Unit rationale, description and aim
The youth sector is a broad, diverse and at-times misunderstood field. Youth support services range from generalist services to specifically targeted programs that provide support within a unique framework of service delivery. This unit will provide students with an opportunity to develop an understanding of the Youth Work sector and the various settings within which youth workers operate. Students will be exposed to a range of organisations and practices that characterise contemporary youth work and will experience the practice of establishing a professional network.
This unit will offer a guest speaker program that enables students to have rare access to specialist youth workers who are currently working in the sector. Through this, students will be exposed to various forms of Youth Work practice. Students will be supported to consider their own youth work goals and to develop essential work-ready skills. This unit aims to challenge students to consider their own values, and engage in experiential learning practices to develop self-directed and autonomous work practices that will assist in the development of their own unique youth work pathway.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Describe the attributes required for professional ...
Learning Outcome 01
Explain the economic, political and social context...
Learning Outcome 02
Critically evaluate the role of national, state, l...
Learning Outcome 03
Analyse the principles and practices of competent ...
Learning Outcome 04
Apply collaborative practices to a niche or specif...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- Introduction to the diversity of service delivery within the youth sector.
- Access to, and engagement with, a variety of guest speakers from the youth sector.
- Sociopolitical structures of the youth sector as well as funding and delivery of services (Commonwealth, State, local government, community agencies)
- Personal and professional skill sets that are relevant to the youth work sector
- Working conditions, physical environments and employment realities of youth workers.
- Skills in developing a professional resume, identifying current and developing skill sets relevant to the youth sector.
- Approaching youth work agencies and how source appropriate employment and placement opportunities.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The development of a professional resume and a simulated job application is designed to assist in the development of a specific youth work skill set that prepares students to demonstrate work-ready and industry-standard documentation. Students must identify a real-world opportunity of youth work employment that operates within a socio-political context that they themselves would like to work within. This prepares the student for both youth work placement and employment opportunities and addresses learning outcomes one and five.
The job seeking exercise builds on the first assessment task and requires the students to locate and analyse a broader sample of youth work employment opportunities. This strengthens the students’ emerging capacity to identify pathways for their own career development in accord with their articulated values, interests and skill set. This addresses learning outcomes one and five.
The Organisational Analysis (Group Work Presentation) requires students to explore and research youth service agencies in order to develop a hypothetical ‘best practice’ youth service that is designed to deliver programs/services towards a particular youth need(s). Working collaboratively, students will enhance their ability to work as a team and utilise the emerging network of support services that the guest speaker program embedded in this unit has exposed them to. The task assesses learning outcomes two, three, four and six.
Overview of assessments
Development of a professional resume and job appl...
Development of a professional resume and job application
Students are required to locate a youth work position that has been advertised and develop a job application for it. This assessment is about the student familiarising themselves with youth work agencies and developing skills to identify and locate them.
25%
Job seeking exercise Students are required to lo...
Job seeking exercise
Students are required to locate positions within the youth work sector and analyse the advertisements. This builds on assessment 1, developing their capacity to identify pathways into the youth sector in accord with their developing skill set and areas of interest and expertise.
25%
Organisational Analysis – Group Work Presentation...
Organisational Analysis – Group Work Presentation
Students are required to explore and research youth service agencies in order to develop a hypothetical best practice service.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit provides students with a dynamic and stimulating learning environment wherein they will engage with youth workers from across the youth sector. Students will experience stimulating and thought provoking first-hand accounts of what direct youth service delivery entails. In addition, students will be challenged to consider their own future youth work pathway through engagement with a variety of real-life examples, case scenarios, role plays and hypothetical situations. Lecture and tutorial time will be divided up between guest lectures, career planning and workshop presentations. The lectures provide students with content and analytical frameworks necessary for understanding and analysing the youth work sector and assist students to synthesise a broad range of material.