The Critical Voice online platform is a youth work practitioner forum facilitated by Ulster University's Community Youth Work team. Aimed at promoting and developing youth work research, writing and thinking this online platform provides a virtual space for youth workers, youth organisations/agencies and students to explore local research, share good practice and exchange programme ideas. The platform does this in three ways -
Critical VOICE Articles
A collection of local writing on contemporary youth work themes which aims to articulate the uniqueness of youth work practice. This will be updated quarterly and submissions are welcomed.
reflections on practice
Reflections from those directly engaged in local youth work on matters most affecting their work and their hopes for the future of the sector.
Library of Resources
An archive of research, reports, and statistics useful for those engaged in youth work
This platform was developed in early 2017 through a collaboration of Ulster University's Community Youth Work team and YouthAction NI. UU and YANI came together to run a number of writing events or workshops under the title ‘Building a bank of writers’. An open invitation was extended to those who might be interested in writing about youth work and young people. The focus of this group was to write about youth work ideas and issues for a local audience. Further discussions revealed the lack of either print or on-line spaces which exist to publish or promote any written work. Critical Voice was developed to fill this gap, offering a space for local youth work to be explored; and working on written material that might stimulate debate in the youth work sector.
The Critical Voice platform is currently managed by Ulster University's Community Youth Work team and a practitioner advisory group.
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