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Youth work in the Netherlands within a European context

Youth work in the Netherlands within a European context. Kees Bakker, Netherlands Youth Institute Presentation European Expert Meeting Empowering Youth work. Rotterdam, 17th of March 2010. Content. European context: EU strategy for youth and youth work

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Youth work in the Netherlands within a European context

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  1. Youth work in the Netherlands within a European context Kees Bakker, Netherlands Youth Institute Presentation European Expert Meeting Empowering Youth work. Rotterdam, 17th of March 2010

  2. Content • European context: EU strategy for youth and youth work • Present state and position of youth work in Netherlands • Debate on the position of youth work and youth workers • Sharing knowledge and practices

  3. 1.1 European strategy on youth challenges and opportunities • Resolution European Council (2009) • EU strategy for youth: Investing and empowering • Main ambitions: • More and equal opportunities for all young people in education and labour market • To promote citizenship, social inclusion and solidarity of all young people

  4. 1.2 EU strategy towards youth work • Support the development of youth work and recognize its value!!! • For all young people but with special attention for the ‘poorest’, early school leaving, unemployment, unhealthy lifestyles, problematic access to culture • Incentive for further European coöperation and exchange of knowledge and practices

  5. 2.1 State of professional youth work in the Netherlands (2009) • Focus age group 12 – 18 (1.2 mlj) • 3000 (2000 fte) youth workers • Reach: 15% of the 12 -18 mainly youth with lower education and problems/ at risk • Main functions: • “meet & greet”; non-formal education, recreation • Referral & mediation (problems - conflicts) • Coaching (school and work)

  6. 2.2 Continuation state of youth work/ YW • Differentiation: forms, objectives, target groups and situations • Youth policy on youth work • Decentralization: local governments • Nuisance control & development of talents • Level of education professionals: • 45% secondary & 55% higher vocational training

  7. 2.3 Strengths & weaknesses(according to Dutch youth workers) • + making contact, flexibility and coöperation • - Ambigious and irrealistic expectations of local politicians • - Difficult relations with police and safety issues • - Lack of formation and insufficiënt (not specific) education and training

  8. 2.4 Conclusions • No national youth policy: local policy • Decline of general, open youth work: the rise of semi-commercial youth provisions • Core: social-cultural youth work in leisure time for youth with lower education & at risk in disadvantaged areas • Between nuisance control & education

  9. 2.5 Conclusions on professional youth workers • 3000 youthworkers reach a large part of the intended population (> 50% growth in last decade) • Core: Social-cultural group work • Vocational training is insufficient • Struggling with ‘double’ role • Unique selling point: contact

  10. 3. Debate on the position of youth work and youth workers • Repositioning youth work • Professionalization • Youth policy

  11. 3.1. Repositioning youth work • Social and educational integration (no isolated social provision) • Social-pedagogical assignment: between education and emancipation of youth • Part of an infrastructure of social-pedagogical & educational basic provisions: It takes a village to raise a child

  12. 3.2 Professionalization • Youth worker as fellow educator • Professional skills: • Interaction & communication • Social-cultural & recreation • (Social-)pedagogical and educational support • Peer education & peer support • Groupdynamics & -interventions

  13. 3.3 Youth policy • Strengthening general (positive) youth policy and integrated general provisions • Growing need for out of school day care for young people (0 –12; 12 - 16) of working families/ mothers • Strengthening communities and families, informal, voluntary social and educational support & peer education

  14. 4. Exchange of knowledge and practices • EU stimulates coöperation and exchange of ideas, knowledge & experiences • Implicit & explicit knowledge • Knowledge management • Development of practice • Building a learning professional community • A lemniscate connecting knowledge & practice development

  15. The lemniscate connecting knowledge and practices; • Building learning professional communities Knowledge management Collect, validate, disseminate evidence based knowledge Knowledge clearinghouse Practice development Research & development Training & education Implementation Consultation Practice based Evidence based

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