Thinking that things are done faster, smother and better if you do them yourself is quite common, and at the same time it is one of the worst traps that a youth worker could fall into. In order to avoid this youth workers must understand why it is crucial that young people are engaged in all stages of the youth work process, and how damaging it is when short term “efficiency” is put before young people’s participation and learning.
This is also why youth workers must be able to help young people to gain the knowledge and skills they need in order to participate, instead of carrying out different tasks by themselves.