Narrative Approaches to Youth Work

Julie Tilsen's Narrative Approaches to Youth Work is the first book to introduce cutting-edge, relational approaches to the field of youth work. This is not the typical handbook for youth-workers-in-training; it is not filled with recipes, strategies, and techniques for success. Rather, it is brimming with an entirely new way of thinking about how professionals work with youth; indeed, it questions the very idea of what it means to be a professional. Tilsen's writing is clear, engaging, and accessible. What a gift to have this book for students, youth workers, and all practitioners in the helping professions. - Sheila McNamee, University of New Hampshire, USA Creating authentic conversation with youth must be considered our key motivator in successful youth work. This book reminds us that youth work is not something we do, but what we do with youth. Tilsen reminds us that by asking What's Goin' On? we must learn to not only listen but to respect the response. - Shirley R. Steinberg, University of Calgary, Canada This is a rich, stimulating, coherent, and practical guide to perspectives and practices for working relationally with young people. Everyday examples and quotes from youth workers ground concepts and theories, inviting youth workers to see, hear, and understand their own worlds and practices, and those of the youth they want to join with in a `partnership of existence.' - Michael Baizerman, University of Minnesota, USA