One such watering hole for discussion about youth issues was in fact established in the 1990s. This was the Research, Policy and Practice Forum on Young People, financed by the then Department for Education and Employment and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, serviced by The National Youth Agency.
Its twice-yearly meetings sought to interrogate general themes such as social inclusion and community cohesion, and more specific issues such as mentoring and self-esteem.
Policymakers, researchers and practitioners articulated their views through keynote presentations and round-table discussions, and they were subjected to questions from the floor. Maybe this didn't achieve much, but the sessions helped dissect concepts that are routinely bandied about without self-reflection, and endeavoured to separate reality from rhetoric.
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