Transform the lives of vulnerable communities. Empower disadvantaged young people to achieve their potential. Qualify for an incredibly satisfying career in youth and community work where you'll be changing lives every day.
Overview
The BA (Hons) Community and Youth Work degree will prepare you for a successful career in working with young people and in communities across a variety of settings.
Our recently updated youth work course offers you the opportunity to develop your ability to work with communities and young people (both theoretically and via extensive practice) and study the knowledge, skills and values of youth work and community development in order to graduate with a professional JNC qualification in Youth Work alongside your degree.*
Just like the practice of community development and youth work, this course has been designed in a creative way and offers much more than lectures and writing essays, by going beyond the theoretical. You'll learn how to understand the problems faced by young people and communities and how to change situations and realities. The curriculum focuses on achieving social justice and celebrating the assets that are abundant in communities and societies, particularly within those communities that have been disadvantaged. The curriculum offers you a holistic learning experience which has professional practice and employability built in.
If you're ready to make a positive difference in the world, the team are ready to hear from you.
Why us?
- This course has 100% Overall Satisfaction (National Student Survey 2022)
- The University of Sunderland has been delivering youth work courses for over 45 years
- Our Social Work courses (which includes Community and Youth Work) are 1st in the North East and 15th in the UK (Complete University Guide 2024)
- We don’t just focus on theory, but we embed this learning with practice
- The course is delivered by experienced and qualified community and youth workers who will teach and support you on your professional journey. This will include close pastoral support and support to become competent and confident professionals.
- We are the only institution in the North East to offer professionally qualifying (JNC) Youth Work degrees
Course structure
During your studying, some of your learning will take place in the classroom, learning from each other and reading. However, community development and youth work are vocations, and it’s important to learn from real work-based experience as well as from academic study. For this reason, work placements are an integral part of the Community and Youth Work degree. By the time you graduate, you will have spent at least 800 hours in professional practice, within a minimum of two local community development and youth work organisations. This means your learning can evolve in surprising places, such as around a pool table, on a walk, in a community café, or in a multi-agency meeting.
If you’re already working in a community and youth work setting, then you may be able to complete your placement at your workplace, as long as the work is relevant and there are adequate supervision arrangements in place. You’ll also need to complete at least one placement in a setting which is not your workplace, to ensure that you get the maximum benefit from your placement experience.
Learning on campus will reflect the collaborative, empowering and reflective nature of community development and youth work – so expect a lot of dialogue, reflection and group work. Throughout your degree, you'll have one-to-one support from a designated Personal Academic Tutor who will support your progress from Fresher’s week to graduation.
The course utilises a range of assessment methods, including written assignments (reports, essays, reflections); individual, paired and group presentations; professional discussions; and the construction of portfolios. The broad range of assessment strategies encompasses the skills required within the community development and youth work profession, allowing you to develop a wide range of competencies while gradually increasing your confidence.
Facilities
You'll be based at the recently refurbished Wearside View, situated on the award-winning Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter's. This stunning riverside location benefits from dedicated library services and has superb transport links with the city centre and City Campus.
Career ready
Qualified community and youth workers are in high demand. With a varied repertoire of value-based and practice-related skills, community and youth workers find employment throughout local authorities and the voluntary, charity, and social enterprise sectors.
As a qualified professional, you’ll be eligible for the higher levels of salary scales set by the Joint Negotiating Committee for Youth and Community Workers.
To find out more about what community and youth work involves, read our article, or read more about what you can do with a Social Science degree.
Enhancing your professional practice
An important part of our Community and Youth Work course is the work-based experience you'll gain from your placements. By the time you graduate, you will have spent at least 800 hours in professional practice to enhance your training. As well as exposing you to a range of experiences and helping you understand the realities of community and youth work, placements are an excellent way of establishing professional contacts for your career.
You'll also have the opportunity to engage with the community development and youth work sector via guest lectures and speakers.
Centre for Applied Social Sciences
The University of Sunderland’s Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS) regularly hosts visiting speakers and it can be an excellent way to learn from the real-life experience of people who already have a strong track record in social policy.
CASS is the centre for applied social science research at the University and you may find opportunities to collaborate with the academic team – particularly in areas relating to children, young people and families.
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