1. Like and understand young people.
It might sound obvious, but it really helps if you like young people, Mike Counsell, former principal youth officer for Gloucestershire, says: "The job is about being interested in young people's growth and personal development, especially though the transition to adulthood."
"You need to be able to do that within young people's culture - to understand how they think and behave, to be able to have conversations at their level."
Nichola Brown, workforce development officer for the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services, says workers need to be creative and innovative in the things they do. "You've got to bring a tolerant and non-judgmental attitude," she adds.
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