The National Youth Agency - Youth work support needed in new world of social networking

Youth work support needed in new world of social networking

26 Sep 2008
Youth work should extend beyond traditional clubs and projects and help young people to deal with both the opportunities and the dangers of new online communities, claims a new report.

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Social Networking Sites are playing an important role in the lives of young people with over 60% of 13-17 year-olds having profiles on sites such as Bebo, Facebook and MySpace. Much of the media and policy response has focused on the risks such sites pose to young people, including from bullying, inappropriate contact from adult strangers, advertising, and commercialism.

Research launched today by The National Youth Agency shows that youth work has a key role to play in supporting young people to navigate these risks, as well as make the most of the opportunity to keep in touch with peers, get creative, find information and make links with like-minded others.

The report ‘Youth work and Social Networking’ is based on a review of the existing literature, a national online survey of the youth workforce, and action research with three youth services. It shows that youth workers can - both as professionals and as approachable adults who young people can talk to - offer:

Individual interventions to address risk behaviours, or to encourage the take up of opportunities, based upon existing youth work relationships;

Group work to support the development of a shared understandings and practices in groups and to support young people in supporting their peers.

Reflective learning opportunities for young people to develop media literacy;

Tricia Jessiman, Research Coordinator at The NYA, said: ‘This report provides a clear evidence base for the role that youth work can and should play in supporting young people’s “online” development, as it does in many other aspects of their lives. It sets out the ways that young people and youth workers can work together to develop media literacy skills, recognising that the knowledge base and skills of many workers will need to be supported. The NYA is developing a training offer around SNS for the youth workforce and looks forward to further work in this area.”

Tim Davies, one of the report’s authors, said: “Youth Work has not had the attention that the formal education sector has in the public debate about supporting young people to be safe on social network sites – but the youth work skill set has a key offer to not only supporting young people to be safe, but also enabling them to make the most of the amazing opportunities that online social networking can offer. We need to support the local champions and change agents to get youth services more deeply engaged with online social networks.”

Youth work and Social Networking is available online at www.nya.org.uk/research

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. Youth work and Social Networking is launched at a “good practice” event being held Friday 26^th September at the Local Government Information Unit, Tavistock Place, London WC2 9SN. The launch event is at 14.45.

2. The Youth Work and Social Networking project was funded by The National Youth Agency and led by Tim Davies working with Pete Cranston.

Tim Davies founded Practical Participation as an independent consultancy focussing in youth policy, youth work, youth and civic participation and technology. He previously spent four years working with The National Youth Agency as a trainer and consultant in youth participation and as a freelance developer of online tools and interactive websites.

Over the last year Practical Participation has been looking in particular at the use of social media and online tools across the youth sector – and recently founded the UK Youth Online network, which is holding it's first open space event on Saturday 27^th September 2008 at the offices of the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills (http://www.ukyouthonline.org/)

Pete Cranston is an ICT specialist, with extensive experience in management and training. For the past 12 years he has worked mainly in International Development: full-time for Oxfam and OneWorld.net, and as a consultant for a range of Government and NGO clients. He currently advises in Oxfam GB on Social Networking and online community building.

3. The NYA supports those involved in young people’s personal and social development and works to enable all young people to fulfil their potential as individuals and citizens within a socially just society. Website: http://www.nya.org.uk/

4. For further information contact Tim Burke at The National Youth Agency on 0116 242 7483