The open letter, In Defence of Youth Work, criticises the government's drive to impose an "instrumental framework" on youth work. It claims Prime Minster Gordon Brown and his predecessor Tony Blair have embraced "predictable and prescribed outcomes".
Tony Taylor, who has been involved in youth work for around 40 years, is spearheading the campaign.
The letter states: "Thirty years ago, youth work aspired to a special relationship with young people. It wanted to meet young women and men on their terms.
"Three decades later, youth work is close to abandoning this distinctive commitment. Today it sides with the state's agenda."
It questions the focus on delivering accredited outcomes, which it says undermines the importance of relationships in youth work, and criticises the "suffocating grip of rules and regulations" on the workforce.
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