Students explore how youth work is in every place and every space

Health and social care students heard first-hand about the surprising variety of careers available to them as part of Youth Work Week 2023.

The theme of the awareness week this year – held between 6 and 12 November – was ‘youth work in every place and space’, helping to educate and showcase to people the many and varied settings youth workers are found.

University of Northampton (UON) students from the Health and Social Care Practice and Social Care and Community Practice courses got a taste of some of these possibilities when local stakeholders visited Waterside campus.

Free2Talk – which delivers open access youth and community work and mentoring – brought their media bus onto campus and spoke to students about what they do.

Students then took part in ‘speed networking’ activities with local providers, including some UON graduates who shared their career journey stories.

These included young people’s drug, alcohol and school exclusion service Aquarius/NGage, Stunited, and Northamptonshire Emergency Services Cadets.

One of the guest companies was Right Resolution. They showcased the notion of the social circus. This incorporates the fun and physical freedom of movement of circus skills to help young people – such as care leavers – to engage, explore their identity, heal, or relax through activity, fun or noise.

Gloria Kanku is a second-year student of UON’s BA Social Care and Community Practice degree who took part in the event. She says: “I want to thank the staff for inviting different organisations to come and speak to Social Care and Community Practice and Health and Social Care Practice students. It was insightful to learn about organisations that potentially I would like to work with in the future.”