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‘Empowerment’ and ‘Participation’ Have Become Widely Used Terms in the Field of Community & Youth Work. Discuss Your Understanding of the Varied Meanings Attached to These Terms and How These Might Inform Your Practice’

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Looking at the two words empowerment and participations, it can touch many different aspects within the youth and the community work profession. Firstly, it is seen that their are many areas of the community that need to be empowered. Empowerment has not one definition but it means many different things to different people and organisations. The Youth Justice Board (n.d) is seen to indentify empowerment within the youth work practise to be giving the power and courage to young people to be involved and have there say. Whereby giving young people the opportunity to be more engaged in activities by doing there best. Which then links in to participation, which is another concept or a ‘buzz word’ that is used within a community setting. Just …show more content…

Overall, creating an environment in which these people can feel comfortable and to take control of there lives.
It has been argued that there are many theories in which empowerment happens within society. Freire (1972) suggested that there is a four step process that empowerment can take place. The first process is banking education, which is described as the first step with an individual’s education. Banking is seen to be the method in which people learn from teachers, therefore being conditioned by society. In essence, learning from learning information from a different avenue, such as the media and family. The next step is conscientization, which is seen to be a process in which individuals to start to think in a critically. Whereby a critical awareness is learnt, therefore asking questions about the subject. Next to consider is the dialogic method, which is where individuals work together as a team to create empowerment. This is done by co creating a mutual understanding with a group of people. The final step of the process is called praxis, which is part where the individual puts the theological knowledge that they have learnt in to practice. This stage is where action – reflection – action cycle occurs. Moreover, being an activity in which together, individuals will create a culture and society.
The word empowerment has a significant part to play within the

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