The latest conference of the NYA's Research, Policy and Practice Forum focused on Young People and Self-Esteem.

Keynote speaker at the 6 February event was Nicholas Emler, Professor of Social Psychology at the London School of Economics, whose investigation of research evidence caused controversy in youth work circles last year.

Prof Emler appealed for youth workers to consider the evidence when planning their interventions with young people. The separation of theory and practice must be overcome, he argued.

Some of the evidence would appear to challenge widely accepted practice in the youth service. For example, it is commonplace for youth provision to have as one of the core aims of programmes the development of self-esteem of young people.

However, would this be the case if it was accepted, as some of the evidence appears to indicate, that for some young people too high a degree of self-esteem may be a causal factor in risky or anti social behaviour?

Professor Emler also discussed the evidence findings for the causes of low self-esteem and the effectiveness of various methods of youth work intervention.

Elizabeth Morris, Principal of the School of Emotional Literacy, provided an example of a method of intervention to enhance the self-esteem of children, young people and their families.

Other speakers from Crime Concern, Brathay Hall, Getting Connected, the Bradford African Caribbean Project and the Signpost Project in Sheffield provided the impetus and background information for workshop and plenary discussions.

Young people from the Bradford and Sheffield projects attended the conference to explain how their involvement had benefited them personally. Tom Wylie, Chief Executive of the National Youth Agency, chairing the conference, acceded to a request by Brian Apta to be given time to address conference challenging the work of Professor Emler.

Further reading on the debate on Professor Emler's research findings can be found in Young People Now August 2002 and October 2002. Professor Emler has published an overview of his findings in Youth Studies Australia September 2002. A report on the RPPF event will follow.