What is Youth Work?

Youth work is a form of informal education – simply, learning that happens outside of school.

It is difficult to define youth work as any one way of working as one of youth work’s strengths is that it responds to young people’s needs, tailoring its services to each individual. For example, the needs of a group of young people in a town centre will likely be different to the needs of young people living across a collection of rural villages.

However, the work may appear different, but all are underpinned by the four cornerstones of youth work:


  • Participation – youth work supports young people and works with them to become partners and leaders in their own learning
  • Equality – youth work is for all young people. It recognises and promotes human rights, social justice and anti-oppressive practices – supporting and challenging young people to reflect on their understanding of themselves and their behaviour towards others
  • Education – youth work provides an opportunity to learn about themselves, others, issues they care about and society (including how to engage within their communities)
  • Empowerment – youth work helps young people develop the skills and confidence needed to make decisions and act on issues that affect their own lives, the lives of others, their communities and society

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By supporting young people at one of the most important periods of their lives they help them learn new skills, embrace their passions and develop a sense of identity and independence.”

National Youth Agency

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The Alliance believes the following values are crucial when working with young people:

  • Young people’s voice and opinion should be at the forefront of everything we do – ideally with young people involved in the creation and delivery of services.
  • Work should be based on long term, voluntary relationships with young people. For young people who do not have many – or any – trusted adults in their life, it can take time to build trust, which is fundamental in youth work relationships.
  • Youth work is asset-based, meaning youth workers focus on the strengths of young people, encouraging a positive narrative.
  • Opportunities should be provided that encourage young people to achieve and fulfil their full potential.
  • Fun! – doing things that spark joy through new opportunities, expanding horizons and practicing social skills. The importance of giving young people a place to simply be themselves should not be underestimated