the importance of education, taking on the meanings of this definition and
considering history; this paper examines the importance of the development of
education in youth work.
paper discusses the development of youth work, how it originally started and how
certain sectors of the community were oppressed, also about how all of this
affects the way in which I practice youth work. However, before discussing the importance of education in the
development of youth work, let us establish what education is and what youth
is categorised as being formal, informal and non formal.
It is a process of understanding the world, and of acquiring the
confidence to explore its workings. Not
only is it a process which happens in schools and colleges, but it can happen
there are many perceptions as to what exactly youth work is.
Formed either by individuals working with young people, or by individuals
who are associated with services providing for the development of young people.
As a youth worker I would say in relation to education, that youth work
is education for life. It works by
building relationships with young people, and offering them programmes of
activities using an informal educational approach. Which is a crucial addition
to the education offered in schools and colleges.
Informal education being:
special set of processes which involves’ ‘broad ways of thinking and acting
so that people can engage with what is going on’.
(Jeffs and Smith, 1990:3).
work also involves both non formal and informal education, because it is
necessary to provide young people with a variety of experiences.
Non-formal education being an ‘organised
educational activity outside formal systems’. (Jeffs and
Smith,1996:71). That will inturn
help them ‘pursue
their rights and responsibilities as individuals and as members of groups and
communities’. (NYA, 1999).
is extremely important to provide a facility for young people to grow and
flourish academically, but also encourage them to participate in and challenge
the circumstances that are ahead of them.
a youth worker working within a multi cultural society.
I feel it is not only a responsibility to encourage personal development,
but also help them adapt to living in a multi cultural society, respecting
others and other cultures. Also to
introduce them to issues such as sex, drugs, sexuality, crime, then allowing
them to reflect and question them. However serious issues are not always welcomed in youth
clubs, because they are seen as a form of formal education. Therefore how it is delivered to the young person is
and disorder was one issue the centre where I work tried to deliver, however not
only to the young people who attend the youth clubs, but to the also young
people who live around the area. The
event had to be well advertised, and to draw the young people in, the centre
laid on food and drinks. There was
a good turn out. Initially there
was little response from the young people, when mentioning acts such as anti
social behavior, parenting orders, child curfews and truancy.
Neither of these acts had been operated in the area therefore they did
not recognise the importance of them, hence showed little interests.
However there was greater participation when the murder of Steven
Lawrence was mentioned. In general
there were strong negative feelings towards the Police and the British Justice
System. It made us realise that the
young people were concerned about social and political issues and how the Police
treats them. My colleagues and I
took this opportunity to encourage the young people to question these issues and
then equip them with the relevant information required by them to understand
what is happening to the world around them.
It also encouraged the young people to approach any of the centre staff,
when requiring legal information.
the dawning of a new millennium and technology moving forward at the rate it is.
I feel that as a youth worker education is a two way process.
It is not only young people who need educating, I too have alot to keep
up with In order to keep up with the constant
‘changing social and political agenda’, (Young, 1999:7).
Compared to education in youth work today, the implication of education
in the development of youth work in the early days was similar but not quite as
was as far back as 1780 when due to the work of Robert Raikes, a Gloucester
newspaper proprietor. Who pioneered
the setting up of charitable provisions in the form of Sunday schools, because
he felt that some form of learning was necessary for young people.(Patel,
the early nineteenth century, it was not compulsory to attend school.
It was the education act passed in 1880 made it compulsory for all young
people under the age of ten to attend school. (Patel, Handout, 1999).
Therefore many young people during the early nineteenth century were
expected to do exactly what the adults were doing.
That was going out to work in the factories or workhouses and working for
12-15 hours a day to feed their families and themselves.
If they were not in employment then they were out on the streets begging
or stealing and generally being a nuisance to the adult community.
With the factories act in 1833, barring all young people under the age
nine from textile factories, and limiting the hours of the older ones. (Patel,
Handout, 1999). This meant more
younger people on the streets with nothing to do.
It was quite apparent that more was needed to be done for the development
of young people.
initially work with young people was founded by a few ‘charismatic’ ‘idiosyncratic
individuals’. Many of
openly appalled at how young people were being treated by its usually ruthless
economic systems’. These
individuals ‘as upper and middle class philanthropists’ ‘sought to offer some at least ameliorating experiences and
opportunities’. (Davis,1999:8). The
early youth work pioneers were mainly involved in the child saving movements:
vigorously intervening on behalf of the poor exploited children who were the
fallout of Britain’s exploding industrial society’.
very hard to keep the young society off the streets and trying to divert young
people from crime, quite similar to what happens today.
Also greater concentration was given to the personal and developmental
needs of the young people. This was
done by ‘filling
up gaps’ during their leisure time.
Generally providing them with whatever was ‘lacking in their everyday
life’, and ‘broadening
their lives’, which still happens today. (Davis,1999:8).
the establishment of the Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA) in 1844, an
organisation that was ‘concerned
for the spiritual welfare of the young boys’. (Patel, Handout, 1999).
Where the boys who were part the organisation were encouraged to take an
interest in the bible . Later in
1853 the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) was formed.
This was an amalgamation of the many girls organisations which had
previously been in existence. Many of these organisations also encouraged learning from the
bible. However, Lily Montagu one of
the early youth work pioneers gave specific attention to the young women, given
that the women’s suffrage movement was beginning to form around the 1860’s.
Who were a group of women fighting for women’s rights, and who to be
recognised as individuals. Lily
Montagu taking this into account tried to prepare the young girls for such a
society, however when doing so she like many others was faced with ‘fierce
male hostility’. Men
believing that they are the patriarchs. (Davis,1999:8).
and more organisations were being formed and in 1883 saw the formation of the
Boys’ Brigade and the London Girls’ Union.
Many of these single sex organisations were ‘determined to win and hold’
‘young people to a religious faith’. (Davis,1999:9).
In the early twentieth century those running the St Christopher Working
Boys’ Club, were clear that their aim was to teach them religion and to help
them learn about the Service of God. With
the founder of the Boys’ Brigade ensuring that the boys grew into ‘true
Christian Manliness’. (Davis,1999:9).
Maud Stanley also made it clear that clubs catering for the working girl
were made aware of their responsibilities to both
‘God and man’.(Davis,1999:9). This
being quite different today where young women are encouraged to be their own
person and that they are equal to men.
was used to pave a pathway to what was right and wrong, helping young people to
exhibit ‘the qualities of obedience, discipline and punctuality’.
(Young,1999:12). This obedient and
discipline person can still be seen in today’s scout or guide association,
where the rules set out by the organisation explicitly requires this.
1939, the Youth Service was set up by the Ministry of Youth.
Which issued a circular 1486 called The Service of Youth, in which the
Board of Education undertook ‘a
direct responsibility for youth welfare’. Working closely with the local education authorities and
voluntary bodies to reach a ‘common
enterprise’, (HMSO,1960,Para:4) school leaving age at that time was
McNair Report (1944) suggested that proper training was needed for individuals
wanting to take up youth leadership as a profession. The Albemarle Report (1960) also proposed further recognition
be made on behalf of youth leaders for the qualifications, salaries and
conditions of service. It suggested a ten year development programme making
recommendations for training to boost the numbers of full time youth leaders.
The report also suggested that in order to house the Youth Service it
should consider looking for appropriate premises.
Lastly it suggested that local government increase its expenditure
on the Youth Service and offer grants for experimental work.
(DES,1969,Para:20). The Albemarle
Report made no reference to the Black young people or to the young immigrants
beginning to settle there. However
it recognised that:
girls than boys are members of youth organisations, and much more thought will
need to be given to ways of their specific needs’.
the wake of the Albemarle Report, the National College at Leicester was set up.
Training youth leaders, qualifications, salaries and conditions of
service were re-negotiated. Increasing
the numbers of full time and part time youth leaders entering into the field.
Also expenditure on the Youth Service was increased substantially by the
local education authorities. (DES, 1969).
Hunt Report (1967) called Immigration and the Youth Service was questioning
whether separate provisions should be provided for the minority groups beginning
to settle in Britain. They opted
against this because they felt that by integrating them with the rest of the ‘indigenous
population’, it would help them fit in better. (The Youth Service by
the Commission for Racial Equality in Cheetham,1980:198).
However, not really taking the time to carry out any research as to
whether the young immigrant community would be made to feel welcomed by the
others. The white adult community
showed extreme resentment towards black people where:
‘more than two thirds of Britains white population, in
fact, held a low opinion of black or disapproved of them. They saw them as heathens who practised’ ‘black magic’ and
‘inherently inferior to
if this was the feeling from the adult community towards black people then
obviously the same feelings filtered down to the younger generation
the Milson-Fairburn report, Youth and Community Work in the 70’s, realised
Youth Service has not proved to be conspicuously successful since Albemarle in
meeting the needs of girls and preparing them for their changed role in
numbers of girls compared to boys attending mainstream youth clubs had remained
considerably low. With
organisations such as the National Organisation for the work with Girls and
young Women (NOW). Who won DES
funding tried to provide:
‘information and resources,
support and training for work with girls and to help develop more women only
residentials and other facilities’. (Davis,Vol 2,1999:99).
such as these were always lacking support and in constant attack by the
prominent male dominance of the Youth Service.
With separate facilities for girls attacked in the Thompson Report (1982)
where it was suggested that the ‘service’s
mainstream provisions must remain mixed’. (Davis,Vol 2,1999:99).
a youth worker, I personally feel that in order for some young girls to develop
separate provisions are needed. Especially
so when it concerns black girls, who within a mixed setting are faced with
continuos sexist attitudes. They
are seen as ‘layabouts
and made to feel uncomfortable’. (Chauhan,1989:32).
Many young men see them as objects and not as equal fellow beings. Many young girls stay away from mixed clubs for this reason.
Therefore it is important for the present youth service to recognise the
problem faced by the black young girls and act appropriately.
majority of paid work I do is centre based, and I try to incorporate educational
issues with fun activities. Apart
from the basic facilities provided by the centre, which are the pool table,
board games, sporting facilities and the use of the mini-bus for outdoor trips.
I try to encourage the girls to recognise issues that concern them
personally and socially. Issues
such as personal hygiene, hair and beauty, drugs, racism, sex, boys, the list is
endless. During the summer term
programme the girls had expressed an interest in a demonstration for hair and
beauty, so I tried to empower the girls to approach several individuals and
arrange it themselves. Not everyone
was comformable doing this and therefore took a back seat.
The girls that were interested rang up a few places, however many
beauticians would not talk over the phone.
Therefore they arranged to visit them at their premises.
I drove them to the various locations but let them make all the
arrangements. This made them feel confident, and I thought would possibly
prepare them when approaching other adults, when applying for a job or elsewhere
in a formal setting. The evening
was a success, with the girls inquiring about personal issues such as spots,
greasy hair and scalp problems. At
the end of the evening the girls walked away feeling proud and confident, also
feeling that they have learnt something. I
then arranged further sessions around the topic of personal hygiene, and which
brought me closer to the girls. They
are confiding a great deal more in me, and made it a great deal easier for me to
talk about drugs, sex and boys. Which
I feel are topics, not being covered by parents and teachers and therefore youth
workers like myself need to introduce them.
conclusion I feel that the Youth Service has done a great deal to cater for the
development of young boys and for the young people who attend centre-based
provisions. Whereas I feel that
there are a great deal of young people out there, especially black young girls
that need facilitating, and as a service for the youth it is up to them to do
so. They also need to gain greater
knowledge about the various new settlers and cultures that are now beginning to
develop, rather than wait till its too late.
Patel & Student Youth Work Online 2001