Participation is fuelled and carried by young people’s engagement and will to take on responsibility. For some young people this comes naturally, for some it doesn’t. Some have not yet found anything that awakes their engagement, others feel that they do not fit into the contexts where their interests are executed, yet others do not have the self-confidence to take the first step. Many of those are the ones that need youth work the most and have most to benefit from it, but if nothing is done, they will not take part. This is why youth works ability to stimulate and support young people is crucial.
Youth work should stimulate through showing new possibilities and to constructively challenge young people and broaden their horizons regarding what they can do and achieve.
To support might mean to help young people in achieving the knowledge and skills they need in order to carry out activities that match their interests or that they feel that they need in order to develop themselves. Support might also mean assisting young people in getting access to facilities, equipment or contacts needed in order to run youth work activities or to make their voices heard.
It is, however, important to remember that support always should be guided by youth work’s over-arching aim to contribute to young people’s learning and personal development, hence not doing things for young people that they are better off if they can do them by themselves. ‘Curling’ young people will not support neither personal development, nor autonomy. It is when activities are based on and require young people’s active engagement and responsibility that they will contribute the most, both to young people themselves and to society.
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