Let’s keep up the momentum and share our evidence.
How many times have you been to a conference coming away feeling energised and excited by what you’ve learnt, the connections you’ve made and possibilities that have opened up, only for the energy to slip away once you get back to the daily grind? Even more so in a sector like youth work, where financial constraints and lack of workforce capacity means that time and space for creativity, collaboration and evaluation is often seen as a luxury we can ill afford.
The momentum generated by the Annual Youth Work Conference – jointly hosted by the National Youth Agency and the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) on 25 March – must be maintained if youth work is to be truly recognised as an essential pillar of policy in addressing youth violence and keeping children safe.
Held in the week that Netflix drama Adolescence sparked national debate around the impact of harmful online narratives on impressionable young minds and headlines such as ‘Knife crime: There is a war going on in the UK’, the urgency for those in the sector to fully grasp the evidence of youth work’s impact on young people’s outcomes was palpable.
What struck me most throughout the day was the sense of optimism and opportunity facing the sector, most notably through the forthcoming National Youth Strategy and a clear willingness from government to listen to our collective voices. It was heartening to hear Stephanie Peacock, Youth Minister, championing the ‘transformational work’ of youth work projects in her constituency, as well as her personal commitment to listening to young people about the support they want and need.
However, shaping the government’s renewed focus on prevention must be underpinned by credible data and evidence. From YEF’s evidence-based toolkit to the raft of interventions highlighted by Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, there’s a wealth of examples of effective youth work practice. But the sector must improve its consistency in evaluation and in sharing outcomes. This is essential to clearly articulate the narrative of what youth work does, why it matters, and, crucially, the return on investment. This point was made eloquently made by Bethia McNeil, formerly Executive Director of the recently closed YMCA George Williams College:
”“We’re closer to the Holy grail point – there’s evidence of what works out there, we just need common narratives and shared data and evidence.”
Bethia McNeilformerly Executive Director of the recently closed YMCA George Williams College
For our part, the NYA is working closely with government departments to help shape new youth programmes. As such it’s vital that all those delivering programmes to address youth violence, antisocial behaviour, knife crime or violence against women and girls complete their National Youth Sector Census return as soon as possible. This data will support the Home Office in scoping local youth provision as part of the Young Futures Prevention Partnerships element of the Young Futures programme.
So now, as the energy of the conference begins to fade and the scale of the challenge ahead looms, we must not lose sight of our collective power and work together cohesively to build a youth sector fit for the future. As youth workers we know our value, but we cannot be complacent about our individual responsibility to ensure that our work is both visible (via the Census map) and that wherever and however we are making a difference to young people, we ensure we are evaluating and sharing our impact.
We’ll be publishing a paper with further insights and recommendations drawn from the conference in the coming weeks. In the meantime, do carve out the time to reflect on how you can contribute to informing emerging policy and programmes based on proven interventions and measurable impacts on young people’s lives.
Leigh Middleton, OBE
Chief Executive, National Youth Agency
Find out more about the conference and review the speeches at www.nya.org.uk/annual-youth-work-conference/
