1. Young people and adversity
Session 5
Young people and lifestyles, poverty; homeless young people. Working with young people

2. Poverty
“…in a country which is rated as one of the strongest EU economies and one of the richest countries in the world there now exists great inequality of opportunity which prevents young people in the UK from achieving their potential – unless there is change” (Grant 2010 p.160)

3. Impact of poverty and adversity
Farthing (2014)
Overlap around housing, crime, and education that affects quality of life
‘Ugly’ housing estates
Sub-standard housing and lack of leisure facilities in the area
Higher crime levels
Affordability of Education and the purpose and intent of education
Crime - a sense that structural factors may have influenced peoples’ decision to turn to crime.
Ugly housing estates – boarded up housing, litter and graffiti also contributing to unappealing neighbourhood aesthetics
Sub-standard housing – damp, overcrowded housing, affect on health with increased levels of illness and infection
Affordability of education - problem of unaffordability with the costs of purchasing uniforms, books, school lunches and other essentials noted. Unfair barrier to ‘making the most’ of time at school; with personal stories of being hassled by teachers for missing ties or not being able to print homework discussed.
How their education system created unemployable young people, arguing that schools were currently not doing enough to ensure young people ‘get good jobs and do not become unemployed

4. ‘Scarring effect’
Manifestation of financial inequality and material deprivation
Inhibits child development and educational opportunities
Leads to disadvantage in later life in terms of life choices?
“The difficulties of being a normal teenager growing up into adulthood and dealing with feelings of inadequacy, being accepted or not by peers and wanting to ‘belong’ are made more acute when living in poverty and having to deal with not always being able to have the same experiences as other children” (Grant 2010 p.170)

5. Poverty – Social Exclusion
Why are these young people at risk of social exclusion?
How does living in a household affected by poverty impact upon these young people’s lives ?
Can you identify examples of ‘diminished’ life chances for these young people?
(watch up to 13.20)

6. Impact of social exclusion - Riots 2011
Read the following article and debate the following statements?
Where these riots the result of ‘mindless criminality’? Or
Was it a protest around the adverse plight of young people?

7. Media Representation
Close Identification of young people with anti-social behaviour
Often referred to in the media as ‘feral’ ‘yobs’ ‘scum’
Sustains punitive policies to ‘control’ young people including:
ASBO’s
Parenting orders
Curfews
This does little to tackle the wider social problems – chronic deprivation, high youth unemployment and social exclusion

8. Social Inclusion and Policy
The term ‘social inclusion’ is defined by adults and imposed on young people, and there is little understanding of what ‘social inclusion’ means to young people themselves.
‘Acceptance’, ‘Learning why I don’t Matter’ and ‘Keeping up or Falling behind’ were three key outcomes
Young people negotiate their ‘inclusion’ through close, trusting relationships with others
(Rose et al. 2012)
Study of what social exclusion meant to young people. A qualitative approach was used to explore the accounts of 11 young people

9. Policy
Key policies by the Coalition is the proposed raising of the age of participation of young people in education to 18 and the expansion of apprenticeships?
Do you think this will help to promote social exclusion for young people?
Policy and young people

10. References
Farthing, R. (2014) What’s Wrong with Being Poor? The Problems of Poverty, as Young People describe them Children and Society Vol. 0, (pp.1-13)
Grant, D. (2010) Childhood and youth poverty in the UK: the have nots. In Kassem, D. Murphy, L. and Taylor, E. (2010) (Eds.) Key Issues in Childhood and Youth Studies Oxon: Routledge (pp )
Rose, H., Daiches, A. and Potier, J. (2012), Meaning of Social Inclusion to Young People Not in Employment, Education or Training. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology Vol. 22 (pp. 256–268).
Squires, P. (2011) Between the rocks and hard places: young people negotiating fear and criminalisation. In O’Dell, L. and Leverett, S. (2011) (Eds.) Working with Children and Young People: Co-constructing Practice Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan and OUP (pp )