Toward a Youth Work Profession

Abstract

There is growing interest in the professionalization of the youth work field in Australia and the United States. In this article I draw on relevant literature from the sociology of professions to explore the appeal of professionalization for youth work. The interest in professionalism is examined along with the strategies youth work practitioners could build on and use to progress professionalization. The tactics proposed are for proponents to concurrently use lessons from other professionalization projects, garner support in the youth sector, lead a project that has broad appeal, utilize existing institutional arrangements, and establish an international movement.