Learning in youth work
Contested concept in practice
Keywords:
youth work, learning, youth policy, EuropeAbstract
One of the perennial problems in youth work is defining what youth work is about. In European youth policy, youth work is defined as being non-formal and/or informal learning. In this article we ask how youth workers talk about setting learning goals and how they describe learning as both an individual and communal activity. The study data consists of 13 individual interviews and 15 group interviews. The interviews were produced as part of a practice-based study conducted in Helsinki in 2019–2020. The data referred to in this article is a sample of a larger data corpus. According to the results, youth workers set learning goals that are not always transparent to participants. The process of youth work brings about emergent results which are not based on pre-set objectives. Youth workers emphasise that young people are members of peer groups and communities. Youth work can thus be seen a social pedagogical activity which aims at supporting social relations and attachment to communities of practice.
