Youth and Community Work

Youth and community work is a profession built on the belief that people develop best when they are supported, respected, and given genuine agency in their own lives and communities. At the University of St Mark and St John, the BA Youth and Community Work is a three-year full-time programme that develops the knowledge, skills, and values needed to work effectively with young people and communities facing a wide range of challenges. The degree combines academic learning with practical experience, grounding your professional development in real-world engagement with the issues that affect the young people and communities you will work with.

The programme draws on sociology, psychology, community development theory, and social policy to build a rigorous foundation for practice. You will study how social structures, inequality, and institutional systems shape the opportunities and constraints that young people experience, and develop the relational skills that effective youth and community work requires. Questions about participation, empowerment, advocacy, and how professionals should balance support with autonomy run through the curriculum.

The degree also engages with specific issues including mental health, substance use, housing instability, and the experience of marginalised groups, giving you the contextual knowledge to work thoughtfully in complex situations. As the current programme description indicates, the aim is to develop practitioners who can build genuine relationships and use their expertise to inspire and enable the people they work with.

Graduates move into careers in youth work, community development, youth justice, social enterprise, the voluntary and charity sector, local government, and education. Youth and community work is a JNC-recognised profession, and graduates of qualifying programmes like this one are eligible for professional status. Some graduates go on to postgraduate study or professional training in social work, counselling, education, or community development.

The combination of theoretical grounding and practical competence the programme develops prepares graduates for roles where the ability to work with people in difficult circumstances, with both empathy and professional rigour, is the central requirement.