George Williams and the YMCA. George Williams and the small group of other young men who set up the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) had a great belief in what they were doing – but they probably have been amazed at the scale and scope of the worldwide movement that emerged. Here we examine the …
Category archives: Christian youth work and youth ministry
Basil Yeaxlee, lifelong learning and informal education
A key, but overlooked figure, Basil Yeaxlee wrote the first book on lifelong education; argued that informal education was as significant as formal; and explored the spiritual nature of education contents: introduction and life · the YMCA and the huts · the 1919 report · spiritual values in adult education · Basil Yeaxlee, lifelong education and …
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The significance of circular 1486 – The Service of Youth
The Oxford and Bermondsey Boys’ Clubs – the work of Boys Clubs in Bermondsey, London, England, UK Circular 1486 is usually taken as marking the beginning of the youth service in England and Wales. Published in 1939 Jonathan Roberts assesses its significance. contents: introduction · wartime conditions · young people and youth organizations · the …
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Why youth clubs?
Leonard Barnett explores the essential qualities of the church youth club. Chapter 1 of Adventures with Youth, London: Methodist Association of Youth Clubs, 1962. contents: preface · introduction · our specific purpose · what is education · the educated man · technical education · social education · moral and spiritual education · the prime necessity …
Youth and community work in the 70s – introduction
This particular chapter of the Fairbairn-Milson Report (Youth and Community Work in the 70s) provides some of the official background to the report and provides a review of developments since the Albemarle Report. contents: our approach · the albemarle report · subsequent developments · membership in the youth service · footnotes · how to cite …
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Youth and community work in the 70s – the young adult group
This chapter of the Fairbairn-Milson Report (Youth and Community Work in the 70s) (1969) contains some significant and brave statements about the nature of work with young people. It argues for a community development approach and for political education and sets out the implications for various groups and institutions in society. contents: introduction · self-determination …
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The problem of ‘youth’ for youth work
The problem of ‘youth’ for youth work. Full text of the article by Tony Jeffs and Mark K. Smith published in Youth and Policy. Contents: introduction · control · so where does youth work come in · youth work? · ‘youth’ · the problems with ‘youth’ · implications · the counter-case · references · how …
Youth Matters – the green paper on services for youth
Here we outline the main proposals of the new English ‘Green Paper for youth’ – Youth Matters – and highlight some of the key issues and problems arising from it. These include a continuing attack on the civil rights of young people. contents: introduction · the making of the green paper for youth? · youth matters …
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Re-creating America: Youth ministry and social change, 1930-1999
Photo by Tegan Mierle on Unsplash Jon Pahl explores the youth ministries of Walther Leaguers, Young Christian Workers, Youth for Christ members, and the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore and finds a nuanced history with complex interactions across American culture. The history of Christian youth ministry opens several windows onto key changes in …
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What is youth work? Exploring the history, theory and practice of work with young people
, What is youth work? Where did it come from? What is the state of youth work practice today? We explore the development of the theory and practice of youth work in Britain and Northern Ireland – and its uncertain future. contents: introduction · early stirrings · the development of youth work · uniformed youth …
The case for youth work
What is youth work? Where has practice gone wrong, where is it thriving? Looking to association and social capital as a way forward. A presentation by Mark K. Smith to the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, September 2004. contents: the nature of youth work • state-sponsored youth work loses its way • the renaissance in church-based …
Larry Parsons: Youth work and the spark of the divine
In this piece Larry Parsons reflects on his philosophy of youth work – and the fundamental significance of the spark of the divine that he believes is in everyone. (First published as a Rank Foundation/YMCA George Williams College pamphlet) contents: foreword • introduction • human nature • youth work • conclusion • christian youth work home …
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The purpose and content of the youth service
This Report of the Youth Advisory Council appointed by the Minister of Education in 1943 (and published in 1945), provides a classic statement of youth work as non-vocational group work. contents: preface · foreword · chapter 1: background · chapter 2: purpose · chapter 3: content The first report of the Youth Advisory Council, published …
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