History of Youth Work
Encyclopedia
The history of youth work goes back to the birth of the Industrial Revolution
in the 18th century, which was the first time that young men left their own homes and cottage industries to migrate
to the big town
s. The result of this migration was an emergent youth culture in urban area
s, which was responded to by the efforts of local people.
was set up by George Williams
. Williams was from London
and his goal was to create an organisation that catered for the spiritual
and emotion
al needs as well as the physical
needs of the young men that he saw around him. The delivery of Williams' work was mainly through missionaries
working on the streets of London though it wasn't long before the first hostel
was founded.
Work with young women however was seen as less important because young women's needs at this time were seen as being centred around home making, which were already (supposedly) provided for in the home. This changed in 1878 when youth work pioneer Maude Stanley developed work with young women around the Five Dials
area of London. She went on to establish the Girls Club Union.
Later that century in 1883 the Boys' Brigade
was founded by William Alexander Smith
. He was a teacher
and like Williams in 1844 his aim was to provide for the needs of young men that he worked with. His organisation was based more around the military
than the YMCA was, though it was still mainly a Christian
organisation.
Still staying within London in 1896 Lily Montagu
contacted young Jewish people from Eastern Europe
an families in the east end and set up an organisation called Children's Synagogue Services. Montagu went on to become a founder member of the National Organisation of Girls' Clubs (now called UK Youth
) and was a key figure in the development of Jewish youth work.
was founded by Robert Baden-Powell following the success of his book Aids to Scouting. His inspiration for this organisation was his experience during the Siege of Mafeking
in the Second Boer War
(1899-1902). Like Smith's Boys' Brigade, the organisation was uniformed, being heavily influenced by the military, though it has changed tremendously as a movement since that time. For the first time youth work in the UK was taken out of the streets of London as Scouting was made into a national (and before long international) organisation.
A year later in 1908 Charles Russell
began his work with young men on the streets in deprived areas of Manchester
, leading to the foundation of the National association of boys' clubs movement.
In 1910 the Girl Guides
(and later Girl Scouts
in the USA) were founded by Baden-Powell with the aid of his sister Agnes
. This was because young women were approaching Scout leaders asking if they would be able to join the organisation, and Baden-Powell responded to this but he felt having girls and boys in the same scout troops would be an unnecessary distraction for both groups.
Contemporaneous with the development of Scouting was the creation of the TUXIS
movement in Canada
. Originally developed through the YMCA
and later governed by the Boys' Work Board, the TUXIS program for boys aged 15 to 17 focused on Christian values, leadership, the outdoors, and camping. The Boys' Work Board also created the Trail Rangers program for boys aged 12 – 14. A parallel program was established for girls, called the Canadian Girls in Training
(CGIT).
Later in the 20th century concerns were raised about the number of young people not in membership of youth organisations. This led to the first (unsuccessful) attempt to register all young people in Britain in 1941.
The next approach to develop was that by art
s worker Marie Paneth in 1944. She went out onto the streets of London to address issues such as health
, family
breakdown and poverty
in war
-torn parts of the city, using a disused air raid shelter as her base. Her aim was to make good, independent citizens for a good community.
in the press about teenage delinquency led the British government to look into a national response to catering for the needs of young people. In 1960 a government report known as The Albermarle Report was released, which outlined the need for local government
agencies to take on responsibility for providing extracurricular activities for young people. Out of this the statutory sector of the youth service was born. For the first time youth centres and fully paid full time youth workers made an appearance across the whole of Britain.
Five years later the National Association of Youth Clubs (now UK Youth
) published a report called The Unattached about experimental street projects that were taking place up and down the country. It outlined the need for something more than youth centres in certain parts of the country because young people were still being excluded, and it sold tens of thousands of copies.
In 1983 a government report Young People in the 80s showed that only 3 in 10 young people were attending the youth service and placed renewed pressure on local government organisations to adopt new approaches to youth work. Out of this the youth-led youth work approach was developed, which changed the emphasis from providing activities for young people to involving young people in the planning, provision and co-ordination of their own services. This approach was fairly groundbreaking and changed the face of youth work in Britain.
information many local authorities were given the push they needed to establish quality services.
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in the 18th century, which was the first time that young men left their own homes and cottage industries to migrate
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
to the big town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
s. The result of this migration was an emergent youth culture in urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s, which was responded to by the efforts of local people.
1844-1900
In 1844 the first organisation whose sole aim was to address the needs of young men was founded. The YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
was set up by George Williams
George Williams (YMCA)
Sir George Williams , was the founder of the YMCA.Williams was born on a farm in Dulverton, Somerset, England. As a young man, he described himself as a "careless, thoughtless, godless, swearing young fellow" but eventually became a devout Christian.He went to London and worked in a draper's shop...
. Williams was from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and his goal was to create an organisation that catered for the spiritual
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
and emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
al needs as well as the physical
Body
With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...
needs of the young men that he saw around him. The delivery of Williams' work was mainly through missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
working on the streets of London though it wasn't long before the first hostel
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
was founded.
Work with young women however was seen as less important because young women's needs at this time were seen as being centred around home making, which were already (supposedly) provided for in the home. This changed in 1878 when youth work pioneer Maude Stanley developed work with young women around the Five Dials
Five Dials
Five Dials is a digital literary magazine published from London by Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Books. Edited by Craig Taylor and designed by Dean Allen, Five Dials features short fiction, essays, letters, poetry, reporting from around the world and illustrations...
area of London. She went on to establish the Girls Club Union.
Later that century in 1883 the Boys' Brigade
Boys' Brigade
For the 80s New Wave band from Canada, see Boys Brigade .The Boys' Brigade is an interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values...
was founded by William Alexander Smith
William Alexander Smith
William Alexander Smith was a U.S. Representative from the state of North Carolina.Smith was born in Warren County, North Carolina and attended the common schools. He engaged in agricultural pursuits and was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1865 following the American Civil War...
. He was a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and like Williams in 1844 his aim was to provide for the needs of young men that he worked with. His organisation was based more around the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
than the YMCA was, though it was still mainly a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
organisation.
Still staying within London in 1896 Lily Montagu
Lily Montagu
Lilian Helen "Lily" Montagu, CBE was the first woman to play a major role in Reform Judaism.She was the sixth of ten children born to Ellen Cohen Montagu and Samuel Montagu , a self-made millionaire by the age of thirty, Samuel Montagu was a wealthy banker and bullion broker, a member of the...
contacted young Jewish people from Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an families in the east end and set up an organisation called Children's Synagogue Services. Montagu went on to become a founder member of the National Organisation of Girls' Clubs (now called UK Youth
UK Youth
UK Youth is a national youth work charity supporting over 750,000 young people, 40,000 volunteers and 7,000 youth projects, groups and clubs in the United Kingdom.-UK Youth:...
) and was a key figure in the development of Jewish youth work.
1900-1950
In 1907 ScoutingScouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
was founded by Robert Baden-Powell following the success of his book Aids to Scouting. His inspiration for this organisation was his experience during the Siege of Mafeking
Siege of Mafeking
The Siege of Mafeking was the most famous British action in the Second Boer War. It took place at the town of Mafeking in South Africa over a period of 217 days, from October 1899 to May 1900, and turned Robert Baden-Powell, who went on to found the Scouting Movement, into a national hero...
in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
(1899-1902). Like Smith's Boys' Brigade, the organisation was uniformed, being heavily influenced by the military, though it has changed tremendously as a movement since that time. For the first time youth work in the UK was taken out of the streets of London as Scouting was made into a national (and before long international) organisation.
A year later in 1908 Charles Russell
Charles Russell
- People :* Charles Addison Russell , U.S. Representative from Connecticut* Charles Albert George Russell , Essex and England batman* Charles Edward Russell , American muckraking journalist, author, and activist...
began his work with young men on the streets in deprived areas of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, leading to the foundation of the National association of boys' clubs movement.
In 1910 the Girl Guides
Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...
(and later Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
in the USA) were founded by Baden-Powell with the aid of his sister Agnes
Agnes Baden-Powell
Agnes Smyth Baden-Powell was the younger sister of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, and was most noted for her work in establishing the Girl Guide movement as a female counterpart to her older brother's Scouting Movement.-Early life:Agnes was the ninth of ten children, and the third...
. This was because young women were approaching Scout leaders asking if they would be able to join the organisation, and Baden-Powell responded to this but he felt having girls and boys in the same scout troops would be an unnecessary distraction for both groups.
Contemporaneous with the development of Scouting was the creation of the TUXIS
TUXIS
TUXIS was a boys’ program similar to the Scouting movement promoted by Canadian Protestant churches. There are a number of variations of what the acronym "TUXIS" is said to stand for...
movement in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Originally developed through the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
and later governed by the Boys' Work Board, the TUXIS program for boys aged 15 to 17 focused on Christian values, leadership, the outdoors, and camping. The Boys' Work Board also created the Trail Rangers program for boys aged 12 – 14. A parallel program was established for girls, called the Canadian Girls in Training
Canadian Girls in Training
Canadian Girls in Training, or CGIT, is a church-based program for girls and young women aged 11 – 17 throughout Canada.The group was founded in 1915, as an alternative to the burgeoning Girl Guides movement. Initial support was provided by the YWCA, along with the Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian,...
(CGIT).
Later in the 20th century concerns were raised about the number of young people not in membership of youth organisations. This led to the first (unsuccessful) attempt to register all young people in Britain in 1941.
The next approach to develop was that by art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
s worker Marie Paneth in 1944. She went out onto the streets of London to address issues such as health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
, family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
breakdown and poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
in war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
-torn parts of the city, using a disused air raid shelter as her base. Her aim was to make good, independent citizens for a good community.
1950-2000
By 1959 widespread moral panicMoral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
in the press about teenage delinquency led the British government to look into a national response to catering for the needs of young people. In 1960 a government report known as The Albermarle Report was released, which outlined the need for local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
agencies to take on responsibility for providing extracurricular activities for young people. Out of this the statutory sector of the youth service was born. For the first time youth centres and fully paid full time youth workers made an appearance across the whole of Britain.
Five years later the National Association of Youth Clubs (now UK Youth
UK Youth
UK Youth is a national youth work charity supporting over 750,000 young people, 40,000 volunteers and 7,000 youth projects, groups and clubs in the United Kingdom.-UK Youth:...
) published a report called The Unattached about experimental street projects that were taking place up and down the country. It outlined the need for something more than youth centres in certain parts of the country because young people were still being excluded, and it sold tens of thousands of copies.
In 1983 a government report Young People in the 80s showed that only 3 in 10 young people were attending the youth service and placed renewed pressure on local government organisations to adopt new approaches to youth work. Out of this the youth-led youth work approach was developed, which changed the emphasis from providing activities for young people to involving young people in the planning, provision and co-ordination of their own services. This approach was fairly groundbreaking and changed the face of youth work in Britain.
2000-present
A further government report in 2001 entitled Transforming Youth Work for the first time outlined the statutory responsibility for all local government organisations to provide targeted youth work activities within their region. With targets published in 2003 set on 2001 censusUnited Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
information many local authorities were given the push they needed to establish quality services.