Here you will find the most recent commentary on the world of Youth and Community Work and Beyond. We want to encourage contributors to feel free to write in a variety of forms, from writing a story to writing a newspaper column through to writing an essay or a theoretical paper. For example, over the years we've seen some outstanding stuff by students on Youth and Community Work courses, which never sees the light of the public day. In our opinion, such work can often be revised, dropping some of the imposed requirements of academia, in the interests of being an accessible and stimulating read. If this makes any sense to students out there, we'd gladly help with revisiting anything you've produced that you'd like to communicate to a wider audience.
In terms of what we consider to be the present, given we're not SKY Live in Real Time [whatever that quite means?] and there are the Blogging pages for pretty immediate comment, we have a rough notion of something created in the past 18 months. It often takes that long for an article to appear in a journal or a book.
Please get in touch if you've any thoughts, suggestions etc.  On Being Criminalised and Marginalised in a 'Democratic' Society | | Phil Scraton sends us the flyer for the July edition of the Australian journal, Current Issues in Criminal Justice, and two articles from its pages, his own introduction on 'The Criminalisation and Punishment of Children and Young People' and a piece, co-written with Deena Haydon, on 'Conflict, Regulation and Marginalisation in the North of Ireland : The Experience of Children and Young People'. He concludes that " Advanced democratic states that utilise the language of rights compliance, of 'children's best interests', of active participation and civic responsibility are remarkably ambivalent in establishing means through which children - regardless of class, race, cultural tradition, gender, sexuality or age - can realise opportunities that help frame their daily lives, build their self-esteem and constructively challenge the status quo". | |
| | | Detached Youth Work and Democratic Education | | Around a year ago we pondered whether the Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training would have any impact upon the State's social policy. The question remains pertinent. Nevertheless it's good to see the appearance of Graeme Tiffany's submission focused on the relationship between informal education in the guise of detached youth work and the prospect of an authentic democratic education or paideia. His perspective raises many issues for contemporary youth work in general. | |
| THE EDINBURGH PAPERS | Reclaiming Social Purpose in Community Education
Yet again our friends north of the border have come up trumps with a collection of papers presented to a symposium at the University of Edinburgh on 9th November, 2007. The aim of the gathering was to develop a response to the current state of professional practice and to rearticulate a sense of social purpose within community education. The organisers from the universities of Edinburgh, Strathclyde, Glasgow and Dundee hope that the papers "will be useful in making the case for a renewed sense of professional identity and public service."
Contents are:
Community Education: A Mirror & A Shield: David Wallace
Reclaiming Social Purpose: Framing the Discussion: Ian Martin
Policy, Politics & Practice: Community Development: Mae Shaw
Policy, Politics & Practice: Adult Education: Kathy MacLachan
Policy, Politics & Practice: Work with Young People: Annette Coburn
Rearticulating Professional Identity: Lyn Tett
Learning for Democracy: Ten Propositions & Ten Proposals: Akwugo Emejulu
If we can get our act together, we hope to review the symposium's thoughts in the near future. In addition we'd be very pleased if anyone would like to forward their response to these thought-provoking articles. Thanks again to Mae Shaw and all the contributors for sending them to us for inclusion on the site.
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| From Social Education to Social Engineering | Find here the rant I sent off to Young People Now upon learning about a proposed joint venture involving the National Youth Agency to introduce Neuro-Linguistic Programming into the training of youth workers.
Tony Taylor | |
| DEBATING YOUTH JUSTICE - from punishment to problem-solving | | Courtesy of Phil Scraton, we bring you the thought-provoking debate fuelled by Rob Allen's call for a fundamental overhaul of the youth justice system. Within the discussion Phil criticises the absence of an acknowledgement of power and exploitation in Allen's analysis and the empty posturing of New Labour's project of 'moral renewal'. | |
| Community Development and Democracy - reasserting the connection | | At a conference in September on the theme of 'Democratising Democracy ; A new social purpose agenda for adult education', Mae Shaw of the Edinburgh University presented this devastating critique of the distortion of Community Development's purpose and principles over the last thirty years. Addressed in comradely fashion to adult educators, the issues raised are just as relevant to youth and community workers across the board. An essential element in resisting the State's instrumental agenda is an honest recognition of the ways in which the State and its bureaucracy have hijacked and turned against us the rhetoric of empowerment, equality and participation. This is required reading. | |
| The denial of children's rights and liberties in the UK and Northern Ireland | | Written under the banner of the European Civil Liberties Network, Phil Scraton's examination of the arrival of 'Anti-Social Behaviour', argues 'that under the auspices of inter-agency cooperation and the promotion of collective responsibility, the veneer of risk, protection and prevention coats a deepening, almost evangelical commitment to discipline, regulation and punishment', from which a recognition of the social, political and economic circumstances is virtually absent. Presently Professor of Criminology at Queen's University, Belfast, previously Director of the pioneering Centre for Studies in Crime and Social Justice at the Edge Hill University College, Phil was a good friend to Youth Work in both West Lancashire and Wigan, and remains so in the Six Counties. | |
| Everyday Youth Work | | Jean Spence explores from the inside the research project, 'An Everyday Journey, discovering the meaning and value in youth work', which concluded with the report, 'Youth Work: Voices in Practice'. Her conclusion that as far as practice goes, 'what is at present marginal has most value', poses profound questions. Your responses welcomed. | |
| Together We Can. Can We? | An open culture of debate is one of the best ways to protect community development - and democracy so says Mae Shaw from the University of Edinburgh.
In this challenging critique Mae exposes the tensions and contadictions to be found in the differing uses of the concepts of community development, democracy and empowerment. She is particularly keen to stimulate debate around these issues. We'd love to get your responses. | |
| Taking Sides: Radical Youth Work | | We are more than pleased to publish Tania de St Croix's thoughts on the possibility of reflecting upon and renewing a Radical Youth Work Practice. Originally, a dissertation, Tania has erased from the piece the innumerable brackets demanded by academia. Whatever, we think it's a damned , good read and we would welcome responses. | |
| Dissent protects democracy - should we really be partners with the State? | | On this link you will find Matthew Scott's thought-provoking piece on the relationship of the voluntary and community sector to the 'managerial' state. His call for collective resistance is music to our ears. | | Matthew Scott.htm |
| Youth Work and Class: The Struggle that Dare not Speak its Name | | On this link you will find the notes of the rant with the above title that Tony Taylor gave at the Youth and Policy 'History of Youth and Community Work' conference in Durham. Critical responses welcomed. | |
| Youth Matters | | Back in November 2005 Tony Taylor offered a trenchant critique of New Labour's ' Youth Matters', its impact upon the last vestiges of an 'independent' Youth Service and pondered what might be the basis of resistance. | |
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