Youth Work and Online Social Networking
Findings from research
Research funded by:
November 27th 2008
www.nya.org.uk/research Tim Davies (tim@practicalparticipation.co.uk)
Young people network photo by ranflickr,
(http://flickr.com/photos/rainforestactionnetwork/. Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution licensed)

STAND UP - SIT DOWN

What is online
social networking?

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What is youth
work?

Youth Work
• Statutory sector youth service
established in the 1960s
• Young person centered model –
starting where young people are
• Informal education, associational,
group work - moving beyond where
young people start
• Resourcefulness, Resiliency, Resolve

Youth Work
• 4,225 (3,630 FTE) Youth
Workers,
• 17,000 (3,900 FTE)
Youth Support Workers
• In contact with average
27.5% of local 13 – 19
year old population
• Works with excluded
groups
Source: NYA Audit, 2005-6 (www.nya.org.uk)

Youth Work and Social Networking
• Literature review
• Survey
• Focus groups
• Action research

How are young people
‘social networking’
online?

www.flickr.com/photos/28859335@N00/120018144 http://flickr.com/photos/morgantepsic/176795867/ http://flickr.com/photos/andreasnilsson1976/530776998/
Keeping in Making new
contact Sharing content contacts
Informal
Hanging out Exploring identity learning
http://flickr.com/photos/mshades/169570194/ http://flickr.com/photos/loosepunctuation/959524837/ http://flickr.com/photos/lewiselementary/152620388/

Finding a ‘youth work
perspective’ on online
social networking...

Youth Workers perceptions of
the risks to young people
• Bullying (53%)
• Disclosing personal
information (35%)
• Abuse and exploitation
(29%)
• Too much time on
computer (23%)
• Risks from sexual
predators (22%)

Youth worker perceptions of
opportunities for young people
• Increased opportunities for self
expression (64%)
• Developing wider range of
contacts in the UK and
internationally (60%)
• Getting involved in real world
positive activities (31%)

Wordle

Social Network Sites (SNS) present young people with a wide range of
opportunities and risks. Opportunities and risks go hand in hand. The
opportunities and risks of most concern to young people (keeping
in touch with friends and bullying respectively) are different from
those most frequently highlighted in the mainstream media.

Young people need support to develop the appropriate resources and
resilience to navigate risk and to make the most of opportunities on
SNS, and peer groups need opportunities to negotiate and develop
positive norms for their interaction on SNS.

Many of the reasons young people may encounter risks through
SNS have roots outside of the technology, in issues of young
people's personal and social development. The appropriate
response to SNS risk may not involve technology.

Social networking sites can be made safer when youth workers, as
professional and trusted adults, actively engage with them.

Youth work can engage with SNS as one or more of:
 an environment in which young people need support and guidance;
 a marketing tool for promoting youth work opportunities and
activities;
 a communications tool for interacting with young people and
groups of young people;
 a youth work tool for promoting young peoples creative
expression, political engagement and wider personal and social
development;
 a starting point to work from in helping young people develop
their skills, interests and capacities across a range of issues and
areas;
 a platform for new forms of online youth work;

Youth work methods have a particular contribution to make in
encouraging and supporting young people to adopt safe and
positive online behaviours.

Are youth workers ready
to put this perspective
into practice?

Survey results
90% 86%
believe that they
have a crucial role 81% believe that
training for youth
supporting young workers would be
find web filters are effective in
people to navigate used in their work
risk maximising
settings support for young
people
42% 44%
believe web filters
feel equipped to
provide that support.
to be effective
way to manage 29% 29%
risk have access to
have received SNS in their work
such training settings

Survey, safety, staff,
strategy

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Guidance is provided for staff to manage their personal SNS profiles.
It is clear who is allowed to use SNS as part of their work. And in
what ways are they allowed to use SNS.
It is clear how should youth workers manage their work SNS
profiles.
It is clear what recording of contact should take place.
Guidelines should exist for workers and young people about conduct in
online SNS spaces.
There are guidelines on how workers should deal with concerns about
young people's safety or conduct.

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Awareness of SNS in youth work
Three levels
Promotion of Youth Work through SNS
Using SNS as a Youth Work Tool

http://www.csn.info
http://www.youthworkonline.org.uk
http://www.timdavies.org.uk
http://www.nya.org.uk

tim@practicalparticipation.co.uk
http://www.timdavies.org.uk
http://www.nya.org.uk/research
http://blogs.nya.org.uk/ywsn
Links to credits for Creative Commons photos from Flickr.com are included on images/in slide notes
Graphics by Small Kid Design (http://www.smallkid.co.uk/)