Youth work is a social animal, whatever its form
Howard Williamson
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
For those who feel contemporary youth work has been sold (or sold itself) down the river and capitulated to state control - through targeted action, planned interventions, recordable outcomes and the accreditation of achievement - the work of Flemish academic Filip Coussee is instructive. His recent book, A Century of Youth Work Policy (Gent Academia Press, 2008), suggests that, rather than having lost its way, youth work has historically never found its path.
He compares and contrasts early youth work with post-war youth services, arguing that the former epitomise mainstream youth work practice located within third sector voluntarism. Meanwhile, post-war services should be considered as more professionalised services supported by the central or local state. Neither, however, has been very successful in reaching the vast majority of young people, let alone achieving measurable outcomes with them. As a result, there has been a drift in the direction of what Coussee terms "youth social work", which is explicitly about working with the individual pathologies and problems of young people. A lot of modern youth work has been dragged into this orbit.
Coussee's central contention is that there is a double youth work paradox: a crisis of efficiency and a crisis of identity. Like all paradoxes, there is no solution - but there may be ways of transcending it. Coussee maintains that the reference point has to be the concept of social pedagogy, an idea that is understood in mainland Europe but conspicuous by its absence in UK youth work. Social pedagogy developed in the late 19th century as a way of thinking about the relationship between the individual and society. It has developed a currency in adult education, community work and youth work. In essence, it is about learning in the social arena and through the social experience - it is not about individual problems nor individual competence, although it may contribute to personal development.
Youth work has always operated across a range of communities, issues and aspirations, and, despite his criticisms, Coussee accepts there is a strong case for different approaches - from independent movements to professionally driven practice. But it all needs to be underpinned by a social pedagogical approach. This involves broadening the horizons of young people through offering new experiences and placing these within the context of their lives. Learning through group involvement and experience is its central mission. Politicians and policymakers should themselves learn this lesson.
Howard Williamson is professor of European youth policy at the University of Glamorgan, and a member of the Youth Justice Board. Email howard.williamson@haymarket.com.
