Boundary Crossing Youth Work
We agree with Cooper, Gormally and Hughes, that young people are not part of a social problem. Instead we need to use our skills, insight and critical thinking to challenge neoliberalism. Through rethinking education, young people will be empowered to express their needs, and dissatisfactions creatively as democratic citizens."
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Reach Forward @ UC is a programme which takes the most disengaged pupils out of school to offer an alternative curriculum in a community based setting. This programme encompasses man of the theories raised by Rippingale (2015). The programme is based on a caring ethos, where young people are always the primary client (Sercombe, 2010). Learning takes in different contexts, and the traditional banking method of education is replaced with problem-posing education (Friere, 1996)
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​The group is jointly facilitated by a teacher and youth worker. This means that young people received the formal education required...but on youth work terms!
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The young people and workers are completely equal in this project and learn from each other
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Young people are consulted throughout the project to ensure this meets their best individual needs
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Participants receive Youth Achievement Awards, and Community Achievement Award Level 4 from Kelvin College
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The entire project is built directly round young people and where they are. This means all the work they participate in is directly geared towards them
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And it works!!!! By the end of the project all the pupils have improved their literacy and numeracy, are more active in their community and more positive about future learning
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This project has been presented at the SLC Attainment Conference, The Nurture Conference and the 2019 Youthlink Scotland Conference