We need to make a clearer, external case. It is this ...
At the heart of the youth work experience is the encounter between the young person and a trusted adult. That relationship is usually voluntary. It encompasses honest and purposeful dialogue and leads to fresh insights and new experiences, often in small groups. Such relationships are themselves located in networks and communities. The history of how these youth-friendly networks have been created, maintained and developed is one to celebrate.
But - a very big "but" - our history contains its own share of myths. Youth work has never really been like this. That fragile "moment of truth" between worker and young person has always happened within a web of activity, conversation and communities. And so it should: young people do not live in isolation, but in the wider complex world.
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