What difference does professionalising youth work make for practice ?
Professionalising youth work may lead
to a higher level of competencies on behalf of youth workers and also to the ability to identify and define these competencies, criteria, values, qualities and background.
Positive: having a structure, not only improvising; more skilled youth workers for greater effect on the life of the young; the policy maker is pushed to provide continuous funding to youth work
Negative: much paper work, burocreacy, less time for the relation with young people
Making things professional: avoiding the misuse of skills by youth workers which are not yet professional youth workers
Make the results more predictable, the added value – important for the society