What is a youth work strategy, why is it needed and how is it done? These questions lie at the centre of this manual.
Youth work plays a modest part in many young people’s lives and, arguably, a much more critical part for others. Youth work is about supporting the spaces where young people can have autonomy and develop their voice, and about building bridges for young people to make positive steps to the next part of their lives.
Over the past two decades, a significant resource base for youth work has been established and this manual provides a comprehensive catalogue of accessible material to support reflection and action across the stepping stones that will need to be pursued. The manual thereby moves from theory to action: Why is youth work important? Where does it fit within wider youth policy? How do we strengthen its presence and performance in supporting young people who face an increasingly tough repertoire of challenges in contemporary Europe?
This manual considers how to advocate for youth work, at the local and national levels. It starts by outlining a conceptual understanding of youth work “strategy” within the frameworks of youth work policy and wider policies affecting the lives of young people. It then considers the stepping stones for the development of a youth work strategy – why it is needed, where and how it should start, who to involve, how do you establish and maintain momentum and, eventually, how can you give it teeth and ensure impact and how do you make it happen. Of course, nothing is ever guaranteed, but this manual is designed to give youth work advocacy its best chance. A case study of the emergence of a more professionalised framework for youth work in Malta shows just what can be achieved. Further resources on approaches, methods, instruments and examples are shared in the last chapter.
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 – DEFINING TERMS
1.1. Youth work
1.2. Policy
1.3. Strategy
1.4. Conclusion
CHAPTER 2 – RELATIONSHIPS – YOUTH POLICY, YOUTH WORK POLICY AND STRATEGY
2.1. Youth policy
2.2. Youth work policy
2.3. Youth work strategy
2.4. Conclusion
CHAPTER 3 – SO HOW MIGHT IT BE DONE? What you need to think about when starting to formulate a youth work strategy
3.1. Getting started
3.2. Goal setting
3.3. Analysis
3.4. Strategy formulation
3.5. Implementation
3.6. Evaluation
3.7. Conclusion
CHAPTER 4 – HOW TO GO ABOUT IT Developing a youth work strategy in Malta – A practical case study
4.1. The youth work strategy – Purposeful, practical and principled
4.2. Understanding the youth work landscape
4.3. Creating a comprehensive youth work framework
4.4. Designing targeted programmes and initiatives
4.5. Outlining implementation steps and timelines
4.6. Allocating resources and budgeting
4.7. Funding sources and ways to increase funding
4.8. Monitoring and evaluation
4.9. Challenges and limitations
4.10. Conclusion
CHAPTER 5 – APPROACHES, METHODS AND EXAMPLES Exercises and instruments supporting youth work strategy processes
5.1. Getting started
5.2. Goal setting
5.3. Analysis
5.4. Strategy formulation
5.5. Implementation
5.6. Evaluation and monitoring
5.7. Practices
5.8. Conclusion
CONCLUSIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY
Council of Europe resources
European Union resources
