International Statement on Youth

Policy Issue

IFSW considers it necessary to re-evaluate the contribution social workers can make in the areas of policy-making, development of programmes implementation, and evaluation of services for young people. IFSW recognises that social workers have a contribution to make, not only in directly assisting young people, but also in identifying and suggesting remedies for problems faced by them. Many such problems are, of course, linked with wider social, economic and developmental issues facing all societies and their populations. Policies, therefore, which explicitly inhibit social workers from engaging in work which aims to change the structural conditions hampering the development of young people, should be challenged professionally in the interests of this special population group.

Background

As defined by the United Nations, "Youth" refers to the population sector ranging from the age of 15 to 24 years. It is estimated that at least 50% of the world's population belongs to the "children" and "youth" categories.

Against a general background of 10.000 deaths per day due to hunger, 30% of the population enjoying 80% of the world's resources, and a widening gap between the rich and poor, it should be noted that almost two thirds of the world's children and young people live in rural areas. Here 80% of the population have no access to health services, and 85% are without adequate supplies for safe water and waste disposal. Furthermore, large numbers of young people are out of school: in 1975 there were more school age children and young people out of school than in school, (375 million against 350 million). Since then the situation has continued to deteriorate. Educational problems are compounded by a shortage of well-trained teachers and teaching materials, as well as irrelevant curricula, which abet the tendency of children to drop out from school.

Problems of poverty are associated, in the case of youth, with unemployment, lack of education, prostitution, exploitation in employment, drug and solvent abuse, juvenile delinquency, and health and nutrition problems. Within and between societies these phenomena are also associated with the unequal distribution of wealth and resources. Culturally, young people have experienced particularly acutely tensions of attitudes, values and ideology, mediated through institutions, media, religious, commercial, political and civic organisations. Certain health conditions such as chronic ill health and handicap have special significance for young people, as may problems of mental impairment. Similarly, psychological difficulties can emerge in response to social and economic pressures, adding to other stresses of teenage years. Some of the consequences of increased sexual activity are seen in increased numbers of teenage pregnancies, abortions, and sexually transmitted diseases. Often only limited information is available to young people on sexual issues. Furthermore, the participation of young people in decision making on matters that affect their own welfare is uneven within and between states.

Policy Statement

This policy statement endorses the general development and implementation of policies aimed at strengthening young peoples' participation in policy formulation, the development of programmes of action, and implementation and assessment of such programmes.

IFSW believes that it is important for governments and agencies to systematically review the position of young people, as of other groups, at periodic intervals in order to identify problems, evaluate the results of previous policies and activities, and select logical points on which to concentrate.
A general model could include assessment of the content of programmes
(in relation to the problems tackled); the methods of service delivery and implementation (in relation to reaching the target groups, and whether strategies and approaches are appropriate); and resource utilisation, considered in terms of cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness (including the mobilisation of local and indigenous resources and people).

IFSW suggests that principles to be fostered by such programmes and subsequently appraised, include:

Ensuring that young people are active participants in formulating programmes, rather than passive recipients. This requires the use of a "bottom-up" and "top-down" model of planning. Decision-making should be geared towards planned social change, which will include enhancing the power of those currently powerless. Co-ordination efforts should be made among agencies, from the planning stages right through to the evaluation of programmes, and with a focus upon the needs of young people themselves.

IFSW believes that social workers can help develop a wider under-standing of how economic scarcity, and even a basic shortage of food, can be precipitating factors for social problems affecting youth in particular. Similarly, an understanding can be promoted of how well planned and implemented agrarian reform can help eradicate rural poverty. The negative side of much present modernisation and urbanisation is also perceived directly by social workers; and they have a responsibility to articulate the links between economic processes and the problems of youth.

IFSW recommends that wherever possible youth services should be provided as a special part of mainstream services, recognising that particular groups require additional specific services. Services for young people should be provided with the same guarantees regarding confidentiality as for adult groups. Workers in services for young people should recognise the importance of linkage with other services, for example, with teachers, school counsellors, refugee workers etc.

IFSW suggests that objectives of programmes aiming to meet the needs of youth should include: Strengthening family life and relationships, and encouraging parental participation in programmes; promoting productive employment opportunities and self-employment; improving general education and specific education on youth issues; maintaining services and facilities that cater for youth, and reappraising their effectiveness.

IFSW believes that the above programmes should be geared towards the needs of emotionally disturbed, physically handicapped, socially and economically deprived youth, including those discharged from psychiatric or other health facilities, young offenders, those at risk of delinquency, mendicants, street boys and girls, and those dependent on drugs or other addictive substances.

IFSW proposes that an appraisal of programmes and their effectiveness be undertaken in respect of the following types of activity in the social services sector: Family support activities; preventive, habilitative, interceptive and rehabilitative facilities; youth participation activities; social services in occupational settings; preventive, youth placement, and youth advocacy schemes; substitute family care provision; detention and rehabilitation centres; lodging facilities; and the use of volunteers.

IFSW recommends in the employment sector the establishment and appraisal of resources such as: Centres for working youth; "Schools in factories" and "Schools in farms"; working youth co-operatives; and self employment for youth.

IFSW recommends in the justice and penal system that:
The numbers of juveniles going through the formal system should be identified, and reduced by diversion or interception; the number of special juvenile units in police organisations should be evaluated, and appropriately increased; detention facilities which cater exclusively for youth should be developed; measures to integrate the juvenile/minor offender with the rest of society should be strengthened; proposals should be formulated for decriminalising certain prohibited acts such as vagrancy and the violations of local laws, where no victims are involved.

IFSW observers that against a background that includes lack of formal education and unemployment for a substantial minority of youth, all young people are exposed to values, lifestyles and culture which may be harmful to their development. Mobilisation and organisation of young people should be encouraged in order to help achieve their potential. This could include:
Promoting non-formal education programmes, based on the needs of young people, rather than commercial considerations; and working to enhance the preservation and promotion of indigenous culture and values where these are regarded as positive for young people.

IFSW notes that as the group of people we have called "youth" or "young people" is necessarily transitory in its identity, it is important to bear in mind that today's policies for youth represent policies not just for today but for the future.