Conference on youth disaffection

Leading education researchers gathered in in London today (Friday 22 November) to debate how national policies and decision-making is resulting in disaffection among young people.

Accelerating inequality in the UK has hit young people especially hard, with unemployment and underemployment amongst 18-24 year olds at historic highs.

As the cost of living rises, young people remain most likely to be paid below the living wage, with benefits failing to keep pace with inflation, having more conditions attached, or having been withdrawn altogether.

In a bid to investigate how this can be addressed, the British Educational Research Association’s (BERA) special interest groups (SIGs) on social justice and youth studies held a joint meeting at Kingston University to explore how educators can respond to this situation.

Dr Ruth Boyask, from Plymouth University’s Institute of Education, and convenor of BERA’s Social Justice SIG, said: “Current policies encourage privatisation and favour culturally elite agendas in schools, while spending cuts have closed many youth services.

“At the same time, in media and political discussion, young people are routinely depicted negatively and as lacking aspiration, and are held to account for the precarious nature of their lives, while their persistence with increasingly expensive education systems and employment that pays badly is disregarded.”

The event brought together academics and practitioners in the fields of education and youth studies, with talks from influential researchers in the field including Patrick Ainley, Martin Allen, Kim Allen and Rob MacDonald.

Workshops and panels will include input from other educators and researchers in the field, and explore how education can contribute to social justice for young people.

This event and accompanying blog is part of an ongoing programme of work about the interrelated issues of ‘Education, Youth Poverty and Social Class’.