“As one of Chilypep’s patrons, what I especially admire and respect about the organisation is its core commitment to an open youth work practice which enables young people to have voice and impact, not only within its own work, but more widely within their society.”

Chilypep’s generous offer of periodically posting my blog pieces on the their website will allow me to update key developments affecting open youth work practice since the publication in 2024 of my last book, Youth Work Policies in England 2019-2023: Can Open Youth Work Survive? In focusing on ‘open youth work’ I will be starting from two key assumptions: that young people choose to engage with the practice and its facilities; and that this practice will be substantially shaped, not by top-down ‘curricula’, but by the interests, needs and experiences of the young people who turn up”

– Bernard Davies

Latest Entry:

August 2026 – The Condition of Young People: Pt 3 (Social Media)

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July 2026 – The Condition of Young People: Pt 2

June 2026 – The Condition of Young People: Pt 1

May 2026 – The Voluntary Youth Sector

April 2026 – Reaffirming Open Youth Work

March 2026 – Wider Youth Services Policy & Funding Contexts

January 2026 – Towards a National Youth Strategy