Editorial: Scots get to have their say on youth work

There was confusion about what came under the community education banner but, whatever it was called, it resulted in some innovative practice.

For example, Scottish young people benefit from the Fast Forward peer mentoring initiative, Young Scot youth information provision and a volunteering scheme called Project Scotland, which launched in May last year.

Now the Scottish Executive is embracing youth work. It has unveiled Youth Work - Opportunities for All, billed as a "consultation paper to inform a national youth work strategy" (see p3). The document is broadly equivalent to last year's Youth Matters green paper in England. Similarly, its purpose is to define the shape of provision for young people, although early on it points out the increased blurring of lines between formal and non-formal activity.