The two of them had been playing by a shallow stream and had been throwing stones into the water. One had gone astray; hence the accident. On recounting this to a colleague, he asked jokingly whether or not the case had been referred to the Local Safeguarding Children Board. We both laughed. But it occurred to me that only a few years ago such a comment would not have even entered his head. Now it is often the first thing that comes to mind — if only as a joke.
When you ask adults what were the best things about childhood, they routinely recall what they think of as the halcyon days of unsupervised activity and exploration, often in woods or other natural surroundings. They were days of adventure, fun and, although they didn't know it then and may not recognise it now, a growing understanding of group relationships, hierarchies, power plays, conflict, victimisation (and how to deal with it), successes and failures. And occasional accidents, particularly bruises, cuts and sometimes broken bones.
Such activities were replicated by the majority of youth organisations, through summer camps and day trips to the countryside. They had variable degrees of structure and organisation, but they were what drew young people and sustained their involvement. Those events are what people most closely associate with their youth work experiences.
There has been press coverage of Richard Louv's book Last Child in the Woods, first published five years ago in the US. He coined the term "nature deficit disorder". Two observations struck me — his assertion that troublesome young people often become natural leaders when exposed to nature, and the paradox of encouraging ecological awareness in young people while denying them direct experiences on the grounds of risk, and health and safety. Injuries will occur, but this must not block young people's possibilities of engaging in exploration of the natural environment.
Howard Williamson is professor of European youth policy at the University of Glamorgan
