Conference calls for government to professionalise youth work
THE GOVERNMENTis not doing enough to ensure that issues affecting young people are prioritised, and that legislation to professionalise youth work should be implemented.
This was the consensus of delegates taking part in discussions on the professional recognition of youth work at the second Commonwealth Conference on Youth Work in Pretoria yesterday.
Professionalising youth work would include legislation that focused exclusively on developing youth and greater formal recognition for professionals working in youth empowerment.
Some delegates were concerned about the lack of government representatives as panellists during discussions.
However, Dr Shantelle Weber of Stellenbosch University said the conference could be important in outlining issues faced by young people and to guide government policy.
“In South Africa we have looked at different forms of youth development and we have different contexts. We have rural and urban areas, so bringing those two aspects together is a challenge.”
Weber said that more lobbying needed to be done for youth development, and this should include the private and public sector. She added that there was general frustration from young people towards policies and university structures, which led to student protests.
“If we do not professionalise youth work then we are doing an injustice to these young people,” said Weber.
One Commonwealth country that has introduced legislation on youth work is Malta. Miriam Teuma, a lecturer from the University of Malta, said steps were taken to professionalise youth work in the early 1990s.
“The first step was offering a degree in youth and community studies at the University of Malta. After those students graduated there was a need for government to introduce policies focused on youth work, which they did,’’ she said.
Teuma added that active lobbying from youth associations assisted with professionalising youth work, and she encouraged delegates from South Africa to do the same.