Framework and Structures in the Field of Youth Policy
Working with Youth in the United States
workers tend to focus on supporting adolescents, though depending on the circumstance may have to work with the whole family. Juvenile Justice Law Another path of youth work is to work in the juvenile justice system. This work deals mostly with at-risk youth and young people who have committed a crime but are too young to be tried as adults. In order to become a juvenile justice attorney and to work on behalf of a young person who enters the juvenile justi - ce system, one must get a bachelor’s degree, followed by a law degree. This can be an emotionally challen - ging career path with long hours and little pay but it is very important work given the violence within the juvenile and criminal justice system in the United States. Increasingly, some states and communities have implemented restorative justice, teen court, and other programming to make a young person’s experi - ence in this system more restorative and less traumatizing. One can also become a juvenile probation or cor - rectional officer, as well as a juvenile counselor to work with young peop - le in this system.
For people who are interested in working with youth in the United States, there are several different career trajectories depending on one’s interest. These include teaching or school administration, social work, working in education policy, and working in public-interest law in the juvenile justice system. Additionally, one of the more common ways to engage with youth work is to work at a non-profit organization that focuses on young people. As previously mentioned, while there are several national youth-focused organizations, there may also be very lo - cal organizations that focus on the needs of a particular community in a city, town, or state. Teaching and School Administration There are several ways that one can go into the field of teaching. A person can study education during their un - dergraduate education and do student teaching college. This is the more traditional way to go into the field of education. A person will choose what level (elementary, middle, or high school) they would like to teach, as well as the subject. There are also third-party teacher training programs that someone can do after college. In order to do these programs, one does not necessarily have to focus on education during their undergraduate degree. These programs include teaching fellows programs such as D.C. or New York Teaching Fellows, Relay , and Teach for America . In these programs, people are only expec - ted to teach for between two to four years, though some end up staying in the field of education for much longer. In order to go into school administration, one typically needs some experience teaching and a master’s degree in school administration or organizational leadership. However, there can be exceptions where a person works their way upon within their school or school system after a long period of teaching. Social Work Another professional path to working with youth is to be - come a social worker. Social workers may work directly in schools, hospitals, state or federal agencies, or at com - munity organizations. They often help with the mental health and logistical challenges that a young person may be facing due to problems with their home or personal life. While it is possible to become a social worker with a bachelor’s degree in social work, a person interested in this profession often will need a master’s degree in order to obtain a position. After obtaining the proper degree, a person must get licensed by their state. Youth social
Non-Profit Work Focused on Youth Non-profit organizations play a large role in paths for youth work and there are non-profit organizations that exist for just about every cause. This includes promoting access to coding classes, civic education, international education, college and test prep, healthy food and urban gardening, LGBTQIA+ support, arts and music education, and much more. While there are national and state level non-profit organizations, non-profit organizations are often created at the local level when a community sees a gap in what the state is able to offer. Typically, these organizations are funded by local grassroots community funders, grants from foundations, the city or the state, as well as through corporate social responsibility part - nerships. This demonstrates the role that private and third-party entities can have in youth work.
26
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs