Listen to this
Where were you a quarter century ago when the first edition of CYC-Online made its appearance? Some amongst you were not born until the 21st Century when the internet had already begun to assume a more dominant feature in our lives. This was before we had smart phones. Now we face the emergence of Artificial Intelligence that is likely to help or hinder the field of child and youth care – a field that is still very youthful, in so many ways. Some amongst you might be referred to as “Digital Natives” who are not infrequently called upon to support those less digitally confident to access and read each monthly edition of CYC-Online. Few child and youth care workers and supervisors – world wide – ignore the importance of professional development as an integral feature of contract of employment in the child and youth care field. Install the CYC-Net App on your smart phone enables child and youth care workers to have back-up access with practice ideas that may support work with particular youths.
Professional development for child and youth care workers and supervisors remains a core objective across the International Child and Youth Care Network (CYC-NET). CYC-Online promotes and facilitates reading, learning, information sharing, discussion, networking, support and accountable practice amongst all who work with children, youth and families in difficulty. There is not a resource library anywhere in the world that rivals CYC-Net and CYC-Online for specialist reading and learning materials directly related to working with children, young people and families facing difficulties. Child and youth care supervisors encourage supervisees to present and discuss their work with particular children or young people. Supervisors can also identify follow up reading through CYC-Online using the search function to focus on timely follow-up learning.
A shared vision of experienced child and youth care workers seeking to better support new child and youth care workers in direct practice with children and young people, Brian Gannon of South Africa and Thom Garfat of Canada worked to launch CYC-Online in February 1999. They posed a central editorial question that still resonates today: “It’s not about where you work but what you do” in that work! A follow-up theme centred around “Connecting Children with Their World”, arguing that each child or young person needs care and support to enable full participation in their world, learning to make good decisions and experience achievements, and building relationships that matter. In the third issue of CYC-Online , the Editors challenged child and youth care workers to develop their practice with the idea that “Every Day is New!” Doing something in good. It is the essence of our child and youth care field. Doing while thinking (or being mindful) is even better!”
Conceptual frameworks and ways of thinking about and explaining what we are doing were highlighted early on by the Founding Editors, an editorial practice sustained under the careful scrutiny of the Managing Editor of CYC-Online , Martin Stabrey. He is assisted by Associate Editors Dr Mark Smith, Janice Daley, James Freeman and Dr. Shemine Gulamhusein. For the past quarter century, Martin has been the face, ear and Voice of the Young and Care Experienced (VOYCE) of CYC-Online. Those associated with the International Child and Youth Care Network at www.cyc-net.org, know what a pivotal role has been played by our own care experienced and qualified Managing Editor, Martin Stabrey. The www.cyc-net.org website also supports an important collection of books and other learning materials, along with hosting the journal, Relational Child and Youth Care Practice.
Providing twenty-five years of professional education support for child and youth care workers internationally has been no mean feat. A professional history of storytelling has shown through virtually every edition of CYC-Online. New authors have been supported to share issues and stories, highlighting pathways to authorship, discussions about shared care experiences, and exposure to different ways of thinking about practice issues, both nationally and internationally. As an old timer and long-term contributor to CYC-Online , it is a thrill to see youth workers and foster carers – both locals and internationals – use the CYC-Net App and start telling their friends and family about it. We encourage readers at CYC-Online to share short stories about purposeful use of daily activities, about practice dilemmas, or brief accounts of relational successes with a particular young person and family members. Longer, practice research papers are also encouraged so that Child and Youth Care diploma and degree students might submit summary accounts of their research assignments and methods of enquiry.
In what follows, from regular contributors and others invited to write to a theme of what it means to have achieved a 300th Issue of CYC-Online and a presence in the field of child and youth care, seeking to make a difference. I’m sure that South Africa’s National Association of Child Care Workers (NACCW) would agree that Brian Gannon’s vision is being achieved, through an internet resource that promotes and facilitates reading, learning, information sharing, discussion, networking, support and accountable practice amongst all who work with children, youth and families in difficulty. Brian Gannon’s vision crossed paths with Northern Hemisphere visionary, Canadian Thom Garfat, and their contributions to developing a specialist literature focusing on child and youth care practice. A collection of specialist resources for child and youth care gathered together over the past quarter century is now readily available to college and university libraries to support students with coursework in this field. We hope you will enjoy and find something that prompts you to add to what is already available at CYC-Online to the world of Child and Youth Care!
