In conducting the ‘Futures of Youth Work’ research, the team was acutely aware of several inherent limitations that influence the transferability and generalisability of the findings. Donna Haraway’s notion of situated knowledge challenges the idea of objective and detached observation in favour of understanding knowledge as inherently connected to the specific contexts and perspectives…
The journey of piecing together the futures of youth work began with individual diligence and developed into a collective search. Each member of the research team, working with horizon scans, started on a meticulous examination of trends, potential impacts, and the thematic threads by analysing them. The process wasn’t just about connecting the dots; it…
In addition to the horizon scanning process, seven interviews with experts were conducted in November and December 2023. The aim of the interviews was to expand on the initial insights from the horizon scanning process and go deeper into understanding the possible scenarios for youth work in 2050. The interviews were conducted with participants from…
From early September until the end of October 2023, participants engaged in horizon scanning to identify weak signals, trends and drivers that could impact the future of youth work. This involved monitoring advancements in technology, shifts in societal attitudes or human ecology, policy developments and innovative practices. Participants were encouraged to observe and note insights…
Adapting from the Futures Toolkitof the Government Office for Science, the research team identified three horizons for Youth Work: Horizon 1 (H1), Horizon 2 (H2) and Horizon 3 (H3). The current situation and near future within the youth work field are referred to as Horizon 1 (H1). H1 represents the elements that are strategically crucial…
The ‘Futures of Youth Work’ project employed foresight methods originating from the field of future studies. In most general terms, futures studies ‘collect and analyse signals and trends from the past and the present, to create scenarios about probable, possible or desirable Futures’. Although the discipline was developed in the 20th century, it is…