Focus Area 1: The Field of Youth Work
2. Overview of the Field of Youth Work

It’s helpful to recall that youth work is an umbrella term that describes a wide array of programs.

This course frames youth work from the perspective that it is intended to meet the needs and develop competencies for all youth, not just those engaged in problem behaviors or perceived to be at risk for doing so. Because all youth must grow through a specific developmental process to become successful adults, all youth are at risk for problems.

When you think about it, it’s not at all surprising that there is no single approach, methodology, or theory of youth work that everyone agrees on. There is often no common language for talking about how youth work is done, or what outcomes are achieved, or how young people benefit exactly, or why a caring adult makes such a big difference. In short, there are no universal standards of service.

While that may be a contributing factor in the problem that too few people know about and value the positive impact and outcomes youth workers provide, there’s a silver lining to this: having a wide variety of unique youth programs helps to ensure that the diverse needs of the young people they serve are more likely to be met in unique ways.

It’s a plus that the field of youth work has many different programs, approaches, models, and promising new ideas all the time. It may not have been intentionally designed that way, but the fact that it has evolved that way is an asset, and a testament to the strength and health of the field as whole.

Regardless of approach, what all youth work has in common is providing the support of a caring adult to partner with young people in a trusting relationship so they positively develop their unique talents and become productive adults and contributing members of society.

There can be no debate about this: Youth work has proven outcomes and a documented social return on investment – it works, it saves money and we need more of it!

Your work with young people provides invaluable benefits that reach well beyond each individual youth you support. You have every right to feel proud of your profession, to know that you’re actually making a positive improvement on an individual level, on a local community level, even on a global level. It’s not an overstatement at all to say that you are making the world a better place for all of us today, and for future generations to come, because you care enough to connect with young people and support their positive development.

Wow!

Types of Youth-Serving Programs

With the understanding that youth work is intended to meet the needs and develop competencies for all youth, it’s easy to see why there are so many different types of programs.

Let’s take a look at five typical types of programs. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but gives a good sense of the range of services available.

PRE-COURT DIVERSION PROGRAMS

In general, pre-court diversion programs are an alternative to prosecution. The goal is to intervene with young people before they are in a situation where they are facing criminal charges.

These programs generally redirect youthful offenders from the justice system and help to prevent future criminal activity among certain offenders.

If a young person has committed a minor offense, keeping them in their own community and out of the expensive and overloaded justice system is always a more appropriate response. And these programs save tax dollars that are better spent on turning young people around.

Here are some examples of pre-court diversion programs:

• Truancy Intervention
• Shoplifting Prevention/Intervention
• Curfew Violation
• Sexual Perpetrator Counseling
• Vandalism Prevention/Intervention
• Fire Awareness
• Drug/Alcohol Prevention/Intervention
• Tobacco Use Prevention/Intervention