Any profession that fails to learn from its past is doomed to repeat its mistakes. Community and youth work has made a huge contribution to the wellbeing of communities but, with a few honourable exceptions, it has failed to produce its own histories. By neglecting to record its successes and its failures, it has left itself vulnerable to those who would foist on it warmed-over policies that have been tried and found wanting in the past.
This book is part of the process of putting that right. Its 15 chapters are written by leading practitioners and researchers, each reflecting upon a particular organisation or aspect of work from the past two centuries. They include a study of the earliest moves to make provision for young Londoners, as well as a chapter on the operation of HM Inspectorate in the 1980s. Other chapters study the impact of the First World War on the development of youth work; the work of the Girl Guides and the YWCA with 'difficult' girls in the inter-war period; and an analysis of the impact of Josephine Macalister Brew on youth work and informal education.
Together they not only pay homage to the pioneers in the youth and community field but help to create a better understanding of contemporary practice and provide the means to resist pressure to go down the wrong road. More than sentimental nostalgia, these histories offer a vantage point from which contemporary practice can be interrogated. They are an important resource for the student, researcher, practitioner and anybody who cares not just about the past but also the future of community and youth work.
The book is available from the National Youth Agency shop at www.nya.org.uk for £16.95 plus postage.
