Wood and Hine (youth and community development and criminology, De Montfort U., Leicester, UK) bring together 20 essays that consider working with young people in youth services, social work, and education in the UK, and theoretical, policy, and practice implications. They discuss how knowledge about youth has developed, understanding their experiences, the impact of globalization on them, ethics, anti-oppressive practice, issues of inclusion and exclusion in education, social networks, and involving young people in research. Other essays cover European policy and its impact in the UK, citizenship education, risk factors, youth justice, advice and guidance work with young people, youth services in England, work in the voluntary sector, and occupational issues. One chapter addresses community youth development in the US. Contributors work in youth services or in education, social work, sociology, and other fields at universities in the UK, Australia, and the US. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
This authoritative text is a must-read for anyone working, or training to work, with young people. It considers how theory, policy and practice intersect and influence one another in today's challenging and rapidly changing social, economic, and political contexts. Offering a timely contribution to the debate, it covers key themes and developments, including the principles that underpin work with young people, the policy and practice in a wide range of contexts, both national and international, the key concepts currently high on the policy and practice agenda, and how we understand the lives of young people, in particular investigating their 'real worlds' and understanding their social construction.
