For me the number one reason for doing youth work is about loving the work and about being passionate about it.
I think it is important to want to challenge prejudices or wanting to see young people change, but this shouldn’t be your over-riding reason for doing youth work.
Let me explain a bit. It is important to challenge racial prejudices but to do youth work to ensure that you can change every young person to stop being racist is not a good reason. Why? Well what happens when a young person decides to say No. Do you force your opinion? Do you see where I am going with this?
The youth work I enjoy the most is detached youth work. Walking the streets. The Street is for me the best place to be. I love the fact that it is pure. No buildings to protect – you’re actually in the young people’s environment. Out on the streets, the young people have the opportunity to say, “No”. I need to re-think the way I challenge prejudices or shape a young person’s life.