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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.
Acknowledgments
In memory of Professor Natalie Bolzan (1958 – 2017), Margaret Whitlam Chair of Social Work, Western Sydney University, champion of children and young people’s participation and human rights.
Disclosure statement
Author one, Fran Gale was responsible for the co-design and carriage of the research and with author two, Michel Edenborough responsible for this written manuscript. By submitting this manuscript we declare that this manuscript and its essential content has not been published elsewhere or that it is considered for publication in another outlet. No competing interests exist that have influenced or can be perceived to have influenced the text.
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Notes on contributors
Fran Gale
Fran Gale Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Community Welfare, at Western Sydney University and has extensive experience in research and work with marginalised groups, particularly but not solely with young people including those from traumatised backgrounds. Fran has a key interest in research on social change through a focus on equity, social inclusion and participatory citizenship.
Michel Edenborough
Michel Edenborough Lecturer in Social Work and Community Welfare at Western Sydney University. Michel researches in the transdisciplinary areas of well-being; social inclusivity; inter-cultural understanding, connectedness and belonging. Related research interests explore co-design and co-creative participatory approaches promoting social change.