NYA Update: Comment -- Time to think about the positives

We are acutely aware that this year debates in the Youth Zone might well attract more interest than usual, following the disturbances over the summer. This may be a good opportunity to get politicians to really think about the kinds of communities and society we want our young people to grow up in and the real actions that can be taken to improve things. But we also know it will be a challenge to raise the level of debate beyond knee-jerk reactions and simple assumptions.

At NYA we really believe that great youth work at local level can be a major tool in building community cohesion and improving the quality of life for everyone. We know that times are very challenging for many statutory and voluntary youth services, but we believe that this year it's more important than ever to highlight the benefits that youth work brings.

That's why we have set the theme for Youth Work Week 2011 around the direct contribution of youth work to building strong and cohesive communities.

We believe it's an opportunity to showcase the things youth workers did in many areas to keep young people safe and calm during the riots. It's a great time to showcase how youth workers enable young people to find positive and productive ways of expressing their issues and concerns. It's also a fantastic opportunity to celebrate those people working away at local level just making the neighbourhood a better place to live. We've opened Youth Work Week out to the whole sector by asking our partner organisations nationally to use the week for promotion and celebration of youth work. We also hope locally you will join in too, running events, hosting debates, tweeting and blogging and nominating that very special youth worker for recognition.

To register for materials, or if you would like to share your story of how you have worked to bring your community together through youth work, email events@nya.org.uk

Fiona Blacke, chief executive, National Youth Agency