Young People And Contradictions Of Inclusion

Young people and contradictions of inclusion critically assesses policies addressing young people's transitions from school to employment. It presents and discusses the findings of seven EU-funded projects involving 13 countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Young people and contradictions of inclusion critically assesses policies addressing young people's transitions from school to employment. It presents and discusses the findings of seven EU-funded projects involving 13 countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

This publication is the result of the Edgeryders project, an online dialogue platform run by the Council of Europe with a view to promoting discussion with young people on the challenges of their transition to working life. Given that the imagination and the experiences of young citizens can only be understood in the context of horizontal relations (learning though sharing and joint management) in line with the networking approach, which restores the significance of individual effort and provides innovative solutions, a programme such as Edgeryders can provide a future-oriented alternative. In turn, institutions must show creativity. It is no longer a case of managing inertia, but above all of creating a balance between what the public authorities can do and what they can facilitate. By adopting a spirit of co-operation, the authorities can encourage the sharing of responsibilities, ideas, goods and values, while opening up to mutual learning. Nevertheless, this type of interaction is only possible if two conditions are met. Firstly, institutions must show a clear desire to ensure unprecedented scope for dialogue with young people by ascribing a high value to the proposals that emerge from the contacts among and with young citizens. Secondly, young people’s interest in public affairs must be maintained in the long term by shoring up the online exchange with concrete evidence of legitimacy. This publication is intended to help meet these two conditions.

In the greatest social change of the last twenty years about half of Europe’s young people now attend university. Their lived experiences are however largely undocumented. Antonucci travelled across six cities and three European countries – England, Italy and Sweden – to provide the first ever comparison of the lives of university students across countries and socio-economic backgrounds. Contrasting students’ resources and backgrounds, this original work exposes the profound social effects of austerity and the financial crisis on young people. Questionnaires and first person interviews reveal that, in contrast with what assumed by HE policies, participating in university exacerbates inequalities among young people. This work is a wake-up call for re-thinking the role of higher education in relation to social justice in European societies.

Youth crime remains an enduring and growing problem, and has been the subject of a raft of recent government policy initiatives. This book provides a comprehensive, up to date and critical overview of the youth justice system, taking full account of the many changes that have been introduced - in particular the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and its subsequent implementation. A major aim of the book will be to help youth justice practitioners and others studying youth crime and youth justice to make sense of these changes, to assess their implications for practice and to understand some of the tensions and complexities that have arisen. The book begins by setting the youth justice system in its broader historical and contemporary context, moving on to assess the impact of political ideologies on the structures (such as the Youth Justice Board and Youth Offending Teams) and processes (including anti-social behaviour strategies, restorative justice and more intensive community interventions). which compromise youth justice as it is currently delivered. The book goes on to argue that the failings of current policy, organisational frameworks and delivery mechanisms have had a cumulative and damaging effect, resulting in an over-reliance on intrusive, oppressive and counter-productive measures of control.Against this backdrop, the book explores some of the unerlying theoretical issues concerning young people and crime, and then sets out some of the principles which should underpin positive policies and practice with young people in trouble. Finally, it draws together some of the evidence from current initiatives, domestically and internationally, to suggest that it remains possible both to envision and to deliver a youth justice system which is liberal, humane and progressive.

The aim of this book is to consider how schools and LEAs can develop inclusive policies and practices for students who experience a range of difficulties in learning or behavior. It highlights debates and contradictions about the realities of inclusion and suggests ways in which practice can move forward. The contributors look at key areas of development in special and inclusive education and considers ways in which the latest research can inform practice. Areas covered include promoting inclusion for all; how to make sense of the Code of Practice SEN Thresholds; working with Teaching Assistants; new approaches to counseling and pastoral care in schools; including pupils with EBD; how nurture groups are helping inclusive practice; making education inclusive for pupils with sensory disabilities; including pupils with specific learning difficulties; and preparing students for an inclusive society. The book will be of particular interest to teachers, LEA support staff, educational psychologists and related professionals who face the challenge of meeting the needs of a diverse population within an inclusive framework. it will also be of relevance for students in further and higher education, and their tutors.