The UK National Youth Work Curriculum - Democratic Challenges from Finland
Kiilakoski, Tomi and Ord, Jon (2025) The UK National Youth Work Curriculum - Democratic Challenges from Finland. BERA Journal of Curriculum.
|
Text
The UK National Youth Work Curriculum - Democratic Challenges from Finland.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (386kB) | Preview |
|
|
Text
The UK National Youth Work Curriculum—Democratic challenges from Finland.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (308kB) | Preview |
Abstract
This paper compares the only two countries - the UK and Finland - that have systematically applied the concept of curriculum to youth work on the national level. It begins by charting the development of a curriculum in youth work in England which has culminated in the production of the new UK government’s Department for Culture Media & Sport funded 'National Curriculum for Youth Work' produced by the NYA in 2020. Whilst this entails a shift for youth work in England and removes an element of democracy for local youth workers to agree and establish their own priorities, it does provide a clear policy direction for a beleaguered youth sector. The paper then discusses the published findings of a 10-year action research project led by the Finnish Youth Research Society which has worked with local youth workers and managers in a variety of municipal youth work organisations (N= 6) to establish local youth work curricula. The model has been utilised in 26 municipalities since. The Finnish experience provides a marked contrast to UK youth work curriculum, as they argue their approach is a more authentic method of establishing a youth work curriculum. The documents produced are a clear representations of youth work practice and they contrast with the top-down national curriculum framework. Whilst the UK model may be a positive response to the policy challenges facing youth workers in the UK – the Finnish experience raises questions of the currency within, and ownership by the field of any youth work curriculum.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | autonomy, curriculum democracy, policy, youth work |
| Depositing User: | Ms Raisa Burton |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jan 2025 12:40 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Jan 2025 14:49 |
| URI: | https://marjon.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/17922 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Edit Item |
