Podcast 008: How do I become a youth worker?
Help us keep the podcast going by donating a few dollars to the running costs. How to become a youth worker Our podcast this week is an audio version of our blog post “How do I become a youth worker“? Over the years we have had hundreds of people speak to us, email us, message us on Facebook and […]
Podcast Episode 007: Career Development
To support the podcast, donate here! One of the biggest concerns youth workers have about the job is the lack of opportunity to move up the pecking order. Most youth work agencies are rather small or they are a niche within a larger service such as health organisations, education or larger non government conglomerates. This […]
Podcast 006: What is Youth Work Part Two
To support the podcast, donate here! What is Youth Work? In our previous cast “What is Youth Work – 002” we looked at the broadest overview of youth work. We spoke to the most broad understanding of the youth sector and the term youth work that is surrounding the sector. We also looked at the […]
Podcast 005: Who is Ultimate Youth Worker?
To support the podcast, donate here! Who is Ultimate Youth Worker? Today’s podcast is a quick one to answer some of the questions people have about Ultimate Youth Worker as an organisation. Youth work is a tough gig. Its probably why you have joined with over 1000 youth workers from all over the world who […]
How do I become a youth worker: Start here.
I want to become a youth worker Over the years I have had hundreds of people speak to me, email me, message me on Facebook even get their parents to reach out with the basic intent of asking the best way to become a youth worker. Honestly I get asked this question so much that I have […]
BREXIT and youth work
Brexit has come So last week saw Britain vote to leave the European Union. The Brexit referendum saw an unprecedented youth voice get quashed by the roar of the elderly seeking a return to a Great Britain of old and Baby Boomers who are worried that their pensions are being sent oversees. Throughout the campaigns […]
Why you should support external supervision
Over a career spanning 15 years I have seen some abysmal youth work management. For the most part it is a pure lack of training and support rather than some misguided sense of grandiosity which leads to this management. When times get tough a manager in this situation turns to their base behavioural types rather […]
Keeping motivation in youth work
Life is tough, and so is youth work. Keeping motivation can be difficult. From the outside most people only see the coffees, conversations and if everything goes well a young person who appears to be well rounded. What they don’t see is the hours of paperwork, the phone calls, the parent meetings, the heartache and tears. When all of this gets mixed together with the trauma our young people experience and the lack of structured support from our organisations we come up against vicarious trauma. When this happens it is really hard to stay motivated.
Youth work and politics
Politics is great One of my favourite questions for youth work students is how much they love politics. It asks them if one wall is ‘I hate politics with a fiery passion’ and the opposite wall is ‘I love everything about politics’ where do you stand on the continuum? Most students herd themselves down the […]
Youth work and your family
Family comes first Over the past few weeks I have been reflecting on the pressures youth workers face because of the job. We have high rates of psychological distress, we deal daily with vicarious trauma, our jobs are often at the mercy of government whim and to top it of we work long crazy hours. […]