Understanding Perspectives and World Views of Young People
#adolescence #youth #youthwork #youthworker #engagement #YWCR #youngpeople #informaleducators #weareeducators #reflection
I have the privilege on occasion to take part in practice alongside professional colleagues and consider aspects of youth work. I enjoy observing how the development of relationship is often based on how interactions between youth workers and young people occur naturally. It is so valuable to be part of diverse areas of youth work to establish how informal education is active and the principles that support effective practice are and should be used as a clear evidence base of the value of informal education and youth work.
This article aims to offer some reflection on how engagement with young people is more than just words and why youth work offers a unique contribution in the development of relationship through to purposeful role alongside young people.
Whilst observing the practice of a professional youth worker and young people, it was clear that young people were 'hanging on every word' the youth worker said, when it came to the things that needed doing on the residential such as the agreed rota and plans for the day, the youth worker used a series of intrinsic and extrinsic skills to be fully present.
The level of mutual respect between the youth worker and young people was astonishing and went well beyond any level of compliance due to age distinction and role - young people were clearly not passengers on the activity but were treated as equal partners in the day to day aspects of what needed doing to enable shared intention. Again, more than a devised contract, there was an obvious and high level of engagement between adults and young people.
The period of adolescence exist in the adult past, and engagement therefore distinguishes that priorities, agenda and interests can be different and to an extent offset. Reflecting on this important area of discourse and considering how we connect is valuable - as a starter for ten.... are young people part of a provision or activity that is adult designed and focused or are young people invited to be themselves and select their learning, engagement based upon who they are and what they aspire to? Did we design an activity with adult imposed 'developments' based upon our ideas or did we truly create space in which young people can learn on their own terms?
John Coleman considers the notion of a 'focal theory of adolescence', creating a view that young people will focus on different issues at different times as oppose to managing all of their developmental elements in one go; which is why the consideration of holistic in adolescence is progressive and process driven with the young person in the driving seat. The focal areas that Coleman discusses and is of central value to the youth worker are;
Self Concept and Identity: key principles of understanidng self, values, beliefs. Identify formation is exploratory and not fixed at any one point.
Relationships with Peers: Understanding, developing friendships and seeking peer approval become a significance and support the nature of belonging.
Achievement: In an academic and employment futures are a key consideration for young people during adolescence as each young person analyses their strengths, aspirations and hope trajectory. The focus on self in future is a developmental area for young people.
Familial Relationships: The shift in relationships with parent/carers and wider family members creating changes in dynamics, responses in the pursuit of independence.
The identity of effective practice observed that is worthy of note at this point is the question around why young people were hanging on every word the youth worker said - the reality in words is a very simple and yet in practice is valuable for each practitioner to reflect upon - the key was that the youth worker was invested in the world that young people exist within, effectively she hung on every word the young people shared; the bizarre, minor conflicts, the mundane, music preferences, priorities, the need for time to review and implement self into activity. The practitioner remained aware that this is young people active in learning and was a credit to the group in relation to this level of practice enquiry.
The practitioner made no demands, but placed ongoing opportunities and suggested solutions, created safety through a non-judgemental response to refusal in order to enable young people to consider self, others, relationships, context and activity, importance; all of which leads to an effectiveness in agency.
I imagine and recognise that there are frustrations in waiting as the day of activities is impeded to an extent, but the value in being present in the space and sharing the journey with young people and their learning carries incredible value. The realities of our work require perpetual reflection in action prior to on action reflection as Shoen prescribes.
Coleman raises that during adolescence, the transition from childhood to adolescent and therefore from adolescent to adult are distinguised by adaptations in roles, responsibility, accountability and expectations. Youth work planning should review how each of these aspects secure a core value in young people's development. The practice observed carried micro-features of creating enabling and developmental space for learning where the criteria above was active. The practitioner was adept in promoting discussion centred on 'where young people were at' and using a high level of skill, placed opportunity to examine stress and coping mechanisms in the safe environment we discuss often. Aware of the social context of yong people the impact of community and societal influence, development was an offer not a requirement, the space to just be and listen was also offered to facilitate space for ownership and control over participation for young people.
Observing informal education in youth work carries value to consider our own practice and create a safe space for pracititoner dialogue. Would you want me to visit and take part and observe your youth work to co-design with your team the strengths and areas of development? get in touch and we can chat through opportunities. I have space for anyone who requires developmental reflective supervision, get in touch for more information.
The role of the youth worker in relation to the value offered to young people continues to be an astonishing and whilst adolescence is evident in the past for the youth worker and the contemporary context of adolescence has changed, our learning is not young people's learning and the risk is placing our experience in a context and life that is not ours however the similie may appear to be.
The adolescent brain is working it out, learning, revising and the role of 'being there' has much value. A central difference between formal and informal education is that as youth work practitioners we do not arrive with all of the answers that are pre-formed; we learn alongside young people as they share their world with us.
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#adolescence #youth #youthwork #youthworker #engagement #YWCR #youngpeople #informaleducators #weareeducators #reflection
Steve Walker : The Youth Work Common Room (2024)
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