Confronting segregation: lessons from developmental community youth work practice in conflict societies
Confronting segregation: lessons from developmental community youth work practice in conflict societies
The world is becoming progressively more interdependent and at the same time increasingly economically and
socially divided. One consequence of the pervasive nature of global forces and their ‘unequal’ effects is a heightened sense
of dissatisfaction and insecurity; the results of which are often generated at the level of the community and individual. The
ensuing ‘feeling’ of uncertainty tends to be further intensified in communities either in or emerging from prolonged violent
conflict. In nation-states that are deemed not to be in ‘conflict’, internal ‘struggle’ and social division also occur as a consequence
of the rapid changes experienced at macro and micro levels. Increasingly countries such as the UK, Germany
and France have been experiencing heightened societal and communal segregation resulting in ‘spiralling’ violence against
the ‘other’. Consequent actions and/or reactions within both conflict and non-conflict civil societies are, at once, political
and communal and between those who wish to embrace, and those who wish to resist, the opportunity for diversity, inclusion
and democratization. Often in these situations it is young people who find themselves as the primary ‘victims’ caught in the
‘transitions’ between the past, the present and the possibilities of the future. Within these situations there remains an opportunity
to develop a sense of social involvement and empowerment. It is in such contexts where developmental community
youth work engages for the ‘hearts and mind’ of young people. Drawing on initiatives and experiences of working with
young people in conflict and post conflict environments, this paper examines some of the positive models of practice in relation
to community youth development towards promoting social cohesion and integration. As part of on-going empirical
research, the paper also explores aspects of such work that may be ‘transferable’ to young people and communal segregation
in those so called ‘non-conflict’ societies.
community conflict, conflict and non-conflict environments, segregation, community youth development
Grattan, Alan
82d6fe46-5caf-4913-8aa9-863f24cc8cc4
Morgan, Susan
a9cfbe53-b09d-436c-bb1f-068e50b04ac9
November 2008
Grattan, Alan
82d6fe46-5caf-4913-8aa9-863f24cc8cc4
Morgan, Susan
a9cfbe53-b09d-436c-bb1f-068e50b04ac9
Grattan, Alan and Morgan, Susan
(2008)
Confronting segregation: lessons from developmental community youth work practice in conflict societies.
3rd International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Prato, Italy.
22 - 25 Jul 2008.
11 pp
.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
The world is becoming progressively more interdependent and at the same time increasingly economically and
socially divided. One consequence of the pervasive nature of global forces and their ‘unequal’ effects is a heightened sense
of dissatisfaction and insecurity; the results of which are often generated at the level of the community and individual. The
ensuing ‘feeling’ of uncertainty tends to be further intensified in communities either in or emerging from prolonged violent
conflict. In nation-states that are deemed not to be in ‘conflict’, internal ‘struggle’ and social division also occur as a consequence
of the rapid changes experienced at macro and micro levels. Increasingly countries such as the UK, Germany
and France have been experiencing heightened societal and communal segregation resulting in ‘spiralling’ violence against
the ‘other’. Consequent actions and/or reactions within both conflict and non-conflict civil societies are, at once, political
and communal and between those who wish to embrace, and those who wish to resist, the opportunity for diversity, inclusion
and democratization. Often in these situations it is young people who find themselves as the primary ‘victims’ caught in the
‘transitions’ between the past, the present and the possibilities of the future. Within these situations there remains an opportunity
to develop a sense of social involvement and empowerment. It is in such contexts where developmental community
youth work engages for the ‘hearts and mind’ of young people. Drawing on initiatives and experiences of working with
young people in conflict and post conflict environments, this paper examines some of the positive models of practice in relation
to community youth development towards promoting social cohesion and integration. As part of on-going empirical
research, the paper also explores aspects of such work that may be ‘transferable’ to young people and communal segregation
in those so called ‘non-conflict’ societies.
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More information
Submitted date: August 2008
Published date: November 2008
Venue - Dates:
3rd International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Prato, Italy, 2008-07-22 - 2008-07-25
Keywords:
community conflict, conflict and non-conflict environments, segregation, community youth development
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 64035
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/64035
PURE UUID: 973a7e65-1ca8-439a-a371-5de4877258f5
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 26 Nov 2008
Last modified: 22 Jul 2022 21:19
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Contributors
Author:
Alan Grattan
Author:
Susan Morgan
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