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Youth work can provide opportunities
for delivering education for sustainable
development (ESD) through linking global
and environmental issues to the daily
lives, interests and activities of young
people. Youth work can equip young people
with the skills, confidence and knowledge
to enable them to affect change and
participate as active citizens at a
local, national and international level.
Addressing
sustainable development issues through
youth work builds on the beliefs and
values that youth work and ESD have
in common:
| • |
commitment
to the future |
| • |
emphasis
on sustainable lifestyles
at an individual and community
level |
| • |
commitment
to equity |
| • |
belief
in interdependence |
| • |
belief
in the need for the active
involvement of individuals
and communities to energise change |
| • |
recognition
of the rights and responsibilities
of citizenship |
| • |
commitment
to education
as a strategy for change. |
Potential
benefits
 For
youth work organisations, education
for sustainable development
| • |
enables
workers to build on young people's
interests and motivation. |
| • |
adds
value to youth work by fostering
knowledge of, and a sense of responsibility
for, the environment and social
justice |
| • |
can
lead to action for change and
an impact on the young people's
own environment |
| • |
can
enable informed choice by adding
to young people's knowledge base
and facilitate access to wider
networks for workers and young
people. |
For
agencies primarily concerned with
issues of
sustainable development, a youth work
approach offers
| • |
an
ability to reach out to a group
which has been hard to contact
and link into new networks |
| • |
the
potential to recruit new volunteers |
| • |
an
opportunity to develop skills
in working with young people |
| • |
the
potential to foster knowledge
of, and a sense of responsibility
for, the environment and social
justice. |
Who
and how
Anyone working with young people in
an informal setting can initiate education
for sustainable development. This
includes volunteers, paid staff and
peer educators in any youth work setting
or in any agency with a commitment
to sustainable development. In addition,
the issue will be relevant to many
other agencies and individuals working
within communities on regeneration
and community development initiatives.
Find
out more from the Case
studies, Activities
and Links
sections.
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