Developing a school-based youth work programme

Abstract

The concept of Youth Work in Malta is still at its embryonic stage. The Programme of Youth Studies, within the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta, offers a degree course in Youth Work, but Youth Work as a profession has still to be recognised by the state, by schools and by other agencies and institutions providing care and self-development. This is in contrast with countries like Great Britain and Germany, where Youth Work has a long history of development and consolidation. This dissertation makes a case for Youth Work in a school context. It attempts to formulate a definition of Youth Work for this purpose, giving it a specific form for the context. It formulates a youth work programme for the Sixth Form, taking into consideration student needs, trends, potentials and other variables. Basing this dissertation on the important psycho-social development in the transitional period that is adolescence, it argues that post-16 students are still going through many elements of growth, and the instability this may cause can be addressed through the role of the youth worker posted at the school. The programme also offers social development, which will complement the form's main focus, which is that of obtaining secondary exam qualifications. This dissertation argues that the youth worker, due to the specific training s/he has undergone, can offer invaluable opportunities to the school, different to what other educators can offer.