Annette Coburn

Emancipatory Praxis: A Social-Justice Approach to Equality Work

This chapter will explore the concepts of social justice and equality when working with young people and within community development practice. Although justice in itself is a contested notion (Capeheart and Milovanovic 2007), this chapter acknowledges it is closely interlinked with human rights and equality. Social justice is further about identifying and attempting to address structural disadvantage, discrimination and inequality by refocusing on process, participation and collective rights. Utilizing practice-based examples which have supported the promotion and facilitation of consciousness-raising and the practical skills used to challenge identified injustices, we attempt to refocus on the reasons we work alongside those who are often the most silenced within societies. This chapter draws on the value base of equality and social justice in youth work and community development practices (Smith 2002, Davies 2005, Young 2006, Jeffs and Smith 2010, Taylor 2010) in order to support, defend and rearticulate a social and democratic purpose for emancipatory practice. In promoting reflective discussion, it is our intention to examine contemporary practices and the extent to which they raise consciousness among young people and community members.

Rapid response research: using creative arts methods to research the lives of disengaged young people

In Scotland, as in other legislations, the government and its agencies commission educational research to inform policy and practice development. This provides opportunities for academic researchers, who are under pressure to engage in funded research, to carry their interests forward with some assurance of social usefulness and impact. Many educational researchers have a commitment not just to explore and explain processes around the organisation of learning, but also to change current practices for the benefit of groups who are not getting the most out of their educational experiences. There are, though, costs involved in this kind of research. Often very tight timeframes are imposed by the funders. There may also be constraints on publication of outputs. This paper provides one case study of undertaking policy-facing research whilst attempting to maintain integrity and quality.

‘They know what you are going through’: a service response to young people who have experienced the impact of domestic abuse

Riverside Womens Aid offers a specialised youth service for young people who have experienced or been affected by domestic abuse in one town in Scotland. This article discusses findings from a research evaluation that examined the advantages of participating in this service. The experiences of young people and youth workers involved showed a commitment to youth work values and methods that contributed to support and helped reduce feelings of isolation. The findings suggested that one-to-one support and group work sessions brought benefits in establishing empathy and generating positive experiences. This helped the young people to better understand domestic abuse and to feel safe and confident about working through their feelings and making new friends. Analysis also suggested that young people valued the services provided by qualified and experienced Womens Aid youth workers, which they perceived as different from other youth work services. The arguments for this kind of specialist service were compelling, yet analysis highlighted a need for caution in order to avoid creating dependency. There were also calls for improved communication and understanding among partner agencies involved in work with young people.