3rd Edition

Youth Work Process, Product and Practice Creating an authentic curriculum in work with young people

By Jon Ord Copyright 2027
458 Pages 17 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

458 Pages 17 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Youth Work Process, Product and Practice analyses the central concerns in youth work today, detailing the essential elements of youth work practice and providing an authentic theoretical framework. Placing the role of the curriculum and the idea of practice as a process at the centre of youth work, this accessible textbook explores important aspects of practice such as choice, participation,... Read more

Introduction  Part 1: Curriculum Theory & Practice  1.The Emergence of the Youth Work Curriculum  2.The Meaning of Curriculum in Youth Work  3.Curriculum as Content  4.Curriculum as Product  5.Curriculum as Process: Young Person Centred Experience  6.Curriculum as Process: Principles of Procedure and Curriculum as Development  7.Objections to the Youth Work Curriculum  Part 2: Essential Elements of Curriculum  8.Values and Judgement  9.Participation, Power and Empowerment  10.Relationships and Group Work  11.Choice and Voluntary Participation  12.Experiential Learning not ‘Plan, Do, Review’  13.On Methods of Youth Work  Part 3: On the Process of Youth Work  14.The Problem of Outcomes  15.On Time, Measurability and Complexity  16.Process, Causality and Phronesis  17.Curriculum, Accountability and the Management of Youth Work  Part 4: Policy & Practice  18.The Policy Context of Youth Work  19.New Labour and the Legacy of Transforming Youth Work  20.The Continuing Impact of Every Child Matters  21.14 Years of Conservative Government: Austerity, Cuts and the Defence of Youth Work  22.Curriculum in a National Context: Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland  23.Developments in Curriculum in a National Context: England, Sweden and across Europe  24.Democratic Developments of the Youth Work Curriculum: Finland  Part 5: Curriculum in Context  25.The Uses of the Youth Work Curriculum  26.Theories of Youth Work: Social Education and Informal Education  27.The Contested Concept of Youth in Youth Work  28.Curriculum in its Social and Structural Context: Towards a Critical Youth Work curriculum

Biography

Jon Ord was a youth worker for many years and is now Professor of Youth Work at Plymouth Marjon University, where he teaches on the youth and community work programmes and leads an MA in Social Policy. He is the author of a number of books and articles on the theory and practice of youth work.

 

"This timely, updated third edition adds significantly to the contemporary discussions on youth work theory and practice. It is ‘must-read’ for youth work practitioners and policy makers."

Dr Mark Hammond, Community Youth Work Lead, Ulster University, Belfast


"This outstanding new edition offers a rigorous and timely exploration of youth work as curriculum, thoughtfully bridging theory, process and practice. With its critical engagement with policy, power and the complexities of outcomes, it provides an essential resource for scholars, practitioners and students seeking to understand and defend the distinctiveness of youth work."

Prof Sinéad Gormally, Professor of Community Development and Youth, University of Glasgow

“This timely new edition arrives at a pivotal moment for youth work. As the sector moves beyond the constraints of austerity and confronts new opportunities for investment, renewal and reimagining, Ord offers a rigorous and compelling examination of the ideas, values and practices that define the profession. Challenging simplistic approaches to outcomes, impact and measurement while reaffirming youth work's educational and democratic contribution, he demonstrates how youth work is continually negotiated, recreated and emergent in response to the changing realities of young people's lives. This is an important resource for practitioners, including those leading and managing youth & community work, as well as academics, activists and policy makers.”

Dr Christine Smith, Programme Director BA Hons Education Studies (Youth Work Pathway), University of Hull