Please click on the link to view Question Time with Leigh Middleton, CEO of NYA.
Writing Retreat
Get your writing on track for the new year. Join St Mary's University in Twickenham for a writing retreat, either in person or online, on 17th January 10am-4pm.
St Mary's University
Waldegrave Road
Strawberry Hill
Twickenham
TW1 4SX
Transport: Strawberry Hill (5 mins walk)
Twickenham station (15 mins walk)
Buses: 33 from Richmond
Metered parking is available on site
Meeting at reception
Zoom link: https://stmarys.zoom.us/j/89696979863
Meeting ID: 896 9697 9863
If you are interested, please RSVP by texting/WhatsApp 07801478525
Please bring yourself and a writing resolution for the new year.
Annual Conference 2024 - Reclaiming the Political Agenda: A Call for Action?
Reclaiming the Political Agenda: A Call for Action?
26th-28th June, Wrexham University (with some online aspects)
Introduction
Youth and Community Work is multi-faceted, its meaning and purpose often debated, and perhaps, unclear to those outside of the field. Various models of Youth and Community Work exist ranging from a focus on the provision of leisure and diversionary activities which frame young people as a problem, to other more ‘radical’ models that seek the participation and empowerment of young people to challenge social inequality and work towards social justice. The history of Youth and Community Work is steeped in 200 years of British social, political, and economic contexts, the impact of austerity over the last 13 years has cemented the neoliberal agendas at play since 1979. More recently Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic have shown that the political voice of young people is not listened to, and the extent to which the diverse range of young people’s voices are represented in Youth Participation is questionable. As Youth and Community Work educators how do we ensure that practice education is rooted in empowerment and participation against a backdrop of neoliberalism and austerity? How do we reclaim the political agenda in Youth and Community Work education to ensure that young people are heard in society?
This year, the TAGPALYCW conference aims to place politics firmly on the agenda as we debate and discuss the role of politics in Youth and Community Work education. Are we agents of social control or are we agents of social change? How do we ensure that Youth and Community Work focuses on the political aspect of practice to bring about social justice. As anti-oppressive practitioners, we are committed to addressing oppressive structures in society but to what extent does this happen in educational settings and practice; and what is the role in Youth and Community Work education in making it so? We are inviting contributions from members, students and practitioners to share and debate whether we need to ‘Reclaim the political agenda in Youth and Community Work’, with a focus on action and next steps.
Bera Youth Studies and Informal Education Special Interest Group
For our members who attended the ‘hot topic’ session back at the conference in 2019, we are now excited to share the special issue published in Educational Review: Youth Activism, Climate Change and Education. Edited by Ian McGimpsey, David Rousell and Frances Howard, this special issue contains 7 excellent articles, which offer transnational perspectives on the problematic of climate change education.
We are thinking of having some other events in the coming year, possibly in conjunction with TAGPALYCW members and wanted to gauge your interest.
Challenging heteronormativity in and through youth work
While LGBTQ+ youth work has a long history, the quality of these services, their impact, and the views of workers remains under researched (Formby, 2013). Research and practice has also primarily focused on work with LGBTQ+ youth, rather than on interrupting heteronormativity more generally (Seal, 2019). Formby (2013) found that while challenging blatant discrimination, many workers also display heteronormative assumptions in other areas such as adoption and the family. There are no doubt excellent examples of youth work practice and research in this area that we can draw on and share.
Neurodiversity and Youth Work
Does youth work, which often emphasises spontaneity, association and working in the moment, work for all neurodiverse young people. As Friel et al (2019) said in their conference proceedings for Community Youth Work Practice and Autism Spectrum Conditions - ‘Our practice must go beyond traditional approaches to strive for opportunities that aim towards optimal well-being. We must challenge the deficit approach, the myth of ‘the normal’ - the average- in our understanding of inclusion and participation. The youth service in its broadest sense should look more holistically in terms of actively reaching out to and engaging the diversity of young people in their communities’.
Both of these events aim to draw in practitioners and academics, looking at any sharing ideas and research. Could you email us with ideas of people and projects we could contact and how we could frame these events. We will put out a call for them in due course. We are also keen to develop publications from them.
Any ideas, or interest, please email Mike Seal: national.officer@tagpalycw.org
Writing Retreat
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a four-day writing retreat, spaced over four months and hosted at different locations (the University of Wolverhampton, University of Derby and Nottingham Trent University). This retreat is designed to provide a supportive and focused environment for Association members to work on your writing projects, at whichever level you are at. During the retreat, participants will have the opportunity to attend informal workshops on topics such as ‘starting to plan research’, ‘writing ethics proposals’ or ‘effective peer review’. There will also be plenty of time for independent writing and socialising.
The retreat will start at the University of Wolverhampton on the 27th and 28th of March. It will then be followed by a session at the University of Derby (date TBC) and a session at Nottingham Trent University (date TBC).
This writing retreat will be hybrid so people can join in person and online. Tea and coffee will be provided, but not food or accommodation, which will need to be covered by attendees.
We hope you will consider joining us for this unique opportunity to focus on your writing and make progress on your projects. If you are interested in participating, please email paula.smallcombe@tagpalycw.org to register by 15th March .
Formally Informal: Pedagogy, Community and Practice
7-9th June, University of Derby (with some Online aspects)
Members (In-person)
3 days £350 (EB £280)
1st day £125 (EB £100)
2nd day £200 (EB £180)
3rd day £125 (EB £100)
Non-Members
3 days £500
1st day £175
2nd day £300
3rd day £175
Members (Online)
3 days £150 (EB £120)
1st day Not Available
2nd day £100 (EB £80)
3rd day £70 (EB £56)
N.B.
Online attendance is not available for non-members
The price does not include accommodation, lists will be made available. We are trying to secure a hotel with a discount.
There is an early bird discount of 20% (in brackets) if booked before the 31st of March.
A few parting thoughts from our National Officer
APPG Youth Affairs Publishes Interim Report of Progress since 2019 Inquiry
Call for contributors to the Association's Annual Conference (11-12 Nov. 2021)
Announcing the departure of our National Officer
National Youth Sector Census - Deadline extended to 16th July
As the national body for youth work in England, the NYA is undertaking a national census of all youth provision and out of school activities. This is the first time such an ambitious project has been attempted and will act as a baseline of data to support future decision making about support for young people in England.
World Café: Opening Spaces for Community, Collaboration, and Conversation
Equipping youth workers to work with diverse religious communities should not be left to chance
'Yellow' Youth Work Guidance for 'Step 3' (England)
Latest guidance is now available from the National Youth Agency (England) on activities involving young people and youth work under step 3 of the governments roadmap. This has been badged as ‘yellow’ for the next step on the road map.
The ‘secular culture’ of youth work training: A research launch event
This new research illuminates the place of religion, faith and spirituality in JNC-recognised youth work training courses in England. The authors surveyed the leaders of 30 youth-work courses and analysed course descriptions available online, seeking to understand where religion, faith and spirituality are present and absent, and how they are perceived.
CALL FOR PAPERS to 'Ethical Issues in Community Development'
A message to members in response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic
Lecturer and External Examiner Vacancies at Birmingham City University
Educating the Informal Educator
This is a call for participants from current students and graduates of youth and community work programmes. The purpose of this study is to get the views of current students and graduates on their experience of Community & Youth Work or Community Learning & Development programmes in Higher Education.
'Building Back Better?' A call for papers
The Radical Community Work Journal is offering a space for academics, practitioners, and students to contribute to the discussion about how we, ‘build back better’ for its Summer 2021 issue. There is an open invitation for thinking and writing which is challenging, thought provoking, inspirational and rooted in real life.