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Tim Davies on youth work

Reflection, resources and musings aloud on supporting, enabling and empowering young people

100 Issues of Youth and Policy - four proposals for creating a better dialogue

I've just been reading the 100th issue of Youth and Policy Journal. It's not happy reading. I've not made it through all the article yet, but the tone of those I've read appears despondent and hyper-critical of most youth policy developments of the last 10, if not 25 or 30 years.

Times may be tough, and youth policy and practice may be far from where it should be as we move in 2009. But I can't help feeling that the voices I hear predominating in Youth & Policy do little to provide any form of constructive vision on how to move forward; how to stay true to the values of emancipatory, empowering Youth Work in a diverse, dynamic and globalised information-age society.

But, I don't wish this blog post to fall into the trap it seems many of the articles of Youth and Policy hit: critique without any hint of a constructive way forward - and so, want to offer the editors of Youth & Policy four suggestions to help make the future of Youth and Policy one that contributes to positive and proactive developments in Youth Work, rather than a lament for the past.

1) Engage young people in the peer review and editorial process

It is clear that the majority of contributors to Youth and Policy want a better lot for young people. Defining a better lot for young people should take place in partnership with young people themselves. Projects like the Young Researcher Network have already shown that there are meaningful ways of engaging young people as researchers. And there would be a lot to gain from Youth & Policy exploring ways of engaging young people as part of the editorial and review team. Not only would it provide key grounding for the explorations in the journal - but it would provide opportunities for young people to learn about, explore and engage with the live debates at the heart of youth work today. 

Creating non-tokenistic and genuine models for a diverse range of young people to get involved in the editorial and peer review process of Youth & Policy would not necessarily be easy... but I can't think for a better challenge for a journal that regularly sharing writing on youth participation to engage with.

2) Make the back issues available online and move towards an Open Access Journal model

Right now the 100 issue history of Youth and Policy is locked away in volumes gathering dust on shelves. To follow Bernard Davies' survey of 'twenty-five years of Youth & Policy' you either need access to your own personal collection of back issues, or plenty of time to spend in the library.

Opening up the back issues of Youth & Policy free online would lower the barriers to entry that limit new academics and reflective-practitioners from contributing to the debate over the present, past and future of youth work; and it would increase the resources available with which to explain the intellectual and practical underpinnings of youth work to policy makers.

In the long run, it would make sense for a journal which talks so much about empowerment and education, to ensure that it's content is available to all those who wish to access it - without financial barriers. A future with Youth & Policy as an Open Access Journal would be a better one indeed.

3) Record short summary PodCast interviews with each journal contributor

Even if Youth & Policy was available in full text freely online - it would still not be accessible to all the people who could gain from engaging in the dialogue and debate it can catalyse. That's why I would love to see a Youth & Policy blog, with short recorded PodCast interviews with each of the article authors - allowing their insights and critiques to reach ever wider audiences. P

erhaps the PodCast audio-interview model could provide a good opportunity for young people to be in dialogue with Youth & Policy authors - as co-interviewees on each PodCast...

4) Build an online community around the journal

I've discovered over the last year that there is real demand for online youth work communities and we are most definitely in need of an online space for more dialogue around the present, past and future of youth work. A space where readers can respond to Youth & Policy articles without necessarily penning a full article in response, and where the practitioner and academic communities can find a space for the sort of constructive dialogue and sharing of learning that is necessary to the praxis as well as theory of a constantly developing work of youth work.

Perhaps some of these suggestions have been tried in the past? Perhaps they are simply beyond the means of a small journal? But perhaps, if anyone from the Youth & Policy team is reading, perhaps they might be explored as ways of making sure the dialogue in Youth and Policy really can be a dialogue making a better future for Youth Work and, more importantly, for young people.

Published Jan 01 2009, 05:21 PM by Tim Davies
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Comments

 

midhal dhal said:

Option 1 would be an ideal and can it be achieved in a non tokenistic manner  and how do you engage young people, that would be representative.

a mixture of option 2,3 (could be summarised by some one else if not the authors) and 4  would allow for wider engagement, from a diverse audience, will still have its limitaions in terms of access and use of ICT,. but will be availble to those wanting to contribute,  

similarly this may attract engagement from BME and other minority YP and others to contribute to the debates.

This would also go some way towards an evidence based policy making approach.

January 1, 2009 9:22 PM
 

Madeline Webster said:

I'm setting up a Membership site for people working with young people. It would be multi-disciplinary and, I hope, would focus on those young people who are under-achieving, are more alienated from society - on the fringes and feeling that society has failed them.

I feel there is a need for a place where people can share issues, problems and ideas - and I know there is lots of good practice out there to draw upon!

I'm setting up initially a 'think-tank' of interested people who can help to shape the Forum to suit what people need.  If you're interested in taking please please contact me on madeline.webster@libertysurf.fr.

Madeline Webster

January 13, 2009 9:18
 

Charlotte Goddard said:

It sounds like a really interesting forum you are setting up Madeline, but I do just have to point out with my online editor hat on that we have a forum here for people who work with young people community.cypnow.co.uk/.../4.aspx, and if you or anyone else would like to start a discussion, or join one that is already there, please feel free.

January 13, 2009 10:01
 

Madeline Webster said:

Thank you Charlotte for that information which I have checked out.                                      

However, what I’m proposing is not the same kind of site as you have here. It will not only be multi-disciplinary and multi-country (English-speaking) but it will be built as a community of people who will physically speak to each other on a regular basis about the difficulties and successes they’re experiencing.                                                                                       People will also be invited to speak on various aspects of work with young people and in this way they can share good practice and help colleagues with ideas.

I envisage that it will target those working with young people whom society has appeared to discard/neglect, many of whom subsequently turn to anti-social behaviour. Some young people will be supported to contribute to the community on the basis of their own positive/negative experiences.

Other than that, the shape and purpose of the site will be determined by the needs of the members.

I’m sure you’ll agree that any one website, whatever it provides, will certainly not meet the needs of all people seeking to improve their practice and to better serve young people and society. People need choice and there’s room for different kinds of sites, especially since individuals will probably take what they need from a number of different sites.

January 13, 2009 5:36 PM
 

YOUTH, COMMUNITY: CRISIS! DEJA-VU? « Critically Chatting Collective’s Blog said:

Pingback from  YOUTH, COMMUNITY: CRISIS! DEJA-VU? « Critically  Chatting Collective’s Blog

February 3, 2009 8:25 PM

About Tim Davies

Tim Davies is a freelance consultant and researcher focussing on youth work and youth and community participation.

Tim graduated with a first class BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) from Oxford University in 2006. Whilst at University and for a short while afterwards Tim worked as a trainer and consultant with the Participation team of The National Youth Agency, developed the Hear by Right online shared learning tool and managed the final relaunch of the Participation Works online gateway for NCB/Participation Works. He has designed and delivered consultations for national and local government. Tim was also responsible for developing a national online management information system for YouthBank UK, now providing micro-finance grant management tools to over 80 sites across England and Ireland. Tim has also worked as communications manager for Just Fair Trade in Leicester.

Writing and blogging widely, Tim recently co-authored a chapter in the Open University reader 'Leading and Managing Youth Work' with Bill Badham.

Tim draws on skills as a technology steward and social media specialist to make the most of collaboration, consultation and community building technology in projects he works on - and to support youth organisations in engaging with social media.

Children & Young People Now is the official publication for members of the National Children's Bureau and The National Youth Agency.