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This book aims to offer reflections for youth workers to stimulate their thinking, dialogue and practice. Some of the sections include suggested activities that can be used with young people directly; others are for use with staff and volunteers to prompt discussion about youth work in the current context that practitioners find themselves in. Our aim for the resource is that it will encourage innovative thinking and practice through ideas and activities that youth workers find useful and that will help them to consider their work together with other youth workers and young people. A range of issues and topics are covered within the book including, among others; volunteering, evaluation, conflict, mentoring and social action.
It is not a resource compiled for practitioners by academics. A large proportion of its contributors are practising youth workers. It is a practical toolkit drawn from practice itself. Therefore the topics covered are current issues for current practitioners. In particular, it considers how we might explore the values and practices of youth work at a time when youth work feels under threat. We hope that it encourages optimism and innovation despite current challenges to the field.
Edited by Naomi Stanton
Contents
Setting the scene
What Sort of Future? Tony Jeffs
Thinking innovatively about youth work
Philosophy and Youth Work Simon Frost and Mike Seal
Creating Spaces for Radical Youth Work? Malcolm Ball, Tania de St Croix and Louise Doherty
Empowerment, Power and Powerlessness Emma Wilkinson and Paul Leonard
Spiritual Development and Youth Work Maxine Green
Anti-oppressive Youth Work with Young People with Disabilities Liz Woolley
Thinking innovatively about youth work measurement
Innovations in the Measurement of Youth Work: measuring success in terms of young people’s wellbeing
Ian McGimpsey
Innovations in the Measurement of Youth Work: the contribution of qualitative longitudinal methods
Aniela Wenham
Using Participatory Research: potential and pitfalls Adefemi Adekunle
Doing innovative practice
Empowering Young People through Social Action Katharine O’Brien
Working with Conflict and Aggression Naomi Stanton
Supporting Volunteers in Youth Work Wendy Wiggins
The Place and Use of Mentoring with Young People Tina Salter
Applying for funding in challenging times
Supporting Local Youth Work: A United States perspective on developing proposals for funding
Elaine Johannes with Kali Summers