It’s stimulating to receive another contribution to the ongoing debate about how we best defend  a ‘democratic and emancipatory’ practice. In this piece Steve Monaghan shares his concerns and asks whether we are prepared to take risks in building resistance to the dismantling of youth work.

The dismantling of Youth Service or Youth Work

Whether it is the impending cuts or the previous government`s creation of Childrens Services the Youth Service, provided by the local authority, is disappearing. Some local authorities have embraced the Youth Service as a partnership between the voluntary sector and the statutory sector, others have not, both in the past and now. Take a look at the actual or proposed cuts in services across the country via Children and Young P eople Now.

The creation of a Childrens (and Young Peoples) Service spawning integrated services, targeted youth support service and other multi-professional bodies, in light of The Laming Report, could provide a better service for young people. However, there is always the possibility that bringing services together, in a climate of cuts, is an opportunity to reduce the service to young people. If not in quantity more than likely in quality.

I believe that having the fullest information leads to better, and more democratic, decision-making. This is a principle some youth workers adhere to, usually referred to as not tokenism, more participative, the right of the young person to have an informed say, etc. We, the Youth Workers are disenfranchised by not having our say. Which is better no Youth Service or no Youth Work ? And which version of these are you prepared to defend ?

On the one hand we need a job to pay our way, currently I am a Youth Worker with 21 years continuous service, but are you happy doing social work, health work, police work, childrens work, family work, individual work, teaching, etc. Are these other colleagues jobs ? Do we have the professional experience to do these jobs ? These jobs offer the opportunity to expand your experience/training/opportunity to be more flexible. Is this a good thing ?

As a manager a more flexible workforce is easier to manage and direct. My experience, and currently my daughter’s, of working in a supermarket with shift patterns, overtime and 24/7 opening hours is a model of flexible working. The loss of hard fought for rights/entitlements such as annual leave, in the interests of flexible working (or a service when it is needed – defined by whom?) seems to be pitching young peoples rights against workers rights . But is this the case ?

The Voluntary Sector organisations are rubbing their hands, in anticipation of the work coming their way via commissioning, etc. But generally speaking, Youth Workers, and other workers, have lesser pay and conditions in the Voluntary Sector. This helps the VolOrgs compete for contracts, in a climate of small budgets, to deliver a quality service to a defined number of young people. Whilst their specialisms, such as disabled young people, may place them in a better position to provide a service – why should young people have less money to meet their needs ?

`The devil is in the detail` someone said. So, whether we wish to attribute to Youth Work a professional status is irrelevant because we need to defend Youth Work as a diverse set of values. I find myself being precious about the why, how and with whom of Youth Work and, in so doing, `attacking` other descriptions or lack of them.

Yes many people, even none public servants, want to help Young People. Yes some want to help groups and/or individual Young People. Yes some believe and act, in their help mode, Young People to use the system to their advantage. Attending school is a good thing – does this mean education is a good thing ? No, because education is broader than school (Ivan Illich/Paulo Freire, etc.).

This lack of distinction is part of the nebulous dumbed-down society we live in and perpetuated by not questioning it. Youth Work has a role to question the perceived natural order. To create enquiring minds. If the ONLY Young People we work with are the `vunerable` (read not conforming) then we will not encourage their enquiring minds and behaviour but endorse a prescribed way of being determined by the great and good.

The time to reflect is not an exclusive to Youth Work discipline but it is central to Youth Work. The world of New Labour/Tory & Lib Dem coalition will be one of speed and doing. No time to contemplate because we have to tighten the belt to avoid economic disaster. Let`s consider what would happen if we made no cuts. We would still have a growing debt of £175 billion, we would still have disparity in salaries/bonuses and Young People would still be ill-educated, unemployed, anti-social, etc.

Why is this ? Because the economic/social order is a narrow choice if you have no real or virtual wealth to play with the big boys. Your choice, Young People, is to work hard at school,and in employment, to have children so long as you’re not a teenager or single, don`t live off the state but do move off the estate, don`t drink alcohol or take drugs, etc. etc. This puritanical approach is not serving the Youth Work I trained for, develop every time I work and would like to promote, not just defend.

The end may be nigh but the heart and soul of Youth Work has a place in Services for Young People. It is never too late to fight but what are YOU prepared to risk for the sake of Young People ?

Steve Monaghan June 2010