EDUCATION TRAINING PATHWAYS OF YOUTH WORKERS IN EUROPE
- Slides: 7
EDUCATION & TRAINING PATHWAYS OF YOUTH WORKERS IN EUROPE TOWARDS MORE COHERENT AND FLEXIBLE ROUTES HOWARD WILLIAMSON & MARKO KOVACIC HELSINKI, FINLAND FEBRUARY 2019
OUR “AMBIVALENCE” • Whose agenda? • Finland • Co. E Recommendation • Youth work (in Europe? ) • European youth work • Higher education? ‘Lower education’? Community-based learning • Celebrating diversity…all • Finding common ground?
STARTING GRID • Why do you workers need skills? • What are the basic skills youth workers need? • How to train youth workers? • Blessed and cursed by diversity (in youth work education and training) • Broad agreement on SPACES & BRIDGES • Three steps to heaven? intentions!] [the road to hell is paved by good
1 STAYING GROUNDED THE ESSENTIALS OF YOUTH WORK? • Most youth workers are volunteers – education and training has to be flexible and accessible: what are the ‘basics’ or ‘essentials’? • The youth worker DOING – SKILLS (being able to do the job) • The young person in their local environment – home, school/work, leisure time, peer group [local-national-international] [routine-developmentalexperimental] • Core learning requirements: safety, well-being, “security” • Essential practice dimensions: Association, Activities, Advice
2 BUILDING INTELLIGENCE THE SCIENCE OF YOUTH WORK • Connecting practical experience with wider academic and policy understanding • Reflective practice / praxis • The youth worker KNOWING – KNOWLEDGE (understanding why you do the job) • The young person’s ‘make up’ – the psychology of adolescence/the sociology of youth • group [local-national-international] [routine-developmental-experimental] • Core learning requirements e. g. policy influence, strategic fundraising, differentiating needs and issues young people face [equality and discrimination] • Essential practice dimensions: , Autonomy, Advocacy, Awareness
3 MASTERING A CRAFT THE ART OF YOUTH WORK • Specialisms – issues, groups, policy domains: the distinctive role of youth work • Histories and contemporary expectations and contributions • The youth worker BEING – IDENTITY/DISTINCTION (confidence in our own skin and in relation to others) • The young person in society and the world – social, economic, political and cultural place and space • group [local-national-international] [routine-developmental-experimental] • Core learning requirements e. g. European and international context, systemic awareness, making the connections • Essential practice dimensions: Exploration, Innovation, Youth work beyond borders • This level of confidence demands the application of courage!
THE TIES THAT BIND • Principles and purposes • Quality development • Blended learning • Flexibility and individualisation • Ethics • Mentoring, supervision, coaching – non-managerial supervision and support • Debate about recognition, accreditation, endorsement and validation • Policy documents (local-national-international-global)