Engaging Youth With Social Action

Ella Cohen shows how providing opportunities for disenchanted youth to find meaning and purpose in their learning is part of a new social action initiative.

Young people aren’t just the leaders of tomorrow. They have the energy, skills and ideas to change society and the environment for the better today. Yet too often society fails to listen to young people’s views or recognise their ability to make a positive difference.

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      string(424) "... anti-social and offending behaviour.Action· Primary-level, universal strategies should improve the capacity of communities including families, local community, schools, early years education and youth activities to socialise norms of behaviour and respect for communities.· Secondary-level, targeted strategies should improve the capacity of social services, health services and ..."
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      string(5493) "ResourceMAKE ME A CRIMINAL: PREVENTING YOUTH CRIMEOriginal DocumentMake Me A Criminal: Preventing Youth Crime. This report by the Institute for Public Policy Research argues for a more therapeutic and family-based approach to youth offending, as opposed to the present more punitive system. It identifies risk and protective factors and makes a range of recommendations for both primary and secondary prevention.KeywordsCrime, antisocial behaviour, youth offending, risk factors protective factors, parenting supportSummaryThis report calls for a more therapeutic and family-based approach to youth offending, as opposed to the present more punitive system. Currently, the UK spends 11 times more on locking up young people than it does on prevention projects to stop them getting involved in crime in the first place. Main Points:· The UK does not experience significantly worse crime than other countries, but does suffer more intractable and higher levels of antisocial behaviour than other countries in Western Europe.· Social trends have changed the context in which young people develop their social and emotional skills. They have changed the amount of time children spend with adults outside school, and the kinds of activities they take part in.· British young people are being given both increasing autonomy over some areas of their lives at younger ages – their social, consumer and sexual lives – and not so much meaningful responsibility, in terms of having families, jobs, and independent living.· Adults have begun increasingly to fear and demonise young people.· Risk and protective factors:· Key risk factors for offending are:· Having a parent who is an offender, poor relations with parents and not spending much time with parents.· Disorder in the local area and lack of adult intervention in youth activities.· Lack of extracurricular activities and having little or nothing to do in the local area.· Having peers and siblings who offend.· Spending more time with peers than parents.· Truanting or being expelled from school.· Key protective factors that reduce the probability that a young person will offend include:· High levels locally of what the report terms “collective efficacy” – the willingness of adults to actively maintain local civic norms.· Engaging in positive socialising activities and having lots to do locally.· Having a good relationship with parents.· Having positive peer relationships.· Enjoying the school experience and getting a lot from it.· In addition, emotional and mental health factors are often strongly linked to anti-social and offending behaviour.Action· Primary-level, universal strategies should improve the capacity of communities including families, local community, schools, early years education and youth activities to socialise norms of behaviour and respect for communities.· Secondary-level, targeted strategies should improve the capacity of social services, health services and specialist programmes to both reach and improve the behaviour of the most at-risk groups, such as those committing anti-social behaviour, showing emotional problems, or having problems at school.· Tertiary-level reforms should improve the capacity of criminal justice system to both punish and rehabilitate offenders.· Primary prevention – universal approaches to prevent crime before it occurs:· Tackle child poverty and in-work poverty.· Better support for families to enable them to spend more time with their children and young people and to create a better work-life balance generally.· Ban corporal punishment: research suggests a causal relationship between physical punishment and increased aggressive behaviour.· Better activities for 12-18 year olds.· More supervised play areas, as proposed in the government’s Children’s Plan.· Support for collective efficacy, including a better variety of public spaces and places where people can meet.· Welfare teams – based in primary schools, comprising child psychologists, child psychiatrists, family workers, counsellors and school nurses. These teams would be available to all children and replace the role of the current education welfare officer.· Secondary prevention – approaches that focus on preventing reoffending:· A targeted programme for at-risk 5-12 year olds, offering a range of interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy and multi-systemic therapy.· Reform of ASBO legislation:  · ASBOs should not be used on children under 12 unless accompanied by family or parenting orders and Individual Support Orders (ISOs).· All children should be assessed before being given an ASBO· ASBOs for children should be scaled back to between six months and two years. · ISOs should be used to direct young people to appropriate activities in the local community as well as to direct them to treatment for any problems arising in the assessment.· Anti-Social Behaviour legislation should be reformed, so that the most-at-risk parents are targeted with tailored support and services to divert their children away from crime.· Outreach schools, based on the Canadian model, for young people who are disengaged from school. NotesAuthorRaspal Chima, Imaginative MindsDate CreatedApril 2008Enquiries to:rchima@qiis.co.uk (Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

Preventing Youth Crime

18 Apr 2008

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      string(5637) "provision for pupils deemed at risk of permanentexclusion was frequently effective, to the extent that they could be removed from the atrisk category. Overwhelmingly, trial schools were taking an increased moral and practicalresponsibility for pupils at risk of exclusion, which in turn meant that they were working toplace young people in the most appropriate provision.Supporting pupils with in-school interventionsSchools were doing a great deal to identify and support pupils at risk of exclusion. Onaverage, schools had 15 in-school interventions in place. The use of inclusion/learningsupport units increased in all schools during the trial, while the use of ‘time out’ provisiondecreased. In trial schools, at-risk pupils were likely to be in receipt of school-home liaison,behaviour management, behaviour support and a revised timetable. Support via a learningsupport unit (LSU) was adopted less in comparison schools than in trial schools.LSUs, inclusion coordinators, and revised school timetables were considered effectivein relation to preventing exclusions, improving attendance, improving attainment andimproving behaviour across all participating schools. Across trial and comparison schools,the interventions which were in place were not always those which were evaluated morepositively by schools.What AP did schools make use of?The percentage of trial schools sending pupils to spend time in another school wasstatistically significantly higher than that of comparison schools, as was the percentageof trial schools using additional services provided by the LA, such as a traveller educationsupport service or a looked-after children team. Specialist support, for instance, Child andAdolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and PRUs, remained the most common typeof AP in place in both groups of schools.Training providers, private sector organisations and work placements were all seenas effective in preventing exclusions and improving attendance. In addition, PRUs wereconsidered effective in improving behaviour and attainment, while time spent in a furthereducation (FE) college was also seen as improving attainment.The number of pupils subject to managed moves was small, but trial schools accepteda statistically significantly higher proportion of pupils as the result of managed movesand had statistically significantly fewer pupils under consideration for moving out, thancomparison schools.Case study: Combining on-site support with external provisionIn one LA, one school worked with Year 7 pupils as part of early intervention. The approach was tailored to the needsof the young people rather than based on a ‘one size fits all’ conception of providing support. Effective data gatheringand monitoring, including initial home visits by staff, ensured that the needs of the pupil were understood from theoutset. Central to the provision was a dedicated centre for pupil support which provided bespoke packages of provision,intervention, alternative curriculum and pathways, generally delivered on site. The centre had access to a range ofexternal agencies including social services, CAMHS, Youth Offending Teams and domestic abuse-related provision tosupport the entire family in engaging with education.Vol 5.1 n www.teachingtimes.comEducationEvery Child Journal32Working together to manage and monitorA range of people were involved in making the arrangements for pupils deemed at risk.Partnership working increased and processes had been made more rigorous – there wasgreater information about pupils and there were better tracking processes in place.The strengths of AP arrangements depended on collaboration (good relationshipswith the LA, other schools and providers) and the process (its efficiency and rigour, qualityassurance, and involvement of pupils and parents/carers). 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Only 309 pupilsof the original 985 (across both trial and comparison schools) were listed as at risk on bothdata collection occasions. This suggests that the interventions had been successful inimproving pupils’ behaviour in terms of their designation as being at risk.At-risk pupils were more likely to be boys, were unlikely to have achieved NationalCurriculum level 4 at the end of primary school, and had a relatively high likelihood ofbeing eligible for free school meals (FSM). A high proportion had an identified specialeducational need (SEN) usually met through School Action or School Action Plus; only asmall proportion had statements.The reasons given for pupils being designated as at risk related to factors within (poorbehaviour) and outside school. Trial schools were significantly more likely to identify thehome situation as a reason for concern than comparison"
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Inclusion

Not the end? A new approach to school exclusions

26 Mar 2015

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      string(4510) "less like disruptive forcesradically changing the way that young people behave, and more like expedients recreating thepublic spaces increasingly under threat by urbanisation and constrictive social attitudes. ■ This report presents four opposing visions of what the Class of 2035 could look like, based onthe current long term trends and drivers we predict today. At present, the UK is heading neithertowards the optimal, best case scenario nor towards the worst case, dystopian future. What ismore, the long term structural changes to UK society forecasted in this work show that, althoughsignificant changes are on the horizon, this does not impede our ability to shape a better futurefor the youth of tomorrow. It is equally possible that the developments leading us towards theClass of 2035 could veer towards the optimal or the dystopian scenario. The future is up forgrabs; the optimal future is achievable, if action is taken now. ■ To promote the optimal future a long-term and joined-up strategy is essential. This would be astrategy that not only runs across both education and health, but which also appreciates the longterm effects that positive or negative levels of activity in school will have on the future health,success and wellbeing of society. Future policies must inspire fundamental and unchanging Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.sporting values early in life, which will naturalise high levels of activity and inspireadventurous and regular participation in sport well into adulthood. A consistent approachalong a sufficiently long time-scale is critical if goverments are to steer young peopletowards the ideal future. ■ Issues around young people’s contact with new technologies are central to this report.There is no resisting the march of technology. Policymakers can feel nostalgic for a timebefore the challenges new connected technologies have brought in engaging youngpeople, or they can harness these technologies to their advantage. It will also becomeincreasingly imperative for every child to have access to new technology in school andgreater efforts made to ensure that there is little division among the tech capabilities ofyoung people. Furthermore, in order to get children active from a young age, a moreholistic approach to PE is needed, one which integrates technology and the delivery of aseamless, intuitive and digitally enhanced form of physical activity. ■ A greater effort must be made by policymakers to include the opinions of young peoplein their decision-making. Engaging with a range of young people will be essential if PEand sporting offerings are to appeal to young people in all their diversity. To make thishappen, a change of perspective is needed. Society must question or reform its attitudestowards young people and youth culture, recognise the unique challenges that the Classof 2035 will face, and respond compassionately and without prejudice. Policymakersmust abandon their preconceptions about the values and requirements of young people,and instead make a greater effort to build on their directly expressed opinions in theirpolicymaking. ■ Underlying all such policy initiatives must be a renewed focus on convincing policymakersthat the costs of increasing revenue to support young people in sport today will prove anexcellent investment compared to the scale of future health costs. Any notion that futuresport and health policy is anything other than inexorably linked must be combated. Thedebate should not be about what it will cost today to get children more active, but ratherwhat the cost will be if no action is taken. A fundamental paradigm shift in how this debateis currently played out is needed.Policy implications: ■ A longer term approach to policy development is critical. ■ Technology should be at the forefront of future sport engagement strategies. ■ The broad benefits of sport needs to be better recognised within the school curriculum. ■ Invest today for a more active future.WEB LINKThe Class Of 2035: Promoting A Brighter And More Active Future For The Youth OfTomorrowhttp://www.youthsporttrust.org/media/24072132/the_class_of_2035_report.pdfhttp://www.youthsporttrust.org/media/24072132/the_class_of_2035_report.pdf"
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Leadership

The Class Of 2035: Promoting A Brighter And More Active Future For The Youth Of Tomorrow

24 Jun 2015

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      string(342) "... cant – dem, bait, preeing, binty, akhi [brother]… it’s like Belter dialect in The Expanse [a sci-fi novel series]… [It’s] the voice of youth counterculture and revolution for an underclass.’ Like the ghetto culture in the US, jihadi is cool, violent, rejecting the mainstream but, weirdly, still engaging ..."
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      string(5630) "Like ghetto culture in the US, jihadism is cool, violent, rebellious and gives young people an identity. What can schools do to combat the lure?One of the cries coming from heads at the recent NAHT conference was to make Religious Education (RE) compulsory. ‘If it’s laughable that we would withdraw our children from English or science, why is it ok to withdraw from RE?’ asked the head of a Trojan Horse school in Birmingham. Allowing Muslim children to be withdrawn from RE and exposure to other value systems and ideas makes them more vulnerable to grooming and radicalisation, she added. It’s not helpful that moral, social and spiritual education is increasingly bundled under RE, rather than citizenship – RE is a term likely to frighten the more devout Muslim parents. Making it compulsory could speed up the exodus from state schools into Islamic ‘free’ schools and do the opposite of what was intended. ISIS supporters: More than just weak-minded followers?Furthermore, RE itself doesn’t seem to have stopped the propagation of ‘un- British’ values among some sections of Muslim youth, and of overt support for ISIS or other extreme forms of Jihadist Islam among its ‘outliers’. It’s not surprising. Simple teaching and exposure to other value systems in school is contending with family and temple ideologies. Those who monitor these things have been surprised, for example, at the level of support among Salafi temples – the majority and ‘moderate’ doctrinal allegiance of UK Muslim temples – for the Pakistani assassin who murdered an elected minister for his support of the reform of the country’s draconian Blasphemy Law. ‘Ah well, it’s only a few of the vulnerable children that become prey to this extremist thinking,’ it is often said. But this is completely contentious. We don’t know how many are silently following non-democratic, non-mainstream views. The idea that it is the weak-minded who are most attracted to ISIS or other violent Jihadist groups is also questionable as a global truth. Many of those actually found guilty of the more sophisticated plots in the UK are well-educated and middle class. Many are rejecting the more accommodating values of their parents. A surprisingly high number seem to be studying towards becoming doctors. Maybe, and this has to be a serious concern, it is the most idealistic and strong-minded – those capable of critical thought – that are attracted to taking action against the Western system of rule by proxy and of the hypocritical value system that upholds unjust regimes in the Middle East. No matter how few of these actually defect, they will be the thought leaders of the most idealistic of their generation and be far more influential than their visible numbers might suggest. Cool, violent and rebellious – the teenage dream?The clever ISIS propaganda is aimed directly at mobilising the idealism and disgruntlement of this group – with language, images and a call to join a rebellious subculture. A community of resistance. Social media channels that the young have made their own are the subculture’s pathways, and its overall appeal has been given the soubriquet of ‘Jihadi Cool’. ‘Jihadis look cool,’ explains one young ISIS fan, ‘Bint Emergent’, on her blog, BintChaos, ‘like ninjas or video game warriors.’ She concedes that ‘there aren’t a lot of jihadist “poster-girls” displayed – they all wear niqab [face veil] but sometimes it’s tastefully accessorised with an AK47 or a bomb belt.’ She contrasts this to ‘Team CVE’ (Countering Violent Extremism – that is, Anglo- American efforts to challenge extremist narratives), which consists of ‘mostly middle-aged white guys with a smidgin of scared straight ex-mujahids and a couple middle-aged women’. She continues: ‘Jihadis have cool weapons. And cool nasheeds [a cappella hymns]’. They also have ‘young fiery imams that fight on the battlefield’, as opposed to Team CVE, who have ‘ancient creaky dollar scholars’. Most importantly, ‘Salafi-jihadism has made being pious cool. It became cool to quote aya [verse] and study Quran. And CVE has absolutely no defence against this.’ She adds: ‘I love jihadi cant – dem, bait, preeing, binty, akhi [brother]… it’s like Belter dialect in The Expanse [a sci-fi novel series]… [It’s] the voice of youth counterculture and revolution for an underclass.’ Like the ghetto culture in the US, jihadi is cool, violent, rejecting the mainstream but, weirdly, still engaging in its brands, its commercialism and sexualisation. How can we help young people resist the pull? Youthful idealism is often twisted into extremes – even without jihadism. Teachers using our Prevent Pack – Who’s Running The Country? – find that when empowered as ‘virtual’ judges and law-makers, pupils’ response to behaviour they deem aberrant is often ultra harsh, while the laws they would promulgate are very authoritarian – or very anarchistic. It’s only when the implications of these laws are discussed and the effects applied to themselves and their families that their judgements become more sophisticated, realistic and liberal. Even with this role-play, ethical-dialogue type of approach, schools can’t simply teach young people to resist Jihadi Cool and the impact of family and temples. Schools have to exemplify the values that they espouse in their day-to-day practice. How many schools really demonstrate democratic values in their management and engage their clients in real"
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Leadership

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19 May 2016

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