Behaviour Management

A one-day programme run by the youth work staff at Southwell House Youth Project.

This programme is intended for those who work with groups of teenagers in non-formal environments, such as voluntary sector youth clubs, discussion groups, church groups, catechism classes, and so on, in situations where we do not wish to exclude young people from the activity, but where there is also a need for others to be able to take part without distractions, where there is a need for each young person to make progress, or where safety may become a concern. The material presented would also be of interest to secondary teachers.

The day will focus on the sources of inappropriate behaviour, so that by controlling the environment in which young people find themselves, we can make it easier for them to behave in a way which contributes to the success of the activity rather than disrupts it.

The sources of behaviour which will be examined will be: the background which the young person brings with him or her; his or her perceptions of the group, and vice versa; expectations and the chances of success; young people’s personal agendas, the structure of the activity, and the type of transactions which result from the leader’s approach to the task. The approaches used will recognise the importance of allowing equal opportunities to all young people, and of respecting their views and their freedom.

The day will be led by youth workers who have experience in dealing with young people in a variety of situations, but especially in non-formal educational situations. The day will involve activities of various kinds, discussion and de-briefing, short talks, and room for questions.

Southwell House is a Youth Project which specialises in running short programmes for young people from a variety of backgrounds and mostly aged between 13 and 18 years old. Most of our staff are either qualified youth workers or teachers, or are currently working towards their youth work qualification. All have experience in situations where behaviour management in non-formal situations is a prime requirement of carrying out activities.

Some written material will be available to take home afterwards.

Perhaps it needs to be said that we can’t guarantee success in managing every young person's behaviour! Those who can work successfully in such situations are those who make fewer mistakes in their approaches to young people than others, but nobody can be sure of succeeding all the time.

If you would like more information about this programme, or would like to make suggestions about its possible content, please contact the course leader, who on this occasion is Michael Smith.

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