Presentation at the European Training Strategy Conference on youth Work. Mainz 27.03.2018

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_YOUTH WORKER
MATTERS
Tomi Kiilakoski, drawings Marika Tervahartiala

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It’s about the personalities

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It’s about the communities

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Learning to be a youth worker is to
become a member in the community of
practice of youth workers
Reply to a sceptic, part1

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_ We need education and training in different phases of our
professional career
_ Before starting the work
_ Induction phase: early years of the career
_ Phase of continual development
_ Linear career model (from education to work) and fragmented
career model (moving around jobs in a mixed manner).
Training and education is a way to get to know the
youth work community

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_ “You don’t need a weather man to know which way the
winds blows”-attitude emphasizing that it all comes
naturally
_ vs.
_ Community of practice perspective claiming that
education is about learning to a become member of the
community (learning as participation).
What if the freedom is lost ?

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_ OK. Maybe. But do we really need
youth worker education. Would any
education or training do?
Reply to a sceptic, part 2

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_ The work with the migrant young required new
knowledge and new perspectives
_ The emphasis on human rights education.
_ Shows that even skilled youth workers need education
to cope better with the changing social context.
Case 1. Multi-cultural youth work in Europe,
Finnish perspective

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_ Understanding the impact of digital cultures on the life worlds of
the young requires education and training.
_ Technological side: learning how to use digital tools; pedagogical
side: learning how to work with young people using these tools;
the cultural side: understanding how our way of relating to each
other changes
_ Changing social contexts require constant learning
Case 2. Digital youth work

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_ Combinations of goals and methodologies.
_ Working with the individual young and groups
_ Multi-professional co-operation
_ Participation
_ Youth policy perspectives
_ Global perspectives.
_ The uniqueness of youth work.
Research perspectives on education of youth work

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_ If we need youth worker training and
education, what should we emphasise?
What about the diversity?
Reply to a sceptic, part 3

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_ ”We are better able to offer services to young if
we know what we do. And not only to those
young people we meet at the youth clubs. And
not only to those young that are already active.”
(Youth worker, interview.)
_ Values, ethos, human rights.
Working together

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_ An example of youth work curricula (based on the article of Lasse Siurala
2017): comparison of four different youth work curricula. Theoretical basis
differs; so do the practical implications
_ “establishing a coherent and flexible competency-based framework for the
education and training of paid and volunteer youth workers that takes into
account existing practice, new trends and arenas, as well as the diversity of
youth work” (Recommendation to member states on youth work)
Differences in youth work curricula

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_ OK, fine. We might need youth worker
education and training, but youth work contexts
differ. What would be the common framework?
Is there one? Is there really something we all
could agree on?
A reply to a sceptic, 4

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_ The formal and the non-formal in youth worker education and training.
_ VET, tertiary education, accredited courses, non-formal learning.
_ Degree level courses in youth work or related fields are provided in 17 countries out of
41 (David Cairns, James O'Donovan, Madalena Sousa, Vesselina Valcheva 2018)
_ There are different practice architectures of youth work in Europe. Having education/
identifiable career paths/ recognised place in the servise system/ associations and
organisations (Kiilakoski 2018)
_ Structures supporting youth workers education differ. Youth workers deserve to have
access to education, but there are myriad ways of learning to be a youth worker.
Short-term/long term training and education; formal/non-formal learning paths.
_
Different European contexts

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_ Recognition of youth work through education and training.
_ The quality aspect.
_ Finding a common framework for youth work education is also
about stating what youth work stands for and what constitutes
good youth work. Therefore it is requires some common
frameworks as well. Competency descriptions, evaluation
practices, philosophic principles, ethical guidelines.
The core question

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_ Education and training is essentially not about making everybody
the same, it’s about helping people to move forward after
having access to the rich basis of what we already know, what
we hope to be and where we want go.
Conclusion