Term paper on Ethical issues in youth work

Ethical issues of youth at work place are one of the most important areas amongst the increasing intensity of various ethical and civil youth crimes at social level. At the same time not much has been written on the subject of ethical issues in regard to youth work. “Ethical Issues In Youth Work” is a book written by many writers where each writer has covered a specific area dealing with the subject very finely. The editor of the book is Sarah Banks who has also contributed her literary skills in writing the book. The book is scientifically designed where there are two separate parts including many chapters in each part. This helps justifying the subject and material with the title of the book. Therefore, the subject and title of the book is also justified by all the writers due to the division of chapters in the two parts of the book. However, each writer while discussing the ethical issues in youth work truly justifies the theme of the book, which is “Every human being has a dignity and worth that is her or his own, no more dependent on gender than one race or color.

However, in the book “Ethical Issues In Youth Work” the various writers as well as the editor of the book explain that youth work is basically small occupational groups, which are based on limited professional boundaries. The reason Sarah discovered is due to the voluntarily nature of work of the youth as these are basically not professional workers as they usually belong to medical colleges or other professional institutes and works voluntarily to earn training. Consequently they do not enjoy occupational boundaries as professionals do at work places. On the other hand, youth workers also lack intellectual and professional skills due to lack of occupational limitations, which are the key elements in regard to professional ethics. (Banks, Pp. 3-21, June 1999)

Therefore, starting with a simple example of a day-to-day social life, Sarah throws light on this very important issue. As she starts by discussing and telling about a young worker, confiding the theft of women stealing some sweets from a shop. Basically Sarah is trying to address social ethics and issues in youth work as the youth worker was confused for hiding the theft of that very lady with the intention to build relations to her for searching the roots for her action and sorting some solutions to her was a right decision or wrong. However, she also addressed this psychological confusion of youth workers about these ethical issues they incidentally deal almost daily. (Banks and Sue, Pp. 145-163, June 1999) Therefore, the writers in the early chapters of the book tries to explain the basic problems faced by the youth workers due to lack of professional training and occupational boundaries.

On the other hand, he various writers also discusses the problems faced by the youth, which causes issues like moral education both at home, and schools as well as other social ethical issues that require ethical training. At the same time, while discovering these very problems related to youth and ethics, writers also explored the role of youth workers in dealing these social and ethical problems. Therefore, the book also covers the role of youth workers in reducing various social crimes and issues relating to social ethics. These include the role of youth workers in reducing the rate of youth crime, sexual health problems, drug trafficking and teen-age pregnancies. All these efforts made by youth workers are basically concerned to the ethical issues they face while dealing these moral and social problems on voluntarily basis.

Therefore, Sarah explored the ethics of youth works from two different perspectives, which makes a very simple and easy understanding about the subject dealt in the book. The first method adopted is a principal-based approach. This provides a medium to strengthen the core values and various ethical principals of youth work. However, these principles are basically related to the methodology applied for the youth workers in dealing various ethical and social issues. In the book all these aspects are explained under separate issues by generating debates and adding simple examples of daily life. For instance, regarding the means to follow in dealing ethical issues and helping youth in reducing various social crimes, teenage pregnancies etc. etc., writers with the help of examples like the youth workers should respect the rights of young people as well as value cultural diversity in dealing the various issues, explains the subject very well. (McCulloch and Tett, Pp. 37-54, June 1999) So many chapters in this book covers the principals of ethics, means to deal ethical issues and methods that should be adopted by these youth workers for dealing the various ethical and social issue in youth work.

However, the second approach adopted by they very writers of the book, in dealing this serious subject is based on explaining and discussing ethics not the principles and actions adopted to deal with the very issues discussed. Therefore, the second approach is an ethical approach, which focuses more on the character traits in dealing the very issues. These include honesty, trustworthiness, and professional as well as social integrity while dealing any specific issue. However, both these issues are very beautifully discussed and explained in the book, which provides the basic structure for dealing with ethical issues in regard to youth work. (McCulloch and Tett, Pp. 37-54, June 1999) On the other hand the beautiful blend of virtue ethics dealt under the fabrication of professional ethics adds a deeper interest in reading the book. Therefore, the attention and concentration of the reader does not deviate till the end of the book.

Therefore, The book “Ethical Issues In Youth Work” which is edited by Sarah Banks and written by co-authors, is a book designed with a systematic analysis of the key ethical problems faced by the youth workers in their day-to-day life while dealing with various ethical issues of youth. This book not only provides an insight to the perennial dilemmas of youth work but also highlights the contemporary challenges faced by the youth workers in specific relation to the existing public attitudes and the various policies of the government in regard to young people. Nonetheless this is a very informative book with a thorough analysis and deep understanding of the core ethical issues related to youth workers.