What Is Youth Work?

Youth Development is a bachelors degree program at Rhode Island College, where students take classes in social work, education, non profit, and classes towards a concentration or minor of their choice.  This program trains the students to become prepared professionals to go out into the world and make a difference for youth.  By the time Youth Development majors graduate they will have completed a 180 hour internship in a youth setting of their choice.  This opportunity teaches them the possibilities you have after college, the skills necessary to be a successful youth worker, and the impact you can have on youth.  Youth workers are not babysitters.  Instead, youth workers provide a safe space for youth to grow socially, creatively, intellectually, and more.  Youth workers can be found in after school programs, recreational centers, juvenile justice centers, and more.  These are the adults that your child spend time with outside of the classroom.  They provide a listening ear, teach lessons that are not taught in the classroom, and have the ability to impact a childs' life.  Youth workers aim to create relationships with their youth to help them grow to their full potential, and to create relationships between the youth to create a socially safe space.