Page 96 - Guiding-at-risk-youth-through-learning-to-work-Lessons-from-across-Europe

Guiding at-risk youth through learning to work
Lessons from across Europe

young person and the person supporting him/her are vital in enabling the young
person to feel valued in the learning environment (Zalec, 2008).

5.3.2. Environment
A key element in engaging young people, particularly those currently disengaged
from learning, is to offer something not associated with their previous experience
of formal schooling. What has proved effective includes providing young people
the opportunity to study outside a school environment by offering a different, new
and often practical environment where students are treated as young adults and
given respect, trust, responsibility and freedom. Second chance schools, for
instance, need to be alternative schools rather than alternatives to school.
The NotSchool.net initiative, where young people learn in an online
environment, is perhaps the most ‘alternative’ of all the examples discussed in
this chapter. This project has recognised the importance of establishing the
initiative as an alternative to school, for instance in the use of language (young
people are called ‘researchers’ rather than students and there is no reference to
other terms associated with formal school such as teacher or classroom). In
addition, support is available through a 24hour hotline, seven days a week, as
project experience has shown that difficulties do not always arise during
conventional school hours, but in the evenings and weekends when many young
people are likely to study.
It is also important to ensure that the environment offers an atmosphere of
safety and security. For instance, the supportive environment of Lithuanian youth
schools helps young people to feel more comfortable and therefore interact more
freely with their teacher; they feel more confident to ask questions, to ensure they
understand fully the content of the learning. Similarly, the ethos of Youthreach
centres in Ireland is centred on warmth, respect and order to enable the
beneficiaries to regain their self-esteem and motivation (Gordon, 2007). Giving
young people more responsibility and freedom to determine their own learning
pathway has proved effective.
Physical environment also matters. Some French authorities have chosen to
organise relay classes in an apartment or other out-of-school premises, moving
away from classroom based learning.

5.3.3. Tailored, person-centred approach
It is clear that a ‘onesizefitsall’ approach is not appropriate for support to at-risk
young people. Where the young person has dropped out for institutional reasons
(the traditional system may be unable to address the needs of those who cannot
engage with traditional methods of learning, who have personal, family or other

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