Where is the Love? An investigation into the

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Where is the Love?An investigation into the
professionalising of youth work using an
incarnational model.
_at_youthworkerpete

• Peter Hart
• 1st Year PhD Candidate
• School of Applied Social Sciences
• Durham University

Peter.Hart_at_dur.ac.uk
www.dur.ac.uk/peter.hart
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Youth/adult relationships.
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology
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Do adolescents need adults?
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology
Cognitive development (e.g. Piaget)
Identity development (e.g. Marcia)
Social development (e.g. attachment theory)
Moral development (e.g. Kohlberg, Aristotle)
Faith development (e.g. Fowler)
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Youth Work
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology

• Core Values of Youth Work
• Informal Education/Critical dialogue
• Voluntary participation (i.e. not compulsory or
  contract based)
• Equality of opportunity
• Respect and participation
• (See Jeffs and Smith (2010), Sapin (2007), and
  Roberts (2009))

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Adults and Adolescents. Divided spaces.
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology

• Fewer adult role models?
• Increased segregation of adults and young people.
• Increased distrust/fear between adults and young
  people
• Increase in boundaries and specific predetermined
  targets in occupations working with young people.

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Ethics in youth work
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method

• Kantian ethics

• Utilitarianism

• Morally right actions are rational in a similar
  way to scientific principles.
• Which rule should I follow to act ethically?

• Morally wright actions provide the greatest
  amount of happiness for the greatest number of
  people.
• How do I make best use of limited resources?

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Becks Risk Society
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology

• Object at risk

• Object of risk

Separated by

• Young person

• Youth workers judgement

Policies and procedures as dictated by management.
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Boundaries
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology

• Taken from http//asbojesus.wordpress.com/

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The Incarnational Method
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology

• The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into
  the neighbourhood.
• (John 114, The Message)

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The Incarnational Method
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology

• The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into
  the neighbourhood.
• (John 114, The Message)

The incarnation as a strategy of influence - By
following the example of Jesus I aim to build a
relationship that will effect the life of the
young person
The incarnation as a theological reality- I am
searching for the incarnate Jesus in the
relationship with the young person, and this
causes me to share in their joys and sufferings
See Root (2007)
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Research Aim
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology

• to explore good ethical practice in the
  developing and maintaining of the youth work
  relationship from the perspectives of youth
  workers and young people, which takes into
  account what may be different and unique about
  Christian and secular centre-based youth work.

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Research questions
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology

• What are the purposes of the youth work
  relationship, as perceived by organisation
  management, youth workers, and young people?
• What is perceived as sound ethical practice when
  building and maintaining the youth work
  relationship?
• How does organisational policy affect the youth
  work relationship?
• How do youth workers reconcile any differences
  between personal values/beliefs and organisation
  policy, with regard to the youth work
  relationship?
• Are there any commonalities, and common
  differences, between Christian-based and
  secular-based youth workers, with regard to their
  perceptions of good practice in the building and
  maintaining of the youth work relationship? Can
  good practice from each sector inform each other?

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Methodology?
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Methodology
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology
Observe Organisation
Interview chair of management committee/CEO/seni
or youth worker
Interview youth workers
Focus group with young people
x4
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Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Adult relationships professional boundaries
incarnational method - methodology
Condition Present?
Practice?
Vocation?
Bureaucracy?
Incarnational model?
Good relationship with young people?
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Selected References

• Adams, S. (1998) 'The Process of Change through
  Relationships Between Adults and Young People' in
  Ward, P., ed. Relational Youthwork, Oxford Lynx
  communications. 
• Ahmed, S., Banks, S. and Duce, C. (2007) Walking
  alongside young people Challenges and
  opportunities for faith communities, Durham
  Durham University. 
• Banks, S. (2004) Ethics, accountability and the
  social professions, Basingstoke Palgrave
  Macmillan. 
• Banks, S. (2010) Ethical issues in youth work,
  2nd ed. ed., London Routledge. 
• Batsleer, J. and Davies, B. (2010) What is youth
  work?, Exeter Learning Matters. 
• Bauman, Z. (1995) Life in fragments essays in
  postmodern morality, Oxford Blackwll. 
• Bauman, Z. (2000) Community seeking safety in
  an insecure world, Polity. 
• Beck, U. (1992) Risk society towards a new
  modernity, Theory, culture society., London
  Sage. 
• Brierley, D. (2003) Joined Up, Carlisle
  Authentic. 
• Cieslik, M. and Pollock, G. (2002) Young people
  in risk society the restructuring of youth
  identities and transitions in late modernity,
  Aldershot Ashgate. 
• Coleman, J. C. P. D. (2010) Nature of
  adolescence, 4th ed. ed., London Routledge. 
• Douglas, M. (1992) Risk and blame essays in
  cultural theory, London Routledge. 
• Fowler, J. W. (1981) Stages of faith the
  psychology of human development and the quest for
  meaning, 1st ed. ed., San Francisco Harper
  Row. 
• Freire, P. (1985) Pedagogy of the oppressed,
  Reissued. ed., Harmondsworth Penguin. 
• Holland, P. (2004) Picturing childhood the myth
  of the child in popular imagery, London I. B.
  Tauris. 
• Jaffe, M. L. (1998) Adolescence, New York
  Chichester Wiley.

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• Jeffs, T. and Smith, M. J. (2005) Informal
  education conversation, democracy and learning,
  3rd ed. ed., Nottingham Educational Heretics
  Press. 
• Jeffs, T. and Smith, M. J. (2010) Youth work
  practice, Houndmills, Basingstoke Palgrave
  Macmillan. 
• Kohlberg, L. (1969) The relations between moral
  judgement and moral action a developmental
  view, S.l. s.n.. 
• Layard, R. and Dunn, J. (2009) A good childhood
  searching for values in a competitive age,
  London Penguin. 
• Mizen, P. (2004) The changing state of youth,
  Houndmills, Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan. 
• Nash (2011) Youth Ministry, London SPCK. 
• Pidgeon, N. F., Kasperson, R. E. and Slovic, P.
  (2003) The social amplification of risk,
  Cambridge Cambridge University Press. 
• Postman, N. (1994) The disappearance of
  childhood, New York Vintage Books. 
• Quartz, a. (2003) Branded, London Arrow. 
• Ragin, C. C. and Rihoux, B. t. (2009)
  Configurational comparative methods qualitative
  comparative analysis (QCA) and related
  techniques, London SAGE. 
• Robbins, D. (2004) This Way to Youth Ministry,
  Grand Rapids Zondervan. 
• Roberts, J. M. (2009) Youth work ethics, Exeter
  Learning Matters. 
• Sapin, K. (2009) Essential Skills for Youth Work
  Practice, London SAGE. 
• Sercombe, H. (2010) Youth work ethics, London
  SAGE. 
• Ward, P. (1997) Youthwork and the mission of God
  frameworks for relational outreach, London
  S.P.C.K. 
• Yaconelli, M. (2006) Contemplative youth ministry
  practising the presence of Jesus with young
  people, London SPCK. 
• Yaconelli, M. (2007) Growing souls experiments
  in contemplative youth ministry, London SPCK.

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• Peter Hart
• 1st Year PhD Candidate
• School of Applied Social Sciences
• Durham University

_at_youthworkerpete
Peter.Hart_at_dur.ac.uk
www.dur.ac.uk/peter.hart