National Youthwork Week - What Youthwork means to young people

Its National Youthwork Week!

A right to youth work for all - delivering positive futures for young people. Hear from young people, what youthwork means to them.

Youth work means having a safe place for yourself and not to worry about being judged. It’s more than just activities or advice. It’s about having someone there who listens and genuinely cares about what you have to say. Youth work will help you build confidence and try things you never thought you would. It is a place where you can learn new things that actually feel relevant, like handling stress, speaking up, making better choices and being led towards the right path. It will also connect you with people your age who are going through similar things and will help ensure that you are not facing things alone. Youth work will help you feel more understood and give you more advice to deal with life now and in the future.

Why youth work is so important?

We as young people have many ideas on life and we always try to aim for our dreams because of this being able to go to a youth work is really important as it can bring people together while also having the chance to know what you would want to do in the future. Many people our age sometimes don’t even have the money to get into a job or education and being able to go to a youth work will help enhance these skills and develop them in order to be able to work in the workplace without any help. In this generation that we are in right now there is not many youth agencies anymore and because of this it has made people get stuck on their phones all the time, that’s why we need to go this places to improve ourselves into making us into a better person.

From a 17-year-old's perspective, youth work is all about helping us grow and figure out who we are. And that it is good to have someone there to guide you into the right path by building confidence and learning new skills that you will need as an adult. The youth workers are always there to listen and support you to the best of their ability. They will also encourage you in getting involved  in things that will make you feel more connected and prepared, like how to take on difficult time, deal with challenges and learning to bounce back when things go wrong. Ignite Youth is about becoming the best version of yourself.

Kaya – Aged 17    Fawad – Aged 17