Pääpuhujien esitysten abstraktit

Professor Dana Fusco: 
Professionalization of youth work: the past, present and future

Abstract: Youth services and youth work in most parts of the Western world have seen funding cuts like never before witnessed. While there are many drivers for such austerity measures, ambivalence in funding is in part connected to the contested understandings of youth work as a practice necessary to support young people to navigate and curate their lives. Professionalization projects have been one attempt to lift up the field, the workers, and the practice. But, these projects too have been contested. In this lecture, ‘Professionalization of Youth Work: the past, present and future’, Dr. Dana Fusco will review her research exploring some of the trends, tensions, and opportunities for advancing the field of youth work.

University Instructor Juha Nieminen: 
The Idea of Youth Work: reflections on seventy years of youth workers’ education

Abstract: Education of a professional is dependent on both society and educational institution. The conception of youth work in the education of youth workers is an outcome of the contemporary social and historical situation as well as the objectives of a specific educational institution. Practically the idea of youth work is included in the curriculum. The aim of the presentation is to reflect the idea of youth work in the history of youth work education. Lecture starts from the establishment of youth workers’ training in the School of Social Sciences in 1945 and considers the present challenges in the University of Tampere. The varying emphases on youth education and social issues together with the role of youth research during the decades are discussed.