The National Youth Agency (NYA) Youth Work Principles
For their work to be ethical, effective, and successful, and to avoid harming young people while trying to help them, the NYA youth workers must consider several principles. In the case study presented by In Defence of Youth Work (2010), one may notice that these basic principles are significantly addressed. Therefore, adherence to several norms and values leads the workers involved in helping the storyteller succeed.
Holistic Approach
First of all, youth workers always adopt a holistic approach. In other words, a young person’s physical and developmental location and needs are carefully considered, and all parts of their well-being, such as spiritual, social, and emotional, are addressed (National Youth Agency, 2023). Adherence to this principle might be evident when the author of the text describes how youth workers cared for their emotional and psychological state after the loss of a family member. Staff members organized “outings to the beach, football tournaments, bike rides” to address the physical and social needs of the young person (IDYW, 2010, p. 35). As a result, the author felt supported at all levels.
The Relationship Between Youth and Social Workers
The second principle refers to the nature of the work and the connection between the staff and young people. As stated by the NYA (2023), “the relationship between young people and youth workers is entirely voluntary” (para. 1). Moreover, while it is the task of the workers to indicate their readiness and ability to help, precisely teenagers and young individuals should seek this support voluntarily. In the case study, the teller notices that several youth workers made numerous attempts to offer their services, but there was no pressure or other influence. They only invited the teller to attend a meeting at their youth center, and in all later relations, the story’s author initiated the communication and asked for help.
Developmental Promotion
Next, youth workers are required to promote young people’s social and personal development. As mentioned above, at the youth center, the story’s author managed to receive excellent support and access to different training programs and learning materials. For instance, there were posters about alcohol awareness and sexual health (IDYW, 2010).
They also had access to a personal room to prepare for their exams in a quiet and comfortable environment. The center was a space for the young person to communicate with the staff or other teenagers and develop into a better and more responsible individual. Noticeably, many workers met with the teller at a café or in other informal places to address their social skills.
Life Path Identification
Further, the fifth principle refers to finding a teenager’s place in society. According to the NYA (2023), youth workers must participate in the search for influence, voice, and position in communities. Young individuals who struggle through life often feel unaccepted, alienated, and different, which makes them engage in antisocial activities. Therefore, youth workers need to help them understand that there are many other roles for them to take in communities, and these roles are much better than being a criminal or an addict.
In the case study, the young teller received financial help from the donations the center received, and this was an act of social support and a demonstration that communities were ready to accept a new member (IDYW, 2010). In an informal setting, several youth workers gave the teller valuable recommendations regarding their idea to become a youth worker (IDYW, 2010). This was their participation in helping the young individual find their influence, voice, and place.
Provision of Life Skills
Some examples from the case study that are explored above also refer to the principle of giving the youth proper life skills and confidence, as well as developing resilience and character. One situation described by the author is of particular interest. When they asked the center to have another bike ride or football tournament trip, the center’s “reaction was that if a trip were to be organised, we’d have to organise it ourselves – and behave appropriately” (IDYW, 2010, p. 35). In this case, it is shown how the center’s youth workers made the young people feel confident about their skills. They also contributed to developing teenagers’ character as they referred to the concept of responsibility.
Ensuring Safety
Lastly, there is a principle that is related to safety and security. According to the NYA (2023), the youth should be offered safe spaces to develop, share, communicate, and feel comfortable. The story’s author admits that “the youth centre provided a calm and welcoming space away from the negative distractions” of their home life (IDYW, 2010, p. 34). It was an excellent space for young people to study, reflect, communicate, and feel accepted and welcomed. Therefore, all these fundamental principles are addressed in the case study.
Analysis of the Principles in Youth Work
Strengths of Existing Principles
The mentioned principles have specific strengths and advantages in performing youth work. First of all, by making the relationships voluntary and giving most of the initiative to young people, youth workers ensure that more teenagers decide to seek and accept help. This notion is associated with child psychology, or refusing and rejecting everything that adults want them to adopt or accept. The second strength is that youth workers develop teenagers in many different ways, thus making them more fitting and welcomed members of society and shaping their lives more effectively.
Further, the value of emotional support and full engagement is quite prominent in my practice. To be more precise, youth workers have to be involved in the lives of young people, under the condition that the latter agree with it. Many staff members demonstrated a sincere interest in the teller’s life in the case study. They wanted to spend time with them in informal circumstances, giving them advice and sharing emotional moments (IDYW, 2010). Such meaningful and healthy connections greatly benefit teenagers (Children’s Mental Health Week, 2023). By experiencing such involvement, young people become more open, begin to trust the world, and might decide to be more active in helping others.
New Principles to Consider
I would offer an additional principle to orient youth workers to. According to the Mental Health Foundation (n.d.), many children and adolescents experience high levels of loneliness as they experience a gap between their “desires for social connection and actual experiences of it” (para. 2). Therefore, I would add a principle of addressing loneliness and alienation as one of the primary values of youth workers. To be more precise, instead of only focusing on a young person’s socialization and personal development, youth professionals need to aim to eliminate the experiences of loneliness.
References
Children’s Mental Health Week. (2023). How we connect: In conversation with Josh Smith. Web.
In Defence of Youth Work [IDYW]. (2010). This is youth work: Stories from practice [PDF document]. Web.
Mental Health Foundation. (n.d.). Loneliness in young people: research briefing. Web.
National Youth Agency [NYA]. (2023). Youth work. Web.