Opinion: The reality of responsive youth work

Yet that has always been one of the major strengths of effective youth work. Last week I gave the individual example of Mark - living alone, unemployed and estranged from his family - and how a relatively short intervention, apparently primarily concerned with material support, made a considerable difference to his life. This week's example is very different, involving a group of young women, aged about 14, and more focused on the provision of emotional support.

Unbeknown to me, the girls had observed a serious assault in a local park and six of them were subsequently called as witnesses in a crown court trial. I had never met four of them before, but two were familiar faces at the youth club. One Monday evening, these two, followed by the other four, arrived early at the club and, before they had said very much, burst into tears.