Youth Work

Youth workers will recognise the impact of social and structural forces on young people, so that their practice is responsive to young people’s experiences and needs and to break down barriers that restrict young people’s life opportunities (Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic) Code 2007).

The ever-changing jargon and terms associated with youth participation have been noted and a warning sounded about the dangers of the corrupting power of language. In particular, there are evolving meanings of associated words and practices by those who may not share the same view of participation or what is in the best interests of young people. A... See more

consultation is not participation

Youth work practitioners responsible for enabling young people’s participation should continue to argue for why it is important, but must also keep asking themselves what the best way or model of doing it is and when, where and how it should be done. Youth workers must also keep asking about which young people are enabled to participate and who is ... See more

the right to participate is not just for young people, but for all people, and is anchored to the conviction that participation is a good thing. Youth workers want to involve young people in decision-making processes to support their right to participate (or not) and to promote young people’s personal development, enhance civic and community engage... See more

This may entail difficult encounters where youth workers do not always agree with the perspectives or opinions of young people. The welcoming of ‘convenient voices’ only and the manipulation of participation processes and/or outcomes are always a danger.

as critical dialogue is central to youth work practice, so youth workers must be open to dialogue with young people who hold different views. Working with diverse voices and elevating those voices that are often silent are important and crucial to good participation.

Critical dialogue is a common practice within youth work. Youth work literature agrees on the importance of ‘dialogical conversations’ as a key part of youth work practice and youth participation and empowerment processes (Beck & Purcell 2010; Coburn 2010; Cooper, C. 2011). In relation to the concept of empowerment, a key method used in youth w... See more

This emancipatory, educational concept of youth work draws directly on the critical pedagogy of Freire (1972) and his use of dialogue. These ideas are consistent with the concept of critical dialogue (Freire 1972). This entails the proposing of provocative questions and reflecting on them critically, enabling the responses to challenge and inform f... See more