Today's geographers can be powerful allies

These days, though, geographers get up to all sorts of things. Human, social, even cultural geography has moved to the fore. A key theme is people's movements or mobilities. Young people are in the frame, especially their immobilities - the things that make it hard for them to move around. This, I guess, is of interest to many youth workers. Beyond this, understanding "space" and "place" is a no-brainer for detached workers. But how many of us have given a second thought to studying geography?

Attending the recent Royal Geographical Society conference was enlightening. Many delegates shared my interest in young people in public space. And I learned a good deal besides. Here's a flavour: "sense-walking" is a research tool that promotes a heightened sense of awareness about the neighbourhoods in which we live. For example, appreciating the "olfactory environment" (day-to-day smells to you and me) just goes to prove how easy it is to let the visual dominate. Learning more about how young people interpret their neighbourhoods through their different senses can help us work with them - and it's fun too.