In 2002 the Ministry of Youth Development published ‘Youth Development Strategy Aoteaoroa’ as a policy platform for government agencies and others who work with young people.

The strategy asserts in six principles that youth development is:
· Shaped by the ‘big picture’
· About young people being connected
· Based on a strengths-based approach
· Happens through quality relationships
· Triggered when young people fully participate
· Needing good information

These principles are implicit in 24-7 YouthWork. It is positive in emphasis, relational in nature and helps young people increase their in-school and out-of-school connections. It also constantly evolves to reflect youth culture, encourages young people to make their own decisions and has been committed to research.

A recent endorsement of school-based youth work has come from the National Youth Workers Network. Their 2006 report ‘Real Work’ noted as one of key findings that schools should be recognised as an important context for youth work.

SYC has also carried out research on 24-7 YouthWork. In 2003 SYC contracted an independent researcher to evaluate its overall organisation and service provision including 24-7 YouthWork. The research methodology included a brief literature review of resiliency factors in young people, demographic profiling, analysis of SYC’s own reports and publications, as well as 91 face to face interviews with SYC leaders, young people, stakeholders and staff members at 24-7 YW schools.

Ten staff members from Cashmere, Hillmorton and Riccarton High Schools were interviewed and informal input was provided by a number of other staff. Feedback about 24-7 YW was overwhelmingly positive. 24-7 YouthWork was seen as delivering considerable benefit for schools and excellent value for money.

Staff reported how youth workers reduced teacher loads in regard to sports and other extracurricular activity as well as tutoring and support for students with special needs. They were seen as powerful role models and mentors who were liked and respected by students.

Youth workers were frequently used to support socially isolated students and help them establish relational networks. They were also valued for the positive impact they had on school spirit. Schools also endorsed youth workers leadership development work.

At one school “The Principal commented that he could not contemplate the school without its 24-7 youth workers, and would expand the number … if funding allowed this. He saw the great value of the programme as being the modelling of caring, tolerance, respect and ‘old fashioned morals’ by the youth workers and the way they show young people that they are happy living like that and their lives are meaningful.”

In 2005 an SYC staff member surveyed three secondary schools where 24-7 YouthWork was operating as part of his studies at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. Three staff members in each school were interviewed, including the principal or another senior management person. In addition 44 staff chosen at random completed a written questionnaire.

The survey found that “the youth workers are very well respected … for who they are and what they do.” Schools commonly identified role modelling, mentoring, leadership development, promoting good decision making and being ‘in between’ people as key contributions.

While SYC as an organisation was highly valued; the concept of in-school youth workers was even more highly appreciated. As one principal commented “If Spreydon Youth Community youth workers pulled out … I would be looking to find other workers of similar ilk to come into the school and do the sorts of things that these people do because I implicity believe that it is incredibly important.”

One issue specifically addressed by the 2005 case study was boundaries of Christian influence within state schools. Since all three schools in the study were state schools with five or more years experience with 24-7 YouthWork the findings are fairly authoritative.

24-7 YouthWork is a Christian-based programme aligned with local churches. 24-7 Youth Workers are all Christians and are open about their faith. However since “… students are at school because they have to be and … cannot just walk away from school … it would be unfair for anyone … to come into that situation and try to capture for their particular religion. For this reason, none of the youth workers [are] preaching or overtly talk about Christianity in a way that will compromise their position.”

That 24-7 YouthWorkers express their faith in appropriate ways seems to be borne out by staff comments such as:
· “I haven’t seen any obvious evangelism or I would have stepped in … I haven’t seen evangelism of any sort actually”
· “I don’t think they’ve ever preached or tried to necessarily talk about church or Christianity or anything like that.”
· “They do not go around preaching Christianity. They’re conscious of the fact that we have all sorts of religions within the school so they don’t ever go around preaching those things. But they do exemplify, if you like, Christian values.”

24-7 YouthWorkers do promote many out of school activities which have Christian connections. Yet the important thing to note here is that these are extra options that students can freely choose to accept or reject. This reflects the 24-7 YW commitment to letting young people make their own decisions.

In summary then; 24-7 YouthWork is an established, effective and ‘cutting-edge’ approach to youth work.

It provides supplemental but direct help to schools and students across a broad range of areas. It is a trust relationship between a school and a church. Its spiritual nature can be a positive and appropriate influence within a state school setting.

· Luke Gardiners 2005 polytech report