Youth and lifelong education: after-school programmes as a vital component of lifelong education infrastructure

Abstract

This paper argues that after-school programmes need to be considered an essential part of lifelong learning infrastructure, particularly in light of the dominance of the economic discourse in both lifelong learning literature and the initial schooling literature. The paper, which is based upon existing literature, begins by providing an overview of after-school programmes, including their historical development. This is followed by an examination of the changing discourse in the lifelong learning literature and the initial school literature. The argument is made that the narrowing of lifelong learning and initial schooling perspectives represented by economic determinism leads to an increase in those on the margins. The youth development literature is then reviewed with a focus on positive youth development, arguing that after-school programmes with a positive youth development focus can meet the needs of those disengaged youth who are marginalised by the formal educational system. The Fusion Youth and Technology Centre is then presented as an illustrative case of an after-school programme that has a positive youth development focus. This is followed by a discussion of after-school programmes and the role they can play as part of the lifelong learning infrastructure.

Notes

1. The catering service is no longer running.

2. Clearly the question of cost must be raised during this fiscally constrained time of reduced government spending. However we also need to broaden the scope in which we consider cost. For example, a study was undertaken by Brown (2008) that examined the costs saved in the delivery of other services (such as healthcare and policing) as a result of Fusion’s presence in the community; she estimated that costs averted in other areas as a result of Fusion amounted to approximately $636,657 per annum. In a study conducted by Snyder and Hickman (1999) in the United States, they estimated that the overall cost of one lost youth through crime, substance abuse and lost productivity measured over a 16-year period would cost society 2.2–3 million dollars. Clearly ASPs not only provide opportunities for youth, but also avert costs in other areas and may, in the long term, save society significant amounts.

3. In addition to Christie’s research, there are currently three graduate projects examining the impact of participation in Fusion on health, asset development and the imagined futures of Fusion youth. In addition, we have just begun a three-year research project funded through the OMAFRA Agriculture and Rural Policy Research Program that will examine the impact of youth participating in Fusion on the youth, the community and the local economy.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Allan C. Lauzon

Allan C. Lauzon is a professor in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph. Current research projects focus on rural youth, education and afterschool programmes, the role of colleges in supporting small and medium rural enterprises, and social innovation and social enterprise development. Correspondence: SEDRD, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1 Canada.