Focus Area 1: The Field of Youth Work
1. The Evolution of Youth Work

It might surprise you to learn that the concept of ‘childhood’ as a distinct stage of human development only began to evolve sometime in the mid-1800s. Until then, children were basically seen as miniature adults but certainly not treated as adults in practice. 

Actually, the thinking of the day was that children had natural tendencies toward bad behavior. Because children were seen as inherently bad, the basic premise was that unless adults provided strict intervention, children wouldn’t amount to much. 

Intervention in those days was focused primarily on discipline and putting young people to work. The common belief was that keeping them busy would keep them out of trouble and teach them useful skills for self-sufficiency. This was a period where apprenticeships were commonly arranged for older youth. Formal education was not prevalent at all. 

How we saw children and childhood began to change when an English philosopher named John Locke, and American transcendentalists, formulated a view of children as inherently good human beings. Quite a revolutionary shift! They saw outside influences as the root of bad behavior in children rather than children being inherently prone to bad behavior. 

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution in the nineteenth century further supported the idea that a person’s environment could influence their behavior and development. That led to another important shift: thinking about ‘childhood’ as a unique stage and an important period of critical development. The basic premise became that with appropriate nurturing, children could be molded into healthy, thriving adults. 

Taking this new view that children needed particular preparation, guidance, and support to grow successfully into adulthood, the German educator, Friedrich Froebel, started the kindergarten movement. From there, more programs and services for children began to develop all around the world. 

As society’s understanding of childhood was evolving, people began to appreciate the significance of ‘youth’ as a distinct group to be recognized. Newspaper articles of the day were highlighting the various challenges facing young people. Public interest in ‘youth’ was growing and psychologists began to formulate theories of ‘adolescence’ as yet another unique stage of human development. 

In 1904, an American psychologist and educator, G. Stanley Hall, wrote a groundbreaking book, “Adolescence,” that compiled all the known research and theories of the time and laid out a foundational understanding of this distinct developmental stage that holds up even today, nearly 120 years later. 

Certain dynamics of the time such as the introduction of child labor laws, compulsory education laws, and the addition of high school as part of formal education contributed to a delay in young people entering into the job market. At the time, a young person first entering the job market was seen as a marker of achieving adulthood. The period of adolescence became even more defined as a result. 

And that paved the way for the introduction of institutions and programs specifically designed to nurture the needs of youth. We see the emergence of YMCAs, YWCAs, 4-H clubs, Scouting, Boys and Girls Clubs, among many other mentoring and youth development programs. 

In the 1950s, juvenile delinquency began to be researched. People were starting to see that punishing young offenders did not appear to deter future criminal behavior. Alternatives to punishment were emerging to ‘treat troubled youth.’ The juvenile court system was created then to focus on rehabilitation of youth. 

In 1960, two criminologists who had been researching juvenile delinquency presented a groundbreaking theory that identified lack of opportunity for youth as the major contributor to delinquency. The work of Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin became known as “opportunity theory.” They saw lack of opportunities for youth as the problem and root of delinquent/criminal behavior. 

If lack of opportunity for youth was the problem then punishing youth for delinquent behavior was not working because it was not at all addressing the problem seen as the root cause. Their perspective was that providing at-risk youth with increased opportunity for success would effectively prevent juvenile delinquency. 

Throughout the period of 1950–1970, treatment programs for adolescents expanded to address issues that had an adverse impact on society as a whole, such as substance use, conduct disorder, academic failure, and teen pregnancy. 

This was the point in history when we started to see specific services for youth focus on the prevention of problems for the first time.

At first, prevention programs that aimed to address one single problem were put in place but having such a singular focus proved largely ineffective. Programs evolved to identify and address the precursors of a problem. 

Seeing more success with that approach, programs have taken more steps toward a focus on the whole child or young person, on their environment, and on meeting developmental needs in more supportive ways. 

Groundbreaking advances in research continue to lead to development of new understanding and approaches. One very well-known example from the late 1990s is the original CDC-Kaiser ACE Study which connected early adversity in childhood to a number of negative outcomes that could have lasting impacts throughout a person’s lifetime. We’re learning to address risk factors and protective factors for multiple problems, at critical developmental stages. 

Here we are today, in the early 21^st century, and the field of youth work continues to evolve. Many programs are now grounded in a more positive perspective and understanding of young people. Many strengths-based approaches have been introduced, with a greater focus on helping young people achieve developmental milestones and grow to become thriving adults. 

Many youth workers are even rethinking the use of the term ‘youth’ which has sometimes been applied as more a label. They prefer instead to use the term ‘young people.’ This recognizes the growing movement to center young people, to actually acknowledge their personhood, and give them voice and agency in a collaborative partnership with you as the supportive adult partner. 

The role of youth worker has evolved in many ways, in tandem with the evolution of our understanding of young people and their developmental needs. It was once seen as an adult stepping in to manage the development and direct the path of a young person. It is evolving to be much more of a partnership, co-creating from the perspective and needs expressed by the young person. It is more authentically acknowledging their life path and being willing and able to walk along beside them as a guide rather than being the adult who has all the answers and always takes the lead. 

Your chosen career - youth work, as a profession – is a wide-open field full of growth and opportunity. The field continues to evolve and undoubtedly, there will be many changes ahead. It’s exciting to know that you can be part of that change, not just for the young people you directly serve, but for the field as a whole. 

The future of youth work will be shaped by the youth work professionals such as yourself who choose to challenge what’s not working, to pioneer new models of service, and to advocate relentlessly on behalf of young people. Working in this constantly evolving field, you really have the opportunity, as well as the responsibility, to create your career as you go. 

You truly are part of something big.