In the manner of Blogs, this page would like to be as up-to-date as possible, commentating on happenings and issues within the world of Youth, Community and the Voluntary Sector as they come up. However we would like it to be a Blog where any Critically Chatting supporter can have their pennyworth. So we would welcome contributions on matters, seemingly trivial, obviously important, both at a local, national and international level. This page is complemented by Blogging Beyond, where we will feature contributions and commentary on the wider political scene. Forward your thoughts to Tony Taylor at tonymtaylor@gmail.com and he'll do his Luddite best to sort it out!  Neo-Liberalism Implodes! Neo-Liberal Management Beware! | The neo-liberal project is in disarray. The mythology of the Market exposed. Perhaps, after all, we are not living at 'the end of history'. It is tempting to think that the crisis of confidence was precipitated when the ruling class heard that the Critically Chatting Collective [CCC] and The National Coalition for Independent Action [NCIA] were organising a workshop, 'We won't roll over: Organising Resistance'; that the very prospect of such luminaries as Bernard Davies and Andy Benson unraveling the insidious impact of the neo-liberal agenda on the delivery of welfare services, the autonomy of the voluntary sector and the character of youth work threw the arrogantly powerful into panic! Perhaps not, but there's no denying that the CCC/NCIA initiative is taking place at an opportune moment. The bluff is called on all those within the voluntary sector, within youth and community work, who claimed there was no alternative but to impose the prescribed outcomes demanded by Neo-Labour. Anthony Giddens, New Labour's intellectual guru declared that it was immature not to recognise the inevitability of the capitalist order. Thankfully, enough of us remain sufficiently infantile to reject his patronising maturity. So we hope folk of a youthful and questioning disposition will make an effort to join us in critical discussion on Friday, November 7th in London - see the Meetings page for more information.
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| NEW on the INFED site | | There's a fascinating mix of new articles on the INFED site, http://www.infed.org.uk. On the contemporary front there's a thorough, thoughtful and challenging piece by David Hoyle entitled ' Problematising every child matters'. The classic booklet from 1981, 'Starting off in Detached Youth Work' by Alan Rogers is given a fresh airing. In addition two historical explorations, by Sara Atwood and Mark Smith respectively, bring back to life John Howard Whitehouse, of whom I knew next to nothing, and Herbert Stead, the Social Christian, who played a significant role in the fight for the state old age pension. |
| Learning from History | Looking ahead further into next year it's good to hear that Youth and Policy are hosting the eighth 'History of Youth and Community Work' conference at the Ushaw College, Durham, March 6th-8th, 2009. For my enthusiastic impressions of the 2007 gathering go to the April Archive, 'Durham Do' on this page.
Like earlier gatherings this will include a mix of plenary sessions,
workshops and 'surprise' events. Amongst the plenary speakers will be
Gabriel Eichsteller on the history of social pedagogy and Catriona Kelly
(Oxford University), author of two major books on the Pioneers and growing
up in Soviet Russia. There will be a number of workshops on the Albemarle
Report published fifty years ago and at least one to mark the fortieth
anniversary of the launch of the Community Development Programme.
Attached you will find a booking form and letter of invitation. Please do not
hesitate to get in touch with Tony Jeffs (tony.jeffs@durham.ac.uk) if you
would like more details or like to discuss offering a workshop. | |
| Defending Lifelong Learning |
Thanks to Peter Ryley and his stimulating blog, 'Fat Man on a Keyboard', http://fatmanonakeyboard.blogspot.com for the following information:
A new organisation, The Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning, has been formed declaring, "we believe that affordable access to the life changing opportunities provided by education is the hallmark of a civilised society". The website is at http://www.callcampaign.org.uk
Why is it needed? Read this from Peter Kingston,
The auguries for England's devastated adult education service are grim. Few have any hope that the government's response to its consultation on informal adult learning will include plans for restoring the 1.5m evening class places that were lost over two years as a direct result of Labour policies.
...But having under spent on its controversial Train to Gain programme for the second year in a row, did the department plough the surplus cash back into some other segment of FE - adult education, say? No, it shoved it across into the higher education budget.
Sceptics of the government's creed that employer demand should be the prime factor in spending public money for adult FE say that this year's £200m Train to Gain shows pretty conclusively that even when free cash for training is piled in a trough in front of it, industry has little appetite.
"The real adult skills crisis is the impact that government policy is having on wider adult learning," says Professor Ewart Keep from the Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University.
"As more and more of the adult learning budget is diverted into Train to Gain, often to pay for the accreditation of skills the workers already have, the overall number of adult learners falls. As a result, we are in danger of moving further away from any meaningful notion of lifelong learning."
And, as Peter Ryley from the University of Hull adds, the situation in University Adult Education is also critical, we haven't seen the cash. A national adult education service, controlled and run locally, something built up over more than a century by dedicated hard work and the hope for a better future, is being decimated. It is a national scandal.
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| The Socialist Commandments | | Finally I found the following Socialist Commandments from the early 20th century, whilst rummaging through some old papers. These ten proposals for how to live one's life, to be committed to memory by the children attending the socialist Sunday schools, strike me still as inspiring. They remain a sound guide for practice. Here we find a vision and optimism, utterly at odds with the myopia and pessimism prevalent today. | |
| IN PRAISE OF THE TOPSY-TURVY |
Life's been a bit upside down recently - nothing special, just a matter of viruses attacking both body, mind and the computer, a situation not helped by a maverick lorry driver with a hatred of telegraph poles. All of which has meant I've been incommunicado for sometime. However, with digits crossed, I am back in the digital world. Now I was going to claim pejoratively that life had been topsy-turvy in the last few months. That is until I started to think about this attractive word 'topsy-turvy' more carefully. In popular parlance it suggests confusion, disorder, even chaos. I am minded of the way in which the word 'anarchy' is almost always used to depict a nightmare of lawlessness and terror. Both words, it seems to me, are much maligned. To stay with being topsy-turvy, I prefer the definition, which stresses that it is an inversion of the supposed natural order of things - what a splendid notion! To be topsy-turvy is to turn things upside down, to put the bottom where the top used to be. All things considered I wish from now on to be considered a Topsy-Turvyist, which I must admit is a tremendous relief, given I've not known what to call myself for many a day. This nomenclature has the added advantage of not carrying with it [at least as far as I know] the burden of theory turned dogmatic. Unless there is a secret sect of Topsy-Turvyists out there, armed with the correct programme for standing the world on its head. We can but wait and hope not.
Thus, rejuvenated by my new-found identity and bolstered by the return of my rebirthed computer, I bring you news of forthcoming features and events:
* In the coming months we will be carrying a series of interviews with characters from within Youth and Community Work. Whilst these will be focused on the participants' sense of the present state of play, we will be rooting these exchanges in the context of their differing histories and their hopes for the future. In our first interview with a long-standing youth worker, never tempted into or thought suitable for higher management, he reflects on the frustrations of a present-day work situation, within which "colleagues accept completely any hierarchical decision, comply unquestioningly with any diktat or instruction, whilst in the same breath waxing lyrical about the need for young people to voice their opinions." Our hope is that these conversations will shed a bit of light on the misty world of practice, so often obscured by the need to tell managers and funders what they want to hear.
* Back in May we drew your attention to new and recent books produced by Bernard Davies, Janet Batsleer and Jon Ord, which we believed were well worth reading. To this list we must add Filip Coussee's 'A Century of Youth Work Policy', which looks at the intriguing example of Flanders, the Dutch speaking region of Belgium, where there is a youth work initiative for every 250 inhabitants!! Reading its pages confirmed sadly my parochial ignorance, whilst underlining that the fundamental dilemma for Youth Work across countries and continents is whether it is a 'civilising' agency', desiring the conformity of young people to the contemporary neo-liberal agenda or to fundamentalist forms of religious certainty or whether, despite all the pressures, it aspires to be a 'politicising' agency, which recognises that individual and social change are inextricably intertwined. As Filip puts it, in arguing for a social pedagogical approach, "youth workers should not run away from social problems, nor accept social integration on an individual basis as a solution for collective social problems." We would be over the moon if any of our readers feel moved to review any of these books. Get in touch with Tony Taylor if you're interested. Copies of the books could be supplied if needed. For the moment we can promise that a review of Bernard's 'History' is in the pipeline.
* Returning for a moment to Filip Coussee, I was supposed to be attending, back in May, a Council of Europe conference on 'The History of European Youth Work and its relevance for today', of which he was a primary organiser. Pathetically my ageing body rebelled against the strict training regime imposed upon it, fell prey to an infection and I failed to catch the plane. Thus I am unable to report back on proceedings, which brought together participants from, amongst others, Britain, Germany, Finland, Italy, France and Lithuania. However I hope to persuade perhaps Filip himself, Bernard Davies or Howard Williamson, who were also there, to give us a glimpse into what went on.
* Looking ahead the Federation for Detached Youth Work is holding its annual conference from November 13th to 15th once again in Wigan, illustrating its exquisite taste and sophistication. This year the theme is 'Detached Youth Work in a multi-agency integrated setting: A Brave New World?', which should provoke some serious debate. More information from fdyw@nya.org.uk
Finally don't forget to go to the Blogging Beyond page for a link on civil society, the CC Meetings page for exciting news re Critically Chatting meetings in November and to the Critical Offerings Present page for stimulating pieces by Phil Scraton, Deena Haydon and Graeme Tiffany.
And, in the spirit of my new found topsy-turviness, let me draw your attention to the suggestion that from now on the toast, 'Bottoms Up', should be filled with revolutionary meaning and fervour!
TT
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| IN PRAISE AND FEAR OF READING | Out of a range of conversations in the last month a hardy perennial of a question has pushed to the surface. In the midst or otherwise of the hurly-burly, whether you are a student, a worker, a manager, a lecturer, whatever or even a dissolute like me, from where do you find the time and energy to read? To ask this is hardly new. It begs the issue of what we regard as desirable reading. In the context of this web site it implies that, however slender the connection, the material being perused has some philosophical, political and practical significance for being with, acting alongside, working with young people and communities. Forgive the banality, it suggests that reading impacts upon practice.
Across the years it's possible that I've read more supposed theory than many colleagues. Although it has to be said I've leaned to the analysis and style that suits me best. I've always favoured sweeping and dramatic social accounts. I've always been quickly bored by turgid, if meticulous empiricism. Across this period too I've tried, oft clumsily, to encourage fellow workers and students to read [and, not at all, just my favoured texts]. I used to circulate articles around the workforce as a prelude to discussions at staff meetings. In desperation I used to photocopy sections of articles for students, who seemed unwilling to enter the library. At times it has been difficult to suppress a feeling that many so-called professionals are illiterate! Of course such a prejudice is less than helpful and insofar as it is plausible, it leads to more questions than answers, of which more another time. Besides which, I have my own failings. Being a Philistine, at most, I read 3 novels a year. I prefer to scavenge eclectically the growing archives of old and contemporary political writing, although I remain incapable of reading more than a few pages on-line. Thus I submit the printer to a relentless hammering in order to satisfy my need to have the typed word in hand, accompanied preferably by a glass of rough red wine. Leave aside my weakness for a tipple, I have admitted often that I am a pamphlet 'junkie', preferring the immediacy of this genre to the long haul through the pages of a full-blown book. All of which rambling is a prelude to telling you of the arrival of an array of challenging books and articles, which demand to be read and reviewed.
- The eagerly awaited third volume [well, I go every day to the post office in anticipation] of Bernard Davies's History of Youth Service, entitled, 'The New Labour Years, 1997-2007' is out and available from NYA at http://www.nya.org.uk . It picks up the tale from the arrival of Blair to the assumption of Gordon Brown to power, a decade of turmoil for Youth Work. According to the NYA blurb, Bernard argues that during this period youth has often been demonised and demons have come to dictate policy. Indeed, at this very moment the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, is proposing that police should be harassing badly behaved youths by openly filming them and hounding them at home to make their lives as uncomfortable as possible, whilst the new London Mayor, Boris Johnson is considering the setting up of 100 Saturday schools where children are drilled to march and learn manners. Personally, I was frustrated that there were few considered, critical reviews of the first two volumes, which are still available, but only as PDF download from the NYA. Come what may, we will respond in a critical and comradely way to Bernard's always thought-provoking analysis.
- Coming soon too is Janet Batsleer's 'Informal Learning in Youth Work', published by Sage at http://www.sagepub.co.uk/textbooksprodDesc.nav?prodId=Book231730 . Presently Head of Youth and Community Work at the Manchester Metropolitan University, Janet has been to the fore in defending a critical youth work practice since the 80's, authoring, for example, 'Working with Girls and Young Women in Community Settings'[1996] and editing with Beth Humphries, 'Welfare, Exclusion and Political Agency' [1999]. The new book is described as a comprehensive text book exploring key issues such as communication, power relations, ethics, gender exclusion, sexuality, race discrimination and social class. Most pertinently, from our point of view, she places particular emphasis on conversation as the key means of promoting informal learning, outlining a four part structure to assist the process. Again we hope very much to carry a review of this publication in the near future.
- We're a little late in catching up with Jon Ord's book, 'Youth Work Process, Product and Practice - creating an authentic curriculum in work with young people', published in 2007 by Russell House Publishing, born of a renewal of the curriculum debate within the pages of Youth and Policy. In his foreword to the book, Bernard Davies argues that Jon makes a substantial, new and "significant contribution to redressing … intellectual and conceptual imbalances in youth work theory and practice." Indeed Jon made a stir at Youth and Policy's March 'Taking Youth Work Seriously' conference by questioning the sanctity of the 'voluntary' relationship in Youth Work. As it is I'm in the midst of reading the book and would love to hear the views of anyone out there, who would like to submit some thoughts on its argument.
- Before leaving the world of books, I must draw your attention to the Educational Heretics Press, which "exists to question the dogmas and superstitions of mass, coercive schooling with a view to developing the next modern, humane, flexible, personalised and more effective public learning system". To give you a flavour of its perspective, titles range from 'Damage Limitation: trying to reduce the harm schools do to children' via 'Bertrand Russell: education as the power of independent thought' to 'Developing Democratic Education'. More information can be found at their web site, http://www.edheretics.gn.apc.org .
Meanwhile, as usual, a warm welcome to the latest volume of CONCEPT, the Scottish Community Education journal, which never insular is kind enough to include even an article by myself on 'renewing radical youth work'. In Mae Shaw's editorial, she points out that the offerings in this latest issue "attempt to challenge a culture of complaint with one in which alternatives can be imagined and developed alongside those who need them the most." Thus Stuart Fairweather explores the past, present and future of the Dundee Social Forum; Brendan Moohan reflects on 'anarchy in a seaside town, the punk movement and its influences on youth work', the 'cultivation of awkwardness'; Ted Scanlon continues his absorbing analysis of popular education in Brazil and ponders upon its wider lessons; Gerri and Colin Kirkwood look back on the history of the Adult Learning Project and its Scottish adoption and adaptation of Freirean ideas. At the very least, invoking pluralism, the need to engage with a variety of opinion, get your manager to take out a subscription to the journal through NIACE, http://www.niace.org.uk/publications/Periodicals/Concept/Default.htm .
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| ' THE NEW PROFESSIONALS' | | In view of the drive towards a licensed, regulated profession of youth and community workers, Tim Price muses upon the emergence of a breed of 'New Professionals'. Following upon Tim's satirical overture, it would be interesting to hear the views of those, who support the continuing bureaucratisation of our work, arguing that no adult practitioner relating to young people 'should work in any capacity without training, registration and licensing' [Community and Youth Workers' Union, February, 2008]. More to follow. | |
| RATTLING CAGES AND 'CIVIL SOCIETY' | In trying to get things moving on the Blog, I'm more than grateful to our friends at the National Coalition for Independent Action [NCIA] for some stimulating links and notice of their Fifth Newsletter. In recent months the Coalition has raised its profile and ruffled more than a few feathers. Bravo!
To begin, I need to point to two interviews with Andy Benson, convenor of the NCIA:
- in a suitably abrasive interview in the Guardian, March, 2008, he concurs with our consistent cry for a renewal of collective opposition to the State's programmes for our incorporation, emphasising that "individually, groups feel powerless. But I want to show that, together, we can put up a real fight, because if not we risk losing something very precious indeed" at http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/19/voluntarysector
Then, the fifth Newsletter of the NCIA, which speaks of 'political arrogance, dirty-dealing, managerial incompetence, misogyny and racism - and most of it in the name of 'empowering the voluntary sector', 'social cohesion' and 'partnership working'! You might not believe some of the surreal stories?
Somewhere down the line it would be good to debate with NCIA activists their adoption of the notion of 'civil society' as significant and useful in mounting resistance. Speaking off my own bat, 'civil society' seems to take us up a cul-de-sac. It perpetuates in common with 'representative democracy' our separation from the State and the economy, accepting as given our lack of control over the State and the Market. Thus, even if social networking revives, the best civil society can expect is that it will be encouraged to put forward insightful suggestions to the State and the Ruling Class. Then the real decision-makers will step in and weigh up whether to take cognisance of civil society's supplications. It would be stimulating to develop a debate about this question.
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| THE PROMISE OF SPRING | No matter how I try to dress it up, I've failed to be professional and failed to meet my targets. Thus you've been deprived of fresh, feisty fulminations from the Critical Chatterers from nigh on two months. For this, I blame Keir Hardie and Clement Attlee, which is less than convincing, but makes a change from lampooning the two Baby Boomers, Blair and Brown. As it is, my excuse revolves around being back in the British Isles, struggling to meet a deadline from Youth and Policy for a piece on ' Young People, Politics and Participation', the psychological impact of global warming and the trauma of our house rabbit, Rosa, being 'poorly'.
Whatever, rising above such anxiety, I hope in the next week to feature:
- Tim Price's response to Youth Work's revamped professionalism and the significance of status, the urgent necessity for a degree-based work-force;
- and my reflections on Youth and Policy's, 'Taking Young People and Youth Work Seriously' conference;
- and other bits of acute analysis and garrulous gossip!
Thanks for your patience and interest
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| It's a Leap Year ; Romance, Politics and the Work | Wednesday, February 14, 2008, 7:40 PM
There's quite a lot of information and comment to share with you this month, some of it quite urgent, so I won't meander. And, besides, being a romantic, but hating to be told when I ought to be so, I'm always confused on Valentine's Day. Thus I'll get on with matters.
Work with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Young People.
Given our emphasis on the importance of collectives to any hope of creating and recreating radical youth work praxis, it is good to inform you of the inaugural meeting of the North-West LGBT Youth Workers Network to be held on Friday, February 29th (10.30-2.00) at the County Hall, Preston. The Network is open to anyone in the North-West who is working with LGBT young people in either a paid or a voluntary capacity. A small pot of money is available to assist with travel costs for workers from small voluntary groups.
Enquiries as a matter of haste to North-West Regional Youth Work Unit (NWRYU) on 01925 295837 or e-mail info@nwrywu.org.uk
Why Girls' Work? International Women's Day Conference in Manchester
It is smashing too to mark the organisation of this initiative by the North-West Regional Youth Work Unit and the Work with Girls & Young Women Network. It will take place on Saturday, March 8th (9.30-4.00) at the Didsbury campus of the Manchester Metropolitan University. The programme will include: the launch of FeministWebs, a web site dedicated to women and girls' work, and feminism within youth work; national and international perspectives from keynote speakers; workshops on violence against women; supporting healthy relationships; feminism and girls' work; identifying young women's needs and lots more! Cost is £35 (£25 for small voluntary sector groups). Again contact the North-West Regional Youth Work Unit as soon as possible.
This move is all the more welcome given discussions at several recent Critically Chatting meetings, within which fears have been expressed about the demise of feminist youth work. These concerns mirrored reflections made by Jean Spence back in the mid-90s - see her piece 'Rethinking Work with Girls & Young Women'[CONCEPT, Volume3,7: 1997], which we'll check out putting on the site. It is to be hoped that this renaissance of politicised Girls Work takes wing. It is to be hoped too that this time round we will be able to forge links between workers struggling still to defend in a diversity of ways a youth work practice, which embraces the inextricable relationship of gender, race, sexuality and class; that this time round, whilst always being self-critical in an individual and collective sense, we might build a wider and deeper movement of resistance and solidarity across both young people and youth workers.
After PYD, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Back in January I touched on the advocacy of Positive Youth Development (PYD), based doubtfully, in my view, on the discredited tradition of adolescent developmental psychology. I entered into a bit of a debate on the Young People Now (YPN) website where, to his credit, Tim Davies, co-author of the literature review on PYD, responded with energy and insight. However, lo and behold, this discussion was overtaken by the appearance, again on the pages of YPN, of an interview with Neil Almond, Chief Executive, Kikass, entitled: 'The Psychology to Succeed'. In essence he was arguing for the introduction into the training of young people and youth workers of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a dangerous mish-mash of manipulative techniques masquerading as a breakthrough in the understanding of the human condition. I fired off a critical reply, which can be accessed on the link on The Critical Offerings Present page, entitled 'From Social Education to Social Engineering'.
As it is, I'm down to do a workshop at the Youth & Policy 'Taking Youth Work Seriously' conference in early March on 'Social Psychology & Youth Work Training'. Given this opportunity I am going to alter my contribution to take account of both PYD and NLP, taking care, given Tim Davies' concerns expressed to me the other day, not to lump them crudely together. Thus I shall be trying to explore:
- the contribution to Youth Work practice made by social psychology over the last 50 years and what seems to me to be its failure to really assist workers both understand young people and themselves.
- the issue that perhaps this failure is catching up on us, especially in the light of the shift over the last 20 years from at least the rhetoric of 'unpredictable process' to the insistence on 'guaranteed outcomes'; that there is a partial vacuum in the theory and practice of today's work with young people.
- therefore the possible attraction of approaches, which seem more in tune with today's pragmatic, instrumentalist emphasis on 'what works?' or the quick fix. At this point I will be looking at the very different faces of this dilemma posed by PYD and NLP.
- finally I shall offer a tentative alternative in terms of comprehending more usefully who we are and who might we become, the question of personality. My emphasis will be on the social self, on biography, on the real constraints of the circumstances within which young people strive to fulfil themselves. If, so to speak, we are intervening to question the ideas in people's heads, at one and the same time we must intervene to challenge the social and political relations into which we are all born.
Of course that needs a lot more explaining and I'll throw in a few jokes too! Hopefully in the light of the critical discussion at the conference itself, I'll post further thoughts on this issue in March.
'TAKING YOUTH WORK SERIOUSLY' conference, March 3/4th in Leeds
Advance information about this conference to be held at Hinsley Hall in Leeds looks very promising. The four set piece presentations from speakers outside of Youth Work itself are:
Charlie Cooper: 'Against Excluding Youth: A Radical Agenda.
Mike Males: 'Back to 19th Century Racism: How Youth Diversity is Terrifying the USA'.
Jon Ord: 'Thinking the Unthinkable: Youth Work Without Voluntary Participation'.
Priscilla Alderson: 'Relevant Rights for Young People: Children's Rights or Adult Rights?'
As we understand the occasion is fully booked so we hope to carry a full report on the proceedings which will be of interest to those unable to attend.
The Latest Issues of Concept and Youth & Policy
To our delight, the latest edition of CONCEPT, the Community Education journal, contains a version of the contribution Kalbir Shukra made to the History of Youth & Community Work conference back in March 2007. Entitled 'The Changing Terrain of Multi-Culture: from Anti-Oppressive Practice to Community Cohesion', Kalbir challenges the almost taken-for-granted acceptance of community cohesion as the all-purpose fixative for societal dilemmas. She notes how "the focus of cohesion practitioners is on modifying communities ideologically and behaviourally rather than empowering communities to change social structures that hold them back." In closing she argues that "the language and framework of community cohesion is a managerial one that seeks to contain and direct people's lives by reducing differences. It is at the expense of people's freedom to forge their own identities, relationships and solidarities in the process of challenging oppression and discrimination." In addition you will find articles and reports on the tensions of trying to be democratic within Higher Education; popular education in Brazil; a North Edinburgh Social Action research report on Employment; and the Glory & Dismay Football Literacy Programme, which ends by quoting Bill Shankly, "The socialism I believe in is everybody working for the same goal and everybody having a share of the rewards. That's how I see football, that's how I see life." A touch nostalgic perhaps, but I couldn't resist this fascinating piece, especially since it is a long, long time since I read anything which draws on Situationism and 'The Society of the Spectacle'. I'll try to explain this reference more next time round - perhaps by downloading a piece on Situationism. Whatever, this edition illustrates once again why you ought to be subscribed to this excellent journal.
Youth & Policy journeys ever nearer to its centenary edition, a remarkable achievement. Numbers 97 and 98 constitute a double issue on Youth Work Training, edited by John Holmes who supplies a thoughtful introduction. Within this he underlines the history of tensions between the policies of government, the perspectives of the training agencies and the demands of the field, in all its diverse forms. He registers what he regards as an "irresolvable tension" between the spectre of the uncritical vocational preparation of workers able only to do their masters' bidding and the perhaps dying tradition of a critical curriculum that leads to workers doubting the very purpose of the profession itself. In closing his remarks, he sketches a complex picture within which it is unclear what the future of a distinctive training for Youth Work and the Youth Service might be. There is much food for thought here and I hope that a response might emerge from followers of this site. As it is I must confess that I have yet to read all the articles that succeed John's opening, which he worries are almost all written by 'insiders', tutors within Higher Education. The edition closes with a chapter entitled 'Farewell To All That? The Uncertain Future of Youth & Community Work Education.' penned by Tony Jeffs and Jean Spence. That about sums up how folk are feeling. It would be good to hear your views.
TT
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|  | |  | | About our blog |  | | If you want to comment upon, contribute to this blog, we'll be well pleased, contact Tony and Marilyn Taylor via this button! | |
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| | | | February Archive - Defend Youth Service | Tuesday, March 20, 2007, 1:03 PM
Hopefully this will work. Find by clicking the button the February Blog archive. | |
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| | | | APRIL ARCHIVE: THE DURHAM HISTORY CONFERENCE | Thursday, July 12, 2007, 3:15 PM
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| | | | MAY ARCHIVE: THE CYWU RALLY | Thursday, July 12, 2007, 3:19 PM
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| | | | JULY ARCHIVE |
Find here news, gossip and comment based on reports from the National Youth Agency, Youth and Policy and CONCEPT, the Scottish Community Education journal.
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| | | | SEPTEMBER ARCHIVE : CONCEPT, YOUTH and POLICY and 2008 CONFERENCE | |
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| | | | Dilemmas and Contradictions | - some searching thoughts by Tania de St Croix on her new work situation and more.
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| | | | OCTOBER BLOG | | Brown and Cameron posturing, whilst Tim Price putting aside exixtential angst replies to Tania's doubts. | |
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| | | | BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, BECOMING A CITIZEN | | Find here Tony Taylor's report on th excellent Federation of Detached Youth Workers' Conference focused on Citizenship. | |
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| | | | Aiming High | | Find here comments on Aiming High, The Children's Plan , the Nuffield 'Engaging Youth' Inquiry and the YPN new web site. | |
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| | | | Happy New Year? | | For joyous stuff around the surveillance of young people; Ganin's thoughts on being in, against or outside the State; and notice of a September Scottish conference on Democracy, click below. | |
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| | | | Positive Youth Development | | News of an NYA initiative to explore the American version and our critical response | |
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| | | | Voluntary Action and the Third Sector | | The fourth newsletter of the National Coalition of Independent Action and news of the on-line Third Sector magazine | |
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