Welcome to the doyouthwork.com website brought to you by Surrey Youth Focus, an umbrella organisation for the voluntary youth sector in Surrey.
Our aim is to keep you informed about youth work and youth issues in Surrey.
You may be:
- interested in issues affecting young people
- interested in youth work as a career
- thinking about becoming a volunteer, whether a young person or parent helping out,
- an employed youth worker
- already volunteering as a youth worker
- a corporate interested in helping a local youth organisation
There are some 100,000 young people in Surrey aged 13-19, and most of these young people achieve a great deal and just want to meet their friends in safe places, have fun and do well at school and college, possibly leading on to university.
At the same time, there are some 10% of young people who are in need or at risk, and as we enter the age of austerity, life can be pretty tough for some young people.
Youth workers are needed to help young people have fun, explore relationships and personal boundaries, to grow, and to be supported when necessary.
The definition of youth work is summed up by the National Youth Agency:
“Youth work helps young people learn about themselves, others and society through activities that combine enjoyment, challenge, learning and achievement. It is a developmental process that starts in places and at times when young people themselves are ready to engage, learn and make use of it. The relationship between youth worker and young person is central to this process.”
