introduction of the national minimum wage (NMW) in the United Kingdom. It describes the background to the debate, dealing with, among other things, developments in collective bargaining policy, deregulation and the positions of the political parties. It also touches on the changes that have occurred in the thinking of the TUC and the Labour Party. The establishment of the tripartite Low Pay Commission (LPC) and the way it has operated are described in some detail. Particular attention is paid to the procedure used by the LPC to collate evidence, and especially to the official discussions with employers, trade unions and other groups. The article presents the main recommendations of the first two LPC reports and explains their impact on income distribution. A number of specific questions are looked at in some detail, including the problems of data availability, international comparisons, methodology, young people, the periodic adjustment of the minimum wage and consequences for the trade unions.

scholarly journals Young People’s Services in an Age of Neoliberalism

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-206
Author(s):  
Graham Brotherton ◽  
Christina Hyland ◽  
Iain Jones ◽  
Terry Potter
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Young People ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Coalition Government ◽  
Youth Services ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Way

Abstract This article brings together four different perspectives which explore the way in which various policy initiatives in recent years have sought to construct young people resident in the United Kingdom within particular policy discourses shaped by neoliberalism. In order to do this it firstly considers the way in which the assumptions of neoliberalism have increasingly been applied by the new Coalition Government to young people and the services provided for them; it then considers the particular role of New Labour in the UK in applying these ideas in practice. Specific examples from the areas of young people’s participation in youth services and higher education policy are then considered.

Introduction: the landscapes of poverty and education across the UK

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Ian Thompson ◽  
Gabrielle Ivinson
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Educational Inequality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Social And Cultural Factors ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Different Parts

Poverty blights the lives of children and young people. Research has consistently shown that the most economically disadvantaged pupils across the United Kingdom (UK) have the poorest educational outcomes and that poverty has a pernicious effect on children’s well-being. However, far less is known about the ways that poverty is differentially experienced for children and young people in schools within the four jurisdictions of the UK. Are there historical, social and cultural factors that make poverty a postcode lottery in terms of quality of schooling in the different parts of the UK? Are successful local interventions context specific as the research evidence seems to suggest or can we learn from particular regions or cities? This introduction points out that anxieties about growing educational inequality in the UK have to be contextualised historically, geographically and in terms of the distinct political and socio-economic landscapes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Denmark and the United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
pp. 117-141
Author(s):  
Agnes Cornell ◽  
Jørgen Møller ◽  
Svend-Erik Skaaning
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Regimes ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Additional Support ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Interwar Era ◽  
Civil Societies

Denmark and the United Kingdom are analyzed in-depth as examples of clear positive cases, i.e. surviving democracies with substantial democratic legacies and vibrant associational landscapes. The two case studies show how Denmark and the UK had developed consolidated democracies on the eve of the interwar era. These democracies were bolstered by broad acceptance of democratic procedures among elites and masses as well as strong parties interlaced with lively civil societies. The result of this combination was political regimes, which were immune to the political radicalization of the day. Antidemocratic movements and parties found preciously little support, the established parties remained loyal to democracy, and they came together to strike political agreements in order to counter economic crisis and anti-democratic mobilization in the 1930s. The evidence offered by these case studies thus provide additional support for our theoretical mechanisms.

scholarly journals A qualitative account of young people’s experiences of alcohol screening and brief interventions in schools: SIPS Jr-HIGH trial findings

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. e259-e267
Author(s):  
E L Giles ◽  
G J McGeechan ◽  
S J Scott ◽  
R McGovern ◽  
S Boniface ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Young People ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Alcohol Screening ◽  
Screening And Brief Intervention ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Analysis Process ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background The United Kingdom (UK) has seen a decrease in the number of young people drinking alcohol. However, the UK prevalence of underage drinking still ranks amongst the highest in Western Europe. Whilst there is a wealth of evidence reporting on the effectiveness of both primary, and secondary interventions, there are few reports of the experiences of young people who receive them. Methods The present study reports findings from interviews with 33 young people who were involved in an alcohol screening and brief intervention randomized controlled trial in schools in England. All interviews were analysed using inductive applied thematic analysis. Results Three major themes were identified following the analysis process: 1) drinking identities and awareness of risk; 2) access to support and advice in relation to alcohol use; and 3) appraisal of the intervention and potential impact on alcohol use. Conclusions There appeared to be a reluctance from participants to describe themselves as someone who drinks alcohol. Furthermore, those who did drink alcohol often did so with parental permission. There was variation amongst participants as to how comfortable they felt talking about alcohol issues with school staff. Overall participants felt the intervention was useful, but would be better suited to ‘heavier’ drinkers.

Social Pedagogy: What Questions Can We Ask About Its Value and Effectiveness?

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 187-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Public Care ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Social Pedagogy ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Cross National

Social pedagogy is a field of professional practice associated with the care and education of young children, support of young people, and with family support that has an established place in many continental European countries. It has attracted attention in the United Kingdom (UK) for its potential relevance to the policy ambition of improving the generally poor educational and social outcomes for young people in public care. In this article, I discuss some issues arising from the task of establishing the value, or effectiveness, of the social pedagogic approach. Using findings from cross-national studies, I argue that there are various problems with measuring the ‘effectiveness’ of social pedagogy, but that in countries where social pedagogy is well established and supported by a policy and cultural context, its role in supporting children and families is highly valued. I conclude by considering some implications for the introduction of social pedagogy into the UK.

scholarly journals Multiculturalism is Dead: Long Live Community Cohesion? A Case Study of an Educational Methodology to Empower Young People as Global Citizens

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Cremin ◽  
Paul Warwick
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Young People ◽  
Educational Outcome ◽  
Community Cohesion ◽  
Global Citizens ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Diverse Community ◽  
The Uk ◽  
College Setting

This article explores the theme of the ‘two faces of education’ by reviewing new policy directives in the United Kingdom to strengthen community cohesion in schools and their communities. These directives have resulted from growing disaffection with the aims and outcomes of multiculturalism. This article will investigate the ways in which this disaffection has resulted in both ‘quick fix’ politicised solutions, and in more genuine attempts to support young people to develop positive relationships with people from different ethnic backgrounds. It will suggest that whilst inequalities of educational outcome for different ethnic groups persist, schools will continue to be part of the problem, hence the second link with the theme of two (or more?) faces of education. In order to become part of the solution, schools internationally will need to adopt much more creative and complex approaches to the reduction of racism and inequality than those currently being proposed by the UK Government. A case study of an approach that has been used in many countries of the world, including Brazil and Canada, to engage young people in open dialogue, and to develop empathy and critical thinking is provided. The case study from a multi-ethnic college setting within the Midlands, United Kingdom, will illustrate how young people can be enskilled and empowered to consider key debates that have relevance to their lives as global citizens living in a culturally diverse community.

scholarly journals “Till debt do us part”: financial implications of the divorce of the Irish Free State from the United Kingdom, 1922–1926

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 818-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Fitzgerald ◽  
Seán Kenny
Keyword(s):  
Financial Stability ◽  
Gross National Product ◽  
The Political ◽  
National Debt ◽  
Domestic Markets ◽  
Financial Gain ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Political Cost ◽  
The Uk

Abstract In this paper, we discuss the apportionment of national debt when Ireland exited the UK in 1922. We estimate that the claim on Ireland amounted to 80 percent of Irish Gross National Product (G.N.P.) and describe how it was ultimately waived at the expense of an unchanged land border with Northern Ireland. While this represents the largest debt relief episode in the twentieth century, the political cost of the agreement exceeded the financial gain in the long run. We find that domestic markets reacted more to political uncertainty than the pending liability, despite the financial stability which resulted from the debt write-down.

Populist politics and democracy in the UK: implications for community development

2020 ◽  
pp. 165-186
Author(s):  
Keith Popple
Keyword(s):  
Community Development ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The Political ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Political Right ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Finance Capitalism

This chapter outlines how British populist politics, and in particular right-wing populist politics, has had significant implications for communities, for the theory and practice of community development, and for those presently involved in the activity in the United Kingdom, where it has suffered substantial financial cutbacks. The outcome of the austerity measures that has led to the contemporary presence of populism in the UK has been a mounting dissatisfaction and a general lack of trust in politics amongst millions in the country. This, together with a hangover from the 'parliamentary expenses scandal' that involved members from both Houses of Parliament, has created a marked degree of scepticism about the workings of the British electoral system. Further, there has been a growing lack of confidence in the system of neoliberal globalised finance capitalism that has left countless communities poorer and economically less secure. People's anger and frustration with these actions have been harnessed by the political right, which during the 2016 Referendum debate focused on the impact of immigration on communities. The chapter then notes the unique elements of community development and reflects on the role it can play in these challenging times. It argues that community development now requires greater funding and recognition while reconceptualising itself in a more radical manner.

Conclusion: Inequality, Liminality and Risk

2019 ◽  
pp. 139-158
Author(s):  
Pauline Leonard ◽  
Rachel J. Wilde
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Structure ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
The Self ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Youth Employment ◽  
Employment Policy ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk

This chapter provides an overview of the book by drawing out four key themes which emerged through the chapters as of key significance for understanding youth employability in the United Kingdom: regionality, social inequality, liminality and risk. Taking each of these in turn, the chapter demonstrates how the pervasive force of neoliberalism shapes youth employment policy and youth labour markets in the diverse regions of the UK. In order to ‘get in’ and then to ‘get on’, Britain’s young people must demonstrate neoliberal qualities such as individualisation, responsibilisation and resilience to risk. At the same time, the ability to perform this version of the self is powerfully shaped by social structure.

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