Youth Work in Schools - Essay Example

Youth work in schools. By The of this journal are very clear in stating their position in regards to the issue at hand. This is a journal trying to explain how youth work formed the basis of schoolwork over time or since beginning until now. They have authored a very detailed account of the progress youth work has had over the years but they fail to give their take on the argument that youth work and schoolwork cannot be separated. (Donnelly, Peter & Ward, 2013). From their clear remarks on the journey of youth work, I get that they very much want to demonstrate the fact that youth work has been wrapped up with schooling from the beginning. They have gone to great levels to provide solid evidence of this situation, and a reader can tell that the author feels strongly against the status quo of this matter. I can tell that he feels that youth work ought to be taken much more seriously, though he or she has not stated it in any way on the journal (Donnelly, Peter & Ward, 2013) To substantiate my resolve on this issue, the author seems to glorify any previous steps taken in light of making youth work a priority in the development of youth. The author constantly stresses the point that education ought to incorporate voluntary service at community level, the same way it did when youth work was an essential part of schooling. He or she also fondly recognizes those who championed for youth work in schools. On the other hand, the author is quick to dismiss any actions contrary to this view about how youth work ought to be considered (Cruddas, 2005). My understanding of this position, (though the author is not very clear on his position) is that the author realizes that from the very beginning, youth work helped to immobilize and bring youth together for the aim of enhancing community development and ultimately, give them some form of schooling. This initiative worked in helping youth from disadvantaged backgrounds to do something meaningful in their lives and be able to acquire the kind of education that youth privileged to go to school acquired, though not as refined as the latter. (Allen worth, 1997). It was a community effort to pass education from adults to the youth and writer attributes the success schooling over the years to the initial youth work initiatives. He believes that despite the immense contribution that youth work has facilitated in the success of schooling, it seems to have had a rocky journey from when it first began to where it stands as at now. I understand that the journal is an account of the difficulties in trying to associate youth work with schooling. I get that the writer is trying to eliminate the existing differences in the notion that youth work and school represent a different set of ideals (Willet, 1995). The authors have cited evidence of some significant occurrences that could serve to support his claims. In the journal, he has mentioned many people who were influential in setting up the first youth work based institution. Some of them include Maud Stanley (1890) who used a combination of formal education and recreation - and this can be traced back to her earlier work around Five Dials (near the Covent Garden in London). This is where she worked with boys and young lads (and young women) - encouraging them to take part in Sunday Schools, Evening Schools and clubs as well (Allensworth, 1997). To illustrate how schools in the nineteenth century experienced an unlikely growth, the author has identified as a good indication of the expansive growth of the work as given by S. E. Haywards illustration The Ragged School Tree (an illustration in Montague 1904) (Dresang, Gross & Holt, 2006). The author also gives an account of some of the ragged schools that developed into Evening and Youths Institutes and gives examples such as the school established by Hogg, Pelham and others in Long Acre, London in 1870. He also identified Pelham as a very active element in the development boys club work and even went ahead to refer us back to Quentin Hogg and the Youth’s Christian Institute for reference. He has quoted a person named Sweatman , who argued that the ragged institutions would provide for young lads desire for, evening recreation, companionship, entertaining but educative literature, wise counsel, and a strong guide on morals socially , as one of the reasons why some institutions were developed from scratch. Albemarle Report (1960) is evidence that is in form of a report. According to this report, there was some interest in school-based initiatives along with the general increase in provision. However, much of the expansion seemed to involve citing Albemarle center’s on school sites. The position of all the people (and their works/contribution) mentioned as evidence by the author is consolidated and reflected perfectly well in the journal. The pieces of evidence add up quite well in the argument that the author is trying to bring forward. There is no evidence however, to contradict the evidence presented by the author. The controversy surrounding this issue traces it root to the difference between a youths institutions and ragged school and has since been a matter for debate for long. Possibly, we can attribute this situation to the fact that the institutes tended to look more to recreation more than they did ragged schools. With the apparent passing of the Education Act in 1870 - and provision for public elementary education the purpose of the ragged schools changed significantly - and the more welfare-centered activities took center stage. Publicly sponsored schooling came into being, mostly on narrow lines – in evidently the same way that National and British Society Schools did. Boys clubs and girls clubs alike kept on with their characteristic mixture of relationship-based, recreational, welfare-oriented, and more formal method of learning (Kenny & Gallagher, 2003). The main strengths of the journal lie in the fact that it seeks to clarify a notion that has for a long time been ignored or assumed unimportant. The journal proves the fact that youth work is not in any way different from schooling, rather, the relationship between the two go back in time. Secondly, it serves as a reminder that education needs to be community based, and that recreation is a vital part of the schooling process. Evidently, the author demonstrates that were it not for a few individual who brought together the youth from marginalized parts of the inner city, most of them would remain uneducated. Recreation served to unify the youth and game them a sense of purpose. Thirdly, the author tries to make us understand that The Service of Youth has never been an integral part of the publicly provided system of education despite what politicians try to make us believe. This is as long as it is only operational during the leisure hours of youth. In fact, it is today on a steady decline. The main weakness of this argument is that it fails to identify the small difference between youth work and schooling hence the much confusion that surrounds this notion. Yes, youth work might have had significant impact on the establishment of schools. However, there has to be a noticeable difference between the two, otherwise, they would share the same name (Kenny & Gallagher, 2003). My position as a student in relation to the central argument is simply to learn the relationship between youth work and schooling. I have learnt the history behind youth work and I support the author’s argument that youth work and schooling are more or less the same. I think youth work contributed a lot in the past to help many youth get access education while participating in community development. I now know that in recent years, there has been reawakened interest in youth work and informal education within schools and formal education institutions. There is a significant growth in the numbers of employees working within further education institutions such as colleges - and some interesting developments in some schools. The latter is not very properly documented - but there seems to have been a shift away from the institution-based youth club into more diverse and localized ways of working within the institutions. These include: disengaged work around corridors, coffee joints, common rooms and play grounds; Work with a variety of interest groups around stuff like school newspapers, magazines, social action and school councils and open student forums. homework and study related support clubs schools holidays and provision work with young men and women experiencing hardship around schooling Interpersonal and personal support. References Donnel, Peter., & Ward, Catherine. (2013). Oxford Textbook of Violence Prevention Epidemiology, Evidence, and Policy. Oxford Univ Pr Verschelden, G. (2009). The history of youth work in Europe: relevance for todays youth work policy. Strasbourg, Council of Europe Publishing. Cruddas, L. (2005). Learning mentors in schools: policy and practice. Stoke on Trent, UK, Trentham Books. Allensworth, D. D. (1997). Schools & health: our nations investment. Washington, D.C., National Academy Press. (2008). Toward Positive Youth Development: Transforming Schools and Community Programs. Oxford, Oxford University Press USA. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10254401. Willet, H. G. (1995). Public library youth services: a public policy approach. Norwood, N.J., Ablex Pub. Dresang, E. T., Gross, M., & Holt, L. E. (2006). Dynamic youth services through outcome-based planning and evaluation. Chicago, American Library Association. Kenny, M., & Gallagher, L. A. (2003). Teenagers and community service: a guide to the issues. Westport, Conn, Praeger. Read More