Promoting youth-directed social change: engaging transformational critical practice

Abstract

This article examines the influence of social workers’ critical practice on youth-directed social change among hard-to-reach young people in neoliberal new public management contexts. Young people are increasingly acknowledged as essential change agents in ameliorating their experiences of disadvantage or marginalisation. Yet, youth and community organisations supporting projects and strategies to engage with young people’s agency find change from these interventions is small, or non-sustained. In exploring what obstructs and what galvanises youth-directed social change, comparative analysis of three youth participatory action research projects nested in youth-facing agencies in New South Wales, Australia, was undertaken. Particular attention is drawn to the young people’s perspectives in order to provide insight into tackling challenges of youth disengagement and exclusion. The article predominantly draws on Nancy Fraser’s critical theory of social justice as a heuristic to illuminate dynamics of the young people’s projects. At the heart of all projects were transformative measures with potential to impact underlying structures which foster marginalisation, opening up prospects for sustained change. Despite a significant barrier being new management practices reinforcing adult asymmetrical relationships with youth, strategies informed by critical social work practice were able to support young people to progress their social change goals.

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