Social Cohesion Roundtable: AYAC Summary
Dr Dean Farquhar | AYAC | National Youth Engagement Lead
Background
The National Youth Partitioners’ Network (NYPN) was established by AYAC last year to provide practitioners with additional opportunities to collaborate, share ideas and build sector capacity at a national level. The NYPN will meet quarterly. It will hold workshops with practitioners around models of practice and emerging issues in the sector, as well as roundtables that bring together academics, policy experts, practitioners and young people to discuss important social issues. This short briefing paper presents some key points from the NYPN’s inaugural roundtable on social cohesion.
Research by the Scanlon Foundation expresses concern regarding the cohesiveness of Australian society. O’Donnell (2024) points to evidence showing falling trust in government, growing cost of living pressures and a declining sense of national pride and belonging. Yet, as O’Donnell makes clear, most Australians are positively disposed to multiculturalism and intergroup contact. Additionally, the regretable outcome of the Voice referendum in 2023 aside, evidence presented by O’Donnell (2023) indicates that most Australians value indigenous histories and cultures. It would therefore seem that there are foundations from which to build a more inclusive social compact in Australia. The roundtable sought to tease out the contributions youth work can make to building a more cohesive Australia. Short summaries of the contributions made by speakers can be found below.
Professor Robyn Broadbent on Youth Work and Social Cohesion (Youth Workers Australia)
In their contribution, Robyn provided a conceptualisation of social cohesion and explored its relation to formal and informal forms of education. Robyn noted how UN development agencies use terms like ‘social justice’, ‘human rights’ and ‘social contract’ when speaking about social cohesion. As Robyn outlined, this can include trust in political institutions and participation in elections, meaning that social cohesion can be placed within a participative framework that encompasses our ability to actively take part in all areas of social life.
However, as Robyn acknowledged, some of the ingredients of social cohesion are not value-neutral, nor are they necessarily positive. Robyn noted how bonding social capital can have both positive and negative implications for young people. Bonding social capital refers to the social bonds that create in-group solidarity. It is what gives members of various cultural organisations, whether they be civic associations or sports clubs, a sense of groupness. Yet, it also provides the bonding that involves young people in criminal gangs as it can provide a kin-like sense of loyalty and attachment. It is therefore imperative that we look beyond the strength of the social bonds forming a group and examine the practices that they give rise to when considering social cohesion.
Building on the example of gangs involving young people in criminal activity, Robyn proceeded to note the importance of social inequalities in blocking a more positive sense of social cohesion whereby all are made to feel included and provided with the opportunities they need to succeed. As Robyn argued, a life in poverty can limit young people’s horizons and make them feel like certain opportunities are beyond their reach, which speaks to a need to do more to strengthen the social contract so that all can claim a stake in our society. According to Robyn, this necessitates examining how social mobility can be furthered through education.
Providing access to high-quality education that meets the needs of each young person, Robyn argued, is key to creating an environment in which all young people can hope for a better future. However, Robyn contended that we are increasingly leaving young children behind when it comes to education. They cited how a principal at an alternative education provider informed them that their greatest waiting list is among 7-year-olds. If we are to build social cohesion, Robyn argued, we must begin by debunking the myth that we cannot provide all young people with a robust education.
Using the alternative education provider as a case study, Robyn noted how it:
Draws on formal and informal learning approaches, including the expertise of youth workers.
Seeks to address food insecurity through its provisioning.
Limits class sizes to 14 to ensure each young person is given the time to have their needs met and form positive relationships with their teachers and youth workers.
Robyn made a strong case that the benefits of including youth workers in such spaces should not be understated. Youth workers complement the work of teachers by bringing a distinctive repertoire of relational learning techniques, as well as additional reserves of resilience and enthusiasm to the work, which has been shown to help remove barriers for those young people that have been excluded from the formal education system. In short, youth workers know how to build those relationships with young people that make that difference in reconnecting them to learning. It is therefore vital that we look at how such combinations of approaches can be operationalised across the education system so that all are able to succeed at school. This will not only foster the socio-economic benefits that a more educated population brings, but it will also provide young people with a greater sense of purpose and well-being. In so doing, it will help renew the social contract and further social cohesion in Australia.
Andrew Johnson on Youth Work and Social Cohesion (Youth Action NSW)
Andrew shared some insights from a recent piece of research on social cohesion conducted by Youth Action in NSW. This research involved consultations with over 150 young people in NSW. Andrew noted that many participants mentioned that they felt this was one of the first times they had been invited to talk about what they have in common and what the country could be. The young people expressed a clear desire for more opportunities to connect with those from different backgrounds and cultural traditions.
Reflecting on the findings of the consultations, Andrew noted that participants tended to feel that they were not adequately equipped with information to participate in the democratic process when at school. Pointing to some of the difficulties across the globe in terms of managing misinformation, Andrew argued that supporting young people claim a stake in the democratic process requires strengthening political literacy education.
Andrew also spoke to the importance participants placed on intergenerational dialogue, but suggested that such work should build on work bringing young people together for intercultural dialogue. According to Andrew, doing such intercultural work first helps create a better understanding among young people around the diverse experiences of their peers that will support them in calibrating their participation in intergenerational forms of dialogue.
Andrew then shared a video so we could hear directly from participants. Some of their thoughts on social cohesion were:
“You should tolerate other people’s values, but overall you should have a shared common goal. You should be responsible and accountable.”
“There should be a representation of diversity where different people come together for collaboration and negotiations of solutions because people can find common ground on key issues so they are able to live in harmony.”
“Being interested in other communities, working together, respecting diversity and those from different backgrounds and cultures.”
“I guess the final goal is to build understanding and empathy for both yourself and others within the community.”
“Being inclusive of people of people regardless of identity.”
“To have our voices heard. Other people making you feel included. Access to safe spaces.”
Summarising these contributions, Andrew signaled the emphasis participants placed on shared values when speaking about social cohesion, especially the values of equity, respect, inclusion, resilience, collaboration and kindness. Andrew concluded by reiterating the importance of funding youth work projects to providing safe, inclusive spaces for young people trying to feel their way into such debates.
Krushnadevsinh (Kano) Ravalji on Youth Work and Social Cohesion (Third Culture)
Kano begun his contribution by explaining the positive impact that youth work projects have had on his life. He noted how coming into youth work spaces as a migrant from India shaped his experience in quite a profound way. Kano noted how he did not always feel represented in the spaces that he entered, and that he struggled to adapt to school life and develop a sense of belonging. Kano then shared how youth work supported him in overcoming these challenges.
One of the first projects Kano participated in was with the Centre for Multicultural Youth. This project explored the themes of democracy and freedom. Kano noted how the project opened up his mind to the importance of active participation and the various way that he could get involved in the democratic process as a young person. However, as Kano outlined, what mattered most in terms of his engagement with this project was not so much the content covered, but that he was provided with a space where he felt he could be himself. As Kano put it, he felt like he had entered a third space outside of school and family life where he could connect meaningfully with other young people who had shared experiences and interests.
Elaborating on what made this third space so special, Kano outlined some of the defining principles of youth work. Kano argued that what makes youth work settings so special is that young people choose to be there. Moreover, as young people choose to be there, it often elevates their experiences as the spaces provided must be safe, meet their needs and cater to their interests. Kano proceeded to draw attention to the importance of relationship building to good youth work, noting how one of the most important aspects of his engagement in the project was making friends and forming meaningful relationships with the workers. According to Kano, these aspects of youth work are integral to enabling young people to develop confidence and a sense of belonging.
However, as Kano pointed out, youth work is more than forming friends in safe and supported spaces, as important as that is. Kano mentioned how youth work also provided him with informal learning opportunities that have fundamentally shaped his career trajectory. Through his participation in youth work projects Kano began taking part in youth advisory groups, social media campaigns, roundtables and a variety of consultations. This allowed him to develop his communication and planning skills, as well as cultivate networks within the youth sector. Kano further signaled the importance of honorarium payments in enabling him to undertake this work. This led Kano to reflect on the importance of funding streams to the effective provision of services. As Kano argued, the passion of youth workers to make sure young people feel safe, connected and that they belong is enhanced when their work is well-resourced.
To conclude, Kano shared some of their experiences of setting up Third Culture, a youth-led non-profit organisation, passionate about cultural diversity, fostering inclusion, and amplifying the voices of young people. As Kano explained, Third Culture works closely with schools and partners in the youth sector to ensure that young people are not only empowered to use their voice, but feel heard when they do. Kano then provided some information on a recent conference that Third Culture held. True to the values of Third Culture, this conference served as a platform for young people to speak up and be heard, with all conference speakers being young people. To conclude, Kano stressed the importance of providing safe spaces for young people where they can make friends, learn new things and have a voice to building a sense of belonging and more cohesive society.
AYAC Summary
Social Cohesion is a slippery concept that forms part of the jargon of policy papers and applications processes. However, as the contributions of our speakers attest, building social cohesion can form part and parcel of everyday youth work practice. When viewed as promoting the inclusion and active participation of young people in all areas of social life, it is clear that youth work has much to contribute to efforts to build social cohesion. Youth work has a proven track record of supporting young people develop the meaningful relationships, skills and confidence they need to overcome barriers to active participation and claim a stake in society.
Next Steps
AYAC will publish a report centring the voices of young people of social cohesion
Bibliography
O’Donnell, J., (2023) Mapping Social Cohesion 2023, Scanlon Foundation (Accessed at https://scanloninstitute.org.au/mapping-social-cohesion-2023 on 12/12/2024)
O’Donnell, J., Guan, Q., Prentice, T., (2024) Mapping Social Cohesion 2024, Scanlon Foundation (Accessed at https://scanloninstitute.org.au/mapping-social-cohesion-2024 on 12/12/2024)