Youth work and informal education

Abstract

The voluntary sector, from which the service originally emerged, continues to play an important and radical role both nationally and locally and even though the larger organizations, in coming to rely more and more on government grant, have linked themselves unequivocally with national priorities, the plethora of smaller community-based voluntary youth groups continues to change the nature of the service on the ground and give it a richness and diversity not always mirrored in the statutory service. Early voluntary youth organizations began in the mid-nineteenth century. All attempts at legislation failed but government did respond to the increased political energy of the Youth Service by establishing a Review Group on Youth Service in England under Alan Thompson. In terms of priority groups, the Service was again facing the question of whether it provided a service for all young people, or a more specialist service for those it saw to be in greatest need.