Ongoing Professional Development is one of the foundation pillars which underpin the Ultimate Youth Worker. However, it can be hard to gain enough GOOD development opportunities for us to grow in our abilities and careers. This can be difficult when our orginisations have such small professional development budgets, there is a shortage of worthwhile training and its hard to find the time to get away from the office. So how can we deal with these issues and still gain great develolpment??? Read a book!
So with the myriad of books out there how do you get a good one???
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Look for three great ideas
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When you come across a book in a shop dont just grab it because the title was good. Don’t grab it because you like the look of a couple of chapter headings flick through a few of the pages and find three great ideas. What you consider a great idea may not be the same as the next person but three makes sure you are getting a top read. For me its looking for three ideas I can impliment immediately in my own practice.
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Check out the most recommended books on amazon.com
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There are millions of books on amazon and at the time of this post there were 25,693 books which came up when I typed in youth work to there search engine. But don’t stop there. Read widely! Look at counselling skills, mental health, group work or any number of other areas of practice.
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Check out a reputable review of books
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If you are a team leader or a manager the guys at ManagerTools run a book review on their site. If you are in Australia the Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies has a monthly newsletter which also has a book review. If you are in Youth Ministry the crew at Youth Specialties provide regular book reviews of up to date books as well as a number of really cool resources. Here is one we recommend:
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There was a story a few years back that may have been apocryphal but why ruin a good story. Apparently George W. Bush Jr read 95 books in one year whilst President of the United States of America. Some believe this to be a bit of a fishing story however if it is even half true then one of the busiest men in the world was still able to out read most people hands down.
How is your reading collection going? I currently have six books on the go as well as a number of journals (probably about my limit whilst retaining info). My Bedside table looks like a bomb went off. My professional development is my responsibility and reading a book is the easiest and most readily available mode. It is hard to find time, money or a good book. But as our friends at Manager Tools say, reading is one of the most important things a person needs to do each week.
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Aaron Garth
Aaron Garth is the Executive Director of Ultimate Youth Worker. Aaron has worked as a youth worker in a number of settings including local church, street drug and alcohol outreach, family services, residential care, local government and youth homelessness since 2003. Aaron is a regular speaker at camps, retreats, & youth work training events and is a dedicated to seeing a more professional youth sector in Australia. Aaron is a graduate of RMIT University and an alumnus of their youth work program. He lives in Melbourne with his wife Jennifer & their daughters Hope, Zoe, Esther, Niamh and son Ezra.
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Great reminder of the importance of reading books and not just reading stuff we find on the net which while extremely useful often does not go deep enough!
I am happy to read books online free here. i recommend this to my visitors.Read book online free
Books are a fantastic resource that i wish i had grown up realising. I drugged through my undergrad hating reading. When i finished and had time to read again i couldn’t help myself, and read extensively. We as a profession need to perpetuate a habit of knowledge gathering.
Knowledge is power and we need all the political clout we can muster.
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