Building the discipline to support youth work education

Building the discipline to support youth work education Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Conference, April 2011

Agenda n n Session Overview (10 minutes) Panelists (12 minutes each) Synopsis at 9: 30 a. m. Q & A and Discussion

Session Overview Panel Chair, Dana Fusco

Past Decade. . . n n n Attention shifted from documenting youth outcomes to development of the workforce Birth of new programs in higher education No agreed upon standards or curricular Programs housed in schools of education, human services, recreation studies, social work, extension, continuing education Language cause for confusion: youth work, youth development, youth studies, out-ofschool time, and afterschool used interchangeably

Premise We must clearly articulate the domains of knowledge and practice that inform youth work as a discipline.

This symposium. . . n Explores the questions: q q q What should be the central tenets or values of youth work education? What are theories and bodies of knowledge that are pertinent? How does new knowledge get generated, through what modes of inquiry?

On Becoming an Academic Profession Dana Fusco York College/CUNY

An academic profession is one that has exclusive powers to recruit and train new members; has exclusive powers to judge who is qualified; is responsible for regulating the quality of professional work; and is grounded in a complex body of knowledge or discipline.

Body of Knowledge (Discipline) Academic Professional Association

Forming the Discipline n n Object of study Paradigm Social connectedness Endoctrination body of knowledge

Liberal Arts • History • Mathematics • Natural Sciences • Social Sciences • Psychology Professions • Education • Nursing • Accounting • Social Work • Specialized Skills Vocations

What and who forms/informs the discipline of youth studies?

Youth Work Core Competencies Analysis of Existing Frameworks Ellen S. Gannett, Director National Institute on Out-of-School Time Wellesley College

Objectives and Purpose n Methods and findings from two recent studies (NIOST, 2009 and Vance, 2010) that analyzed existing competency frameworks for youth workers in terms of: v v v Content Structure System Level Uses

Process n Data collected from: q Literature Review q Lessons from Career Pathways Project and Next Generation Youth Work Surveys q Cross Cutting Analysis of Core Competencies q Comparison of Findings from Femi Vance’s Paper n Child Youth Care Forum (2010)

Core Competencies: What They Are, What They Can Do n n Define what professionals need to know and do to provide quality services for children and youth. Serve as framework for a career development system and higher education courses/degrees Establish common language and expectations that support the professionalization of the field. Link related fields under a common umbrella.

Audience Possible Uses Staff Professional development goal-setting and planning Tracking/documenting trainings and other professional development activities Self-evaluation Directors/ Interviewing, hiring, job descriptions, staff Administrators orientation/training, staff evaluation Professional development goal setting and planning for director Establishing salary scale based on educational achievement and/or demonstrated competency Trainers, Agencies Organizing framework for training opportunities and registry Serve as an advocacy tool for designing programming and guiding policy (regulations, guidelines, quality rating, etc) Higher Education Organizing framework for credentials, certificates and degree-granting programs

Review of Existing Frameworks n n n NIOST reviewed 14 core competency frameworks Vance reviewed 11 frameworks (5 overlapped) Summarizing background, content and purpose of each framework

Significance n Studies support theory that core competencies can act as a unifying tool that will help: q q q Define the emerging discipline of youth studies Bring related “sub-fields” together Articulate effective youth work practice for those inside and outside the field

Future Work n Pilot and review phase of the NAA Nationally Recognized Core Competences for afterschool and Youth Development Professionals (Jan – June 2010) n NAA Board Adoption (Fall 2010)

Content Analysis - Agreement n n n Curriculum Professionalism Family Health, Safety, and Nutrition Child and Adolescent Development Cross-cultural Competence Guidance Professional Development Program Management Community Environment Common = appears in 8 or more } Common Core Competency Areas

Lessons Learned from a Decade of Educating Youth Workers at an Urban Community College Pete Watkins Community College of Philadelphia Department of Psychology, Education and Human Services

If we build a discipline, will students come? At Community College of Philadelphia, we created a Youth Work Certificate and they came.

History n In 1999, two youth service ‘intermediaries’ approached the college q q n n Pennsylvania Council of Children Youth and Family Services Federation of Neighborhood Centers Part of movement to professionalize the field Received a three year grant from local foundation for start-up phase

Who enrolls… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. College age students looking for their first career Mid life career changers with prior college Mid life career changers without prior college Front line (non degreed) youth workers looking to advance Degreed youth workers (case managers, social workers)

The Curriculum n Focuses on skills and knowledge needed to work with youth across a variety of settings q q q Positive youth development approach Strategies for understanding and dealing with mental health issues, abuse and neglect Engaging families

Successes n n Over 150 student have completed all three courses (and even more have taken youth work courses as electives) Students have transferred to baccalaureate and master’s programs Program audit showed high levels of student satisfaction, success in transfer and success in finding employment Attracted new talent to the profession

Students report that the program… n n n Helped them to think of youth work as a profession, a career path rather than a temporary job Helps them to understand young people better Work more effectively with youth Get along better with their own children and youth in their neighborhood Small program/personal attention

Keys to success n n n Defined youth work broadly Hired experienced youth workers to teach courses Transferable to other degrees Already had human services program at CCP Had outside funding for start up phase Support from College administration (e. g. converted my position to tenure track when grant ended)

Challenges n n Getting youth workers to go ‘back to school’ Academic preparation of incoming students q n n Placement test and remedial English courses likely deters many students/ youth workers from enrolling Retaining students with busy complicated lives Getting youth serving agencies to give employees tuition reimbursement and release time to attend college Getting agencies to recognize certificate ($$) Balancing vocational mission with transfer mission q Officially designated by state as vocational program but majority of students transfer

Overall n If you are a college, consider offering youth work q q n As a certificate As electives within an existing program If you are a youth serving agency, consider a local 2 or 4 yr college as a valuable partner in upgrading your workforce

Building an Informed Curriculum Ross Ve. Lure Roholt University of Minnesota

Building an Informed Curriculum n n n Who determines the players in designing education and preparation programs for future youth studies and youth work professorate? What is the curriculum for youth studies/ youth work faculty (e. g. what can we expect them to know and know how to do? )? Do we still need youth as a field-forming category? Who determines what is faculty? Is a youth studies/ youth work faculty necessary?

Building an Informed Curriculum n n Who are youth? Why are we concerned? What should we do? How should we do it?

Putting our Questions at the Center: Practitioner Research as Field-building Enterprise Sara Hill Consulting