Quote of the Day

	Over the years youth work in Ireland has been struggling to develop an identity of its own; an ethos and conceptual framework that is particular to that discipline, as opposed to being seen as an offshoot of social work, probation work or even sport and recreation activities. There is a need to clarify what is central to youth work as there is much confusion, even within youth organisations, as to what it entails (Banks 1994 p. 2-3, Godley 1996) Youth work has been defined as; "informal education work with young people aged roughly between 11 and 25 with the aim of promoting their personal and social development" (Banks, 1993,p.78quoted in Banks l994,p.3). This definition sees youth work primarily in terms of the development of the young person. However some would argue that this is a limited view and that central to a definition of youth work is the notion that youth work should aim to engage with society and bring about social change in an unequal society (Taylor 1987, Rosseter 1987, Smith 1988). Those who take this view emphasise: The position of the young person in society in terms of their class, gender and race. It looks at external factors that may be affecting them as a result of their position, such as poverty, sexism and racism. It views young people as active participants, themselves having the potential ability to affect change. A development in thinking regarding the nature and purpose of youth work is reflected in the numerous policy documents produced in Ireland over the past twenty-five years. The beginnings of youth work were characterised by the explicit aim of the social and moral development of young people. A shift in emphasis at a policy level can be detected in both the Bruton and O’Sullivan reports, to a madel of youth work that focuses on the development of the young person while accepting and promoting the norms of society ‘The aim of youth work should be...to enable young people to develop personally, to appreciate society and to contribute to it’ (Bruton 1977, p.7) Youth work provides opportunities and support to young people, for association, the development of personal autonomy, and the essential values and competencies to participate effectively in a changing society (O’Sulllvan 1980, p.12). The Costello Report conveys a further shift in thinking regarding the purpose of youth work as it emphasises the importance of the empowerment of young people. It advocates the social and political education of young people and encourages young people to be critical participants of the society they belong to. It acknowledges the inequalities in society and claims that greater equality can be achieved through greater degrees of participation in political, economic and social institutions. It must be emphasised that this shift in thinking at a policy level does not necessarily mean that this is being translated into practice. Too much youth work practice has remained at a recreational level and not enough thought has been given to standing back and evaluating the work, asking; 'why do we do what we do’?’, ‘what is the purpose of it?’, ‘what is its aim?'. This is not to take away, however, from the many examples of excellent youth work there are around country, with well-defined aims and clear direction based on principles of real participation, liberation and empowerment.
	HILARY JENKINSON Jenkinson, H. (2000). Youth work in Ireland the struggle for identity. Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, Vol. 2 No. 2, 2000 . pp. 107-109