Not all of the youth workers come from Mars

The first camp is inhabited by the idealists. Some are absolutely purist, while others are ready to contemplate adjustment to meet the challenges facing young people today. They talk in the language of concepts, principles and values. They invoke history and a particular tradition of working with young people. They argue for a critical relationship to other groups, such as social workers, careers services or police.

The other camp is occupied by the technicians, a new breed of youth worker charged with delivering national and local agendas for young people: school inclusion, health promotion, crime prevention. They talk in the language of performance, targets and standards. They make very little reference to history, although they are usually on the ball with strategic expectations. They point, often quite uncritically, to the need to work together, join up practice and "deliver".