With Youth work being one of the key interventions used to advance the development of young people, through this study, the researcher takes a closer look at how Youth work can be enhanced to ensure its maximised contribution to empowerment and development of young people. On that basis, the researcher investigates the perceptions, attitudes, and opinions of social service professionals towards emergence and future status of Youth work practice in South Africa. This is essential, given that policy directions ought to be guided by rational, fact-based information. The researcher used two-phased sequential mixed methods research approach, which combines qualitative and quantitative methods in sequence, to explore the research phenomenon. Qualitative data was gathered from four (4) focus groups, conducted in each of the selected South Africa’s provinces. Quantitative data was gathered from five hundred and ninety-three (593) respondents who completed a measuring instrument. Some of the key empirical findings suggested that the social development factors compared to human resources and diversion factors are key drivers behind emergence of Youth work. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that interventions primarily and consequently enhance the social functioning of young people. On the current status of Youth work, a significant majority of respondents indicated that Youth work is the responsibility of a multi-disciplinary team. The evidence also pointed to Youth workers being more skilled than Social workers and Child youth care workers in rendering services to the youth. Additionally, the findings showed that the involvement of social service professionals in Youth work was mainly in collaborating with other professionals when rendering Youth work services, and also in direct service delivery. Their involvement in policy development was to no extent. This was associated with a limited number of Youth workers in the public sector. The findings on perceptions of social service professionals regarding the future status of Youth work showed that 75% of the respondents believe that Youth work should become an area of specialisation for Social work and/or Child and youth care work; followed by 17% who are of the opinion that it should remain as an occupation; whilst only 8% said it should be an autonomous profession. Additionally, an overwhelming majority of the respondents agreed with all statements which were listed as advantages or benefits of having Youth work recognised as an area of specialisation or a profession. On the basis of these findings, the researcher recommended that young people’s problems and aspirations should be addressed within their social contexts; there is a need to ensure that interventions primarily enhance the social functioning of young people; there is a need to have Youth work as an area of specialisation for Social work and/or Child and youth care work; and there is a need to create additional capacity to provide services to the youth, especially in government as a policy making structure. It is essential to note that the support for specialisation supports South Africa’s approach to mainstreaming youth development across various sectors. It could also be seen as a clear indication of the positive role and value placed on Youth work, and the potential contribution it might have should it become an area of specialisation for Social work and/or Child and youth care work. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

There is a growing concerns about reconstructing youth policy in many parts of the world in reflection to the issue on youth. Especially, in the post industrialized countries such as Sweden and Japan, young people's participation became one of the prioritized theme of national youth policy. Despite the implementation of youth policy and local practices in regards to youth participation in both of the countries, there is a clear difference in young people's notion and behavior in participation into society. The paper attempted to answer a question: what is the factor that shapes young people's different notion on participation? This qualitative study had investigated modern national youth policy documents in Sweden and Japan with focus on youth participation. Thematic contents analysis was employed as a methodology of this research in order to conduct comparative analysis. To grab context of youth participation in the respective countries, key concepts: youth participation and youth policy as well as historical development of youth policy in each countries were described. Analysis with self-organized framework found that the two countries shares several commonalities in youth policy such as rights perspectives, cross sectorial approach, social inclusion of risky young people and promotion of independence. However, policies in reality for participation of young people are implemented in differently, which reflects different recognition on youth participation in the contexts of the respective countries.

Through the small-scale and imaginative application of a Speculative Institutional Ethnographical study, fictionalised stories have been created based upon observations in the field at three different Youth Care Home Facilities in Sweden. The locations and characters in these stories are composite narratives comprised of actual details from multiple real life places and people, amalgamated to form fictionalised narratives so as to protect the anonymity of real life people. The researcher’s primary motivation with the research is to develop a better understanding of the way in which individual differences between staff members working at these facilities impact their decision making in an environment which is supposedly value-neutral. It is argued that a multitude of factors will influence staff members perceptions of youths at these homes and that a degree of bias or partiality is unavoidable. An awareness of this and a development of critical reflexivity is encouraged. Through drawing data from real life observations in the field to create credible, realistic fictionalised stories, the research project is combining academic and creative writing processes in an innovative and progressive way. The goal of the research is not to prove or disprove a specific hypothesis but rather to explore an issue and develop a better understanding of the complexity and nuances of working at a Youth Care Home facility in view of Intersectional Gender Studies.

The presented work deals with social-pedagogy approaches in the issue-based youth work centres. The first part attends to the analysis of the idea {\clqq}unattached youth``. It takes aspect of the lifestyle sociology, the social education and the developmental psychology. The viewed group of the unattached youth is presented as a group of the adolescents; they have problems with the coping strategies in the post-modern society. The second part of the work takes their problems as a starting-point for the next reflec-tion. It determines criteria of the effective youth work dealing with the unattached youth. Finally the third applied part evaluates the four current types of the issue-based youth work: the German open youth work (Offene Kinder- und Jugendarbeit), the British youth work, the Czech issue-based youth work centres and the Czech open youth centres. The evaluation is focused on the criteria of the effective youth work dealing with the unat-tached youth; we derived in the second part. Overall the main aim of this work is to point out the effective issue-based youth work has to take into account the social and developmental needs of the target group.

Text in Afrikaans / Aanduidings bestaan dat jongmense na twaalf jaar van kategetiese onderrig steeds slegs 'n opperviakkige kennis, begrip van en insig in skrifwaarhede het. Hierdie probleem moet deur die praktiese teologie aangespreek word, want kategetiese onderrig is 'n kommunikatiewe handeling in diens van die evangelie. Die praktiese teologie kan 'n bydrae lewer deur die polivorme en polivalente leefwereld van die jeugdige (as praxis) te beskryf en te verklaar, sodat tot groter insig in die geloofswereld van die jeugdige gekom kan word, maar ook wee verken waardeur die jeugdige effektief met die Evangelie bereik kan word. Onderhawige studie poog om langs beskrywend-analitiese weg ervaringsleer as aanbiedingswyse te ondersoek met die doel om te bepaal of ervaringsleer moontlikhede bied wat kan verseker dat skrifwaarhede effektief ontsluit word. Die vertrekpunt in die studie is die leerparadigmatiese en 'n konstruktivistiese benadering tot leer word gevolg. Die meriete van die benutting van ervaringsleer moet gesien word vanuit 'n prakties-teologiese vertrekpunt waar die praxis krities ondersoek is met die doel om kommunikatiewe handelinge tussen jeugwerker en jeugdige in diens van die evangelie te optimaliseer. / Indications are that youth, after twelve years of catechetical instruction, still have superficial knowledge, understanding and insight into biblical truths. This problem must be addressed within practical theology, because catechetical instruction is a communicative action in evangelical service. The practical theology can make a contribution by describing and interpreting the multifarious and multifaceted world of the youth (as praxis). In this way, greater insight can be gained into the spiritual life of the youth and ways can be explored to reach youth more effectively with the Word. This study, by means of a descriptive and analytical review of experiential learning, attempts to determine whether experiential learning could be used to effectively disclose biblical truths. The approach was based on the learning paradigm and a constructivistic view of learning. The merit of using experiential learning in youth work must be seen from a practical theology perspective where the praxis was critically examined with a view of optimising the communicative interaction between youth and youth workers. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / Thesis (M. Diac.)--Universiteit van Suid-Afrika, 2000.

Never before in living memory has the gap in mutual acceptance and understanding between generations been as large as it is now. Massive societal and cultural shifts, fuelled by changing technology, increasing rates of change, globilisation and disconnectedness, have caused a deep divide between those born in the first two-thirds of this century and those born in the latter decades. This dissertation aims to identify the causes of this divide, quantify the effects and suggest solutions. Although generally applicable to many different organisations in society, especially schools, parenting, businesses with young and old employees or those with generationally diverse target markets, this dissertation focuses specifically in application on the context of local churches. It aims to provide an understanding of the concept of a "generation gap" and practical guidelines for churches seeking to become truly multi-generational in their structures and ministries. / Practical Theology / M. Diac. (Youth Work Direction)

Die Dissertation leistet einen Beitrag zu einem maßgeblichen Diskussionsstrang der Transformationsforschung, der politische, administrative und gesellschaftliche Auswirkungen kultureller Aspekte im Vereinigungs- und Integrationsprozeß Ostdeutschlands analysiert. Am Beispiel Ost-Berliner Bezirksverwaltungen wird der Verlauf ihrer Transformation von einer "real-sozialistischen zur klassisch-(west-)europäischen Verwaltung" (Klaus König) untersucht. Im Mittelpunkt der Arbeit steht die Frage, ob Handlungsorientierungen des Personals, welches in der DDR sozialisiert wurde, den radikalen institutionellen Umbruchsprozeß überdauerten und inwieweit solche "legacies" (Hellmut Wollmann) Unterschiede zu Orientierungen des Personals in der West-Berliner Bezirksverwaltung begründen. Zu diesem Zweck rekonstruiert der Verfasser realtypische Handlungsorientierungen im DDR-Verwaltungsbereich Referat Jugendhilfe (Akten- und Dokumentenanalyse, "oral history"-Interviews) und stellt sie mit Hilfe eines fünfdimensionalen Schemas denen in der Verwaltung westdeutscher Prägung gegenüber. Anschließend werden unter Verwendung von qualitativen und quantitativen Methoden der Einstellungsforschung Orientierungen des Personals in der Sozial- und Jugendverwaltung Ost- und West-Berliner Bezirksverwaltungen vergleichend analysiert. Im resümierenden Fazit entwickelt der Verfasser Hypothesen zu (verwaltungs-)kulturellen Aspekten des Integrationsprozesses Ost-Berliner Bezirksverwaltungen und stellt sie in den Kontext des Verlaufes ostdeutscher Verwaltungstransformation. / This dissertation contributes to the important theme of discussion, analysing the transformational development of the political, administrative and sociological effects and their impact on cultural aspects, with regards to the reunification and reintegration process in East Germany. East Berlin borough administrative bodies have been used as examples to research the course of their transformation from a "socialist, to a classical (west) European administration" (Klaus König). This work centres around the question of how the personnel coped with the orientation, which in the GDR was socialist, survived the process of radical institutional change, and how far such "legacies" (Hellmut Wollmann) provide reasons for differences in the orientation of the personnel in the boroughs of West Berlin. For this reason, the author has reconstructed the typical GDR-orientations in the field of Youth-Work-Administration (Analysis of files and documents, oral-history interviews), which stand in opposition, with the help of a five dimensional scheme, to the administrative character of West Germany. A comparative analysis follows making use of qualitative and quantitative methods regarding recruitment development orientation of the personnel through a comparison of the Social and Youth-Work administrative bodies of East and West Berlin boroughs. In conclusion, the author develops hypotheses regarding (administrative-) cultural aspects of the integration process of the East Berlin borough administrations, and places these in context with the course of the East German transformation.

Can you imagine a world where no-one goes outside? Our world is under threat from human activities, from what we do, and the way we do it. This will have a huge impact on our future lives, and we need to think about how we protect places and the people, animals and plants found there. Whilst, there is a widely-recognised need to address this threat, there is a specific focus on how we can involve young people in this process. Within this, there is additional concern about how little time children and young people spend outside. My qualitative study responds to these concerns by exploring young people’s relationship with nature, and how this may be developed through the projects we offer them. The participating projects have been spread across England, from south-east to north-west, including rural, coastal and urban environments. The young people, aged between 11 and 25, were from diverse backgrounds, with a wide range of individual needs. This transdisciplinary research has used an innovative blended methodology, combining hermeneutics, (auto)ethnography and action research (HEAR) to explore the topic. I have been creative in my approach, preferring everyday language and making use of stories. I have listened to and observed people’s stories, and created new stories based on these experiences. My work emphasises the importance of communication, how we talk to and with people, and how we talk about the natural environment. Contributions to practice include the development of a new toolkit providing guidance for practitioners on how to work effectively outdoors, with young people identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities. Contributions to knowledge include a new conceptualisation of the different forms of story, and a new methodological approach (HEAR) to explore outdoor learning experiences. These outcomes are founded in young peoples’ perspectives and grounded in practice.

The thesis describes the community centres, their functioning, anchoring in the legislation of the Czech Republic, their founders and their history. Explains the method of community work. Shows who can work in the community centre. It characterizes children and youth aged 6-14 years. It describes pedagogical work with children and youth aged 6-14 in two selected community centres. More precisely in one community centre and one part of the community centre. It compares their teaching activity.

Text in Afrikaans / Aanduidings bestaan dat jongmense na twaalf jaar van kategetiese onderrig steeds slegs 'n opperviakkige kennis, begrip van en insig in skrifwaarhede het. Hierdie probleem moet deur die praktiese teologie aangespreek word, want kategetiese onderrig is 'n kommunikatiewe handeling in diens van die evangelie. Die praktiese teologie kan 'n bydrae lewer deur die polivorme en polivalente leefwereld van die jeugdige (as praxis) te beskryf en te verklaar, sodat tot groter insig in die geloofswereld van die jeugdige gekom kan word, maar ook wee verken waardeur die jeugdige effektief met die Evangelie bereik kan word. Onderhawige studie poog om langs beskrywend-analitiese weg ervaringsleer as aanbiedingswyse te ondersoek met die doel om te bepaal of ervaringsleer moontlikhede bied wat kan verseker dat skrifwaarhede effektief ontsluit word. Die vertrekpunt in die studie is die leerparadigmatiese en 'n konstruktivistiese benadering tot leer word gevolg. Die meriete van die benutting van ervaringsleer moet gesien word vanuit 'n prakties-teologiese vertrekpunt waar die praxis krities ondersoek is met die doel om kommunikatiewe handelinge tussen jeugwerker en jeugdige in diens van die evangelie te optimaliseer. / Indications are that youth, after twelve years of catechetical instruction, still have superficial knowledge, understanding and insight into biblical truths. This problem must be addressed within practical theology, because catechetical instruction is a communicative action in evangelical service. The practical theology can make a contribution by describing and interpreting the multifarious and multifaceted world of the youth (as praxis). In this way, greater insight can be gained into the spiritual life of the youth and ways can be explored to reach youth more effectively with the Word. This study, by means of a descriptive and analytical review of experiential learning, attempts to determine whether experiential learning could be used to effectively disclose biblical truths. The approach was based on the learning paradigm and a constructivistic view of learning. The merit of using experiential learning in youth work must be seen from a practical theology perspective where the praxis was critically examined with a view of optimising the communicative interaction between youth and youth workers. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / Thesis (M. Diac.)--Universiteit van Suid-Afrika, 2000.