The National Youth Agency - Sustainability and Community Cohesion

Sustainability and Community Cohesion

The National Youth Agency believes that effective youth policies contribute to the personal and social development of young people and to the safety and cohesion of communities.

The NYA Policy on Citizenship and Community Cohesion

Youth policies need to address issues which affect all young people including education, housing and employment. They should aim to promote better understanding between communities and faiths and a shared sense of citizenship with its associated values of mutual respect and social justice.

Also of interest...

Effective youth work already plays an important role in achieving such ends and the government's green paper 'Youth Matters' will assist it to do so. Its programmes need to engage more strongly with matters of citizenship and related rights and duties. The NYA and others have produced a range of publications and programmes to assist in the implementation of this agenda.

The leadership and co-ordination of this work is vested in the local authority, through the arrangements for the Children's Trust, in partnership with other bodies, including the voluntary and community sector. This diverse sector also has an important role in providing youth work of the highest quality. The effective exercise of these tasks require a high level of accountability to young people, communities and to funding bodies. Particular attention need to be paid to the registration and scrutiny of units and to the training and qualification of staff. A thorough regulatory and accountability framework should be taken forward through the implementation of 'Youth Matters'.

To secure success for all young people and the community they live in, central and local government should take a lead in framing an agenda for cohesion and development and in securing the plans for implementation.

August 2005

Further information

Sustainable Development - Introduction and overview to Sustainable Development by Merlynne Francique.

Sustainable Development Youth Work Forum brings together twenty five national organisations including government departments such as the OPDM, the Home Office, DefRA, DFID and the DfES meets twice a year. Read the Forum Reports.

Spotlight 30 - Building community cohesion and safety through access to youth work opportunities
Not in our Name - July 2005
Muslim Youth Work Challenges