News
Youth Work at the Heart of Good Advice for Young People
08 September 2010
The qualitative research provided young people with a voice in the ongoing debate around the provision of IAG for careers and other issues relevant to young people.
A total of 79 young people took part in the innovative study, which was designed by young people and undertaken through peer-facilitated groups across London and the South West.
Findings revealed that trusted adults were the first port of call for a third of young people when making a tough decision. But, a significant number of young people (32 per cent) did not think parents and carers’ advice was always the best.
Youth workers were cited as the best person to provide advice, closely followed by teachers. For young people with greater personal and social needs youth workers were seen as more valuable providers of advice.
Young people regularly sought advice from their friends, as they thought they could better relate to what was happening in their lives. However, many also felt that their friends were no better informed than them and as a result preferred to seek guidance from trained peer mentors, especially where support was seen as independent from teachers’ control.
When asked about the IAG provided by Connexions, focus group participants had a strong awareness of what the service offered in terms of careers guidance, but were not as aware of other areas it could advise them on.
Many of the young people who felt they where doing ‘ok’ and had not engaged with Connexions as a result, were critical of the service’s role and felt that it could do more to ensure that they were appropriately supported. For those young people who had engaged on a more regular basis with Connexions, the response was more positive.
Jon Boagey, National Youth Agency director of communications, comments: “The research gives us an important insight into young people’s views about information, advice and guidance provision.
“Young people identify youth workers as a valuable source of advice because of their independence and perceived impartiality. They also support peer mentors and want a service that they can trust and that responds to their individual need.
“In designing new and restructured services we need to listen to what works for young people and respond accordingly.”
For further information or to download a copy of the full report and the version for young people at: http://www.nya.org.uk/policy/research
ENDS