Characteristics of a Youth Worker

What is youth work, youth work does not have one definition that everyone goes by it has many different definitions and way individuals describe it. Everyone has an opinion what youth work is. There are 7 basic characteristics of youth work and the first one is that youth work is an educational practice. Youth workers use informal education to teach youth and the ways the teach youth could be through purposeful play, art activities, and other forms of learning. They are not usually teachers in a class room. The youth workers want the youth to open up and think about different things. Another characteristic is that youth work is a social practice, meaning that youth workers give the young kids skills and time to talk with their peers and create friendships. I work in an afterschool program that works with kids with disabilities and the main purpose of the program is for the kids to be social with each other and work on some of those skills. Youth workers actively challenge inequality and work towards social justice is the next characteristic. Youth workers fight for social justice, the reading states “youth workers address the power imbalances”. This means that youth workers bring up these discussions about inequality in the world. Young people choose to be involved in youth work, the youth want to be in some of these programs because their friends are involved. The kids can choose places like an afterschool program or a boys and girls club. Youth workers also want to strengthen the voice and influence of young people and this is another characteristic of a youth worker. Youth workers want to give the power to the kids and give them the power to choose what they want to do. In the afterschool program, I work at we are always providing the kids to participate in what activities we do during the week and what games we play as well. Giving the youth a voice will help them in the future and put their mark on society. Another characteristic of youth work is welfare practice. This means the youth workers provide a safe environment and the kids welfare are the top priority for some youth workers. Youth workers can address personal and social behaviors that can hurt a young personas ability to grow as a person. The last characteristic is, Youth work works with young people “holistically”. As it is described in the reading some youth workers work with young offenders and youth workers are there to fix a problem in a specific area. I personally do not like how the reading describes this, they are problem to be fixed, and I think these youths just need help. As youth workers and individuals who have more experience in life we could give them tools and advice to help them with difficult situations. These seven characteristics help form a definition for what youth workers do, but in the future these characteristics could change or be modified.

  

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