A degree in Youth Work opens up a wide variety of career opportunities centred on working with children and teenagers. It also offers professional flexibility as there are a lot of sectors interlinked with working with the young. This article explores some of the main careers available with this type of degree.
Community Development Youth Worker
This position is centred on working with the youth of a certain community with the aim of empowering them and helping them establish their part in society. Community workers collaborate with teachers, social workers, police, and other institution representatives to make sure that the social integration process is done holistically. They must communicate with the members of the community, identify their needs and their wishes and find the best possible way to meet them.
Indigenous Youth Worker
Similar to the youth workers in community development, those working with indigenous communities must communicate as best as possible with the members in order to determine their specific needs. The young members often find themselves torn between modern society and that of their families. Youth workers can help them overcome cultural barriers and establish a better relationship with their families, as well as their friends and teachers.
Youth Case Worker
While youth workers in community development work with groups, caseworkers target individuals. Youth caseworkers have several cases under observation, but they work on them one by one. This enables them to get a more detailed account of the specific situations that the people they work with are dealing with. As such, they can identify very specific needs that they have and help them seek the best possible solutions. They must handle various cases of children and teenagers dealing with diverse issues. In some cases, youth caseworkers are also able to take part in engaging with other cultures through overseas placement as part of their chosen course or through volunteering upon entering the workforce.
Recreational Youth Activities Worker
In this position, the youth workers must find the best possible recreational activities for children and teenagers that can help them achieve certain goals from a project. They will be coordinated by a project manager or a team leader, who will outline these goals for them. One of the common goals that they must achieve is the participation and engagement of the youth. This is the first step of establishing a relationship with the young members of a community or a group and the youth worker can do this in a way that they can enjoy and easily respond to. Through these activities, they can also promote various youth services and programs and encourage young people to participate in them.
Youth and Family Services Officer
A caseworker dealing with families must communicate with all the members of a family and determine the issues that each of them has both individually and collectively. The role will focus on the younger members of the family and helping them get their problems across in relation to their family. This position also entails helping the family with various socio-economic problems and providing them with the proper guidance towards a better life.
Youth Housing Support Worker
Housing support workers deal with children and teenagers who are at risk of becoming homeless. They can be either case workers and handle cases individually or they can work with communities. Some positions are focused on working with young people to teach them how to take care of themselves. They learn things like how to cook, clean, set up a budget, and support themselves. Other positions are focused on getting young people to specialised homeless centers and supporting them during their stay there. Moreover, a housing support worker can help these people access various opportunities for long-term housing and get themselves on their feet.
As you can see, getting a degree in Youth Work opens up a lot of doors. The potential positions available to certificate-holders include a wide range of departments and areas of society which ultimately offers youth workers a great deal of flexibility in their job search which can lead to a fruitful and rewarding career.
