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2. The Value, focus and Future of Youth Work
2.1 The consultation asked some important questions about the role and nature of youth work, questions which have attracted differing views and debate over many years as youth work has developed as a means of informal learning. Debate which will continue as youth work continues to evolve and reflect the changing needs and preferences of young people as well as current trends. What the consultation results show are the views of young people, youth workers and organisations at this point in time. Ten or twenty years ago the answers might have been very different. And there will be more changes in years to come.
2.2 Perhaps the first point we all need to recognise is that youth work must continue to evolve to reflect the lives and needs of young people, their communities, and national and global society. Youth work must continue to look forward with focus and with ambition for its role. Modernising and changing, it will be right at the forefront of delivering the best possible outcomes for every young person in Scotland.
2.3 We remain clear that the purposes of youth work are those set out in Working and learning together: to build stronger communities Scottish Executive (2004). These are to promote achievement by young people through facilitating their personal, social and educational development and enabling them to gain a voice, influence and place in society. The outcomes we seek from youth work are the same as we seek from schools, that is, that young people become successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens, and that they make a successful transition to life after school, taking advantage of and sustaining opportunities in education, employment or training.
2.4 For some young people youth work enhances lives which are already full. But for others, youth work can be the main means of personal development in their lives, helping them connect with other services they may need. Youth work must be fun but it needs to be more than that. It is also a unique means of engaging young people and using activities they enjoy to channel their development and move forward in their lives. Youth work organisations already employ sporting, cultural and arts activities which appeal to young people and use them to enhance their informal learning opportunities. Many organisations already have good links with sporting, cultural and arts organisations and we are keen to encourage this at national and local level. In line with Scottish Executive policy proposals for cultural entitlements, local authorities will be consulting with local people about the cultural services they want, and will develop cultural entitlements in response. This will provide an opportunity for young people to have their say in the kind of cultural activity they want to see and be involved with. International contacts, exchanges and involvement in volunteer projects abroad also excite the commitment of young people, and increase their motivation, self-confidence and life-skills.
2.5 Youth work must take its place alongside other professions in delivering in a joined-up way for young people. It must look outward and forward at how it can contribute to young people's integrated development - and to playing its part in wider national policy development, whether on health policies, careers, or supporting young people to move on to education, employment or training after leaving school. Youth work can have a major role in growing local communities by supporting young people's active participation and positive influence. It can be particularly important in building intergenerational links between older and younger people, as highlighted in the Scottish Executive's Strategy for a Scotland with an Ageing Population. It can also have a role in addressing future national skill needs, particularly in relation to the softer people-based skills which employers today particularly value.
Availability of opportunities
2.6 Increasing numbers of young people are getting involved in youth work. Learning Connections' survey in November 2006 showed that almost 90,000 young people took part in local authority-run youth work provision in a typical week, an increase of 5000 from November 2005. Many more take part in a wide range of youth work activities run by voluntary organisations across the country. Young people involved in the four uniformed organisations alone number over 118,000 in Scotland today.
2.7 A key question facing funders and policy makers is whether resources should be used to provide opportunities open to all young people or concentrated more on specialist youth work provision for disadvantaged and vulnerable young people.
2.8 Predictably views expressed during consultation were mixed. A majority of adult responses (52%) believed that basic youth work provision should be available for all young people equally, while a sizable minority (26%) thought it important to target young people who are excluded, vulnerable or disadvantaged. 28% felt that the type of provision would depend on circumstances with 14% calling for a balance between targeted and general provision.
2.9 With resources inevitably limited, choices will need to be made. We recognise that a balanced approach is necessary. We want all young people to be able to benefit from high quality youth work. But we also recognise that youth work can sometimes uniquely reach young people who are disadvantaged, excluded or who have particular problems.
2.10 We cannot afford to extend general provision by removing what may be a lifeline for young people who have fewer life-enhancing opportunities. But what we can do is to support the sector in getting the best possible value from the resources they do have. Local authorities and voluntary organisations must be able to focus on delivering the best outcomes for young people, whether through youth work open to all or through specialist programmes designed to boost the development of more vulnerable young people.
2.11 Some responses called for a minimum entitlement for young people to access youth work provision. Attempting to do this would require primary legislation and would be difficult to achieve in a way which ensured every young person had access to the provision that was right for them. We do believe that all young people should be able to benefit from youth work but intend to pursue this aim within a non-legislative framework. Our focus must be firmly on achieving greater opportunities, influence and outcomes for individual young people with resulting benefits for their communities and society in general.
Voluntary participation
2.12 A significant majority of both adults and young people responding believed that a young person should always be free to decide whether to take part in youth work activities. Responses from adults and organisations were particularly strong in support of voluntary participation as a defining factor of youth work. Respondents felt that young people should be encouraged more to take part, with more promotion of benefits and youth work opportunities.
2.13 A significant proportion of adults and, notably, young people did feel that compulsory participation in youth work opportunities might sometimes be appropriate. The circumstances mentioned included drink or drugs rehabilitation, community service or health and safety - all areas where participation would be for the young person's benefit as well as that of society.
2.14 On balance, we take the view that the voluntary aspect of youth work - the fact that the young person has decided to take part and chosen to continue - is an important self-development aspect of youth work. But we would also support the use of youth work approaches where appropriate for young people addressing serious problems. There is an underlying message in the consultation that other professionals could learn much from youth workers on how to engage with young people positively and help them take responsibility for themselves on their own terms.
2.15 We recognise that we need to work better across the Executive to promote the role and benefits of youth work and youth work methods. And how they can contribute to the successful delivery of wide-ranging policies and broad-based positive outcomes for young people.
The Outcome we want:
For the value, unique nature, and contribution of youth work to be recognised and reflected in a broad policy context, contributing to achieving wide-ranging positive outcomes for young people.
The Action we propose:
- The Scottish Executive will ensure a better understanding of youth work and young people and the potential contribution of youth work across ministerial portfolios and departments and in delivering cross-cutting objectives. We will work with other policy makers and agencies to promote the role and methods of youth work and ensure that representatives of the youth work sector are involved in developing policies affecting young people where youth work has a potential role to play.
- We will ask local authorities to take a similar approach, ensuring that decision-makers not directly involved in delivering youth work are still aware of its role and benefits, not least in community planning activities and in provision of children's services, school education and wider services to help young people make successful transitions to adulthood and post-school education, training and employment. The benefits of universal youth work provision are recognised in the substantial allocation for community learning and development and we expect local authorities to reflect this in their own allocation of resources, including their funding of voluntary organisations.
The Outcome we want:
For more young people to be aware of and take advantage of the availability of more youth work activities and to benefit from increased opportunities available.
The Action we propose:
- We will ask Young Scot to make sure that the Youth Opportunities Database ( YODA) being developed for young people, and covered in more depth in section 7, provides:
- excellent local information for young people on youth work opportunities and groups in their local areas;
- case studies giving young people themselves the opportunity to understand the benefits available to them and their peer group; and
- user-friendly information for young people, who are at risk or have particular problems or needs, on opportunities in their own area.
Priorities for youth work in the 21st century
2.16 The consultation highlighted a range of priority areas for youth work in the future. These related both to outcomes and benefits for young people taking part and to support for the sector in delivering the best possible youth work opportunities. The action proposed in this strategy is intended to address these areas in ways which contribute to expanding the youth work sector in Scotland.
2.17 For young people, priorities were:
- Developing qualities such as self-respect, self-reliance, self-confidence, responsibility and a good work ethic in young people - young people taking their place and making a difference in the world today and in the future;
- Developing life skills, particularly communication and social skills;
- Being listened to and being able to influence provision of youth work opportunities and other services and policies which affect them; and
- Ensuring the inclusion of all young people regardless of background, race, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation.
2.18 In relation to support for the youth work sector in delivering for young people, the key priorities were judged to be:
- The provision of safe, modern, local facilities for young people;
- Funding for youth work provision - of particular concern to voluntary organisations; and
- Recruiting and retaining youth workers and volunteers and providing high quality training and support.
2.19 The following sections of the strategy cover these key concerns and set out how we intend to support the improvements necessary to deliver better outcomes. We consider how best to strengthen the youth work sector:
- at national level, through improved funding arrangements, through YouthLink Scotland as the national agency for youth work, through capacity building in the voluntary sector and through more cross-professional working;
- at local level, through local youth work networks, by improving facilities, and in planning broader services for young people, particularly by seeking more emphasis on outcomes delivered through youth work in Local Authority Outcome Agreements, linking to Regeneration Outcome Agreements ( ROAs) where appropriate;
- by supporting youth workers and volunteers, particularly in relation to training, recruitment and recognition; and
- by listening to, and responding to, what young people want from youth work, on a general and personal level, whether that is participation and influence nationally and locally through the Scottish Youth Parliament or in the planning and development of local services. Also by ensuring the right kind of support and recognition from employers and others for the skills and qualifications young people achieve through youth work and informal learning.
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