Description: A catalyst is something which changes the speed of a reaction. Those who work with young people often need to act at the interface between the young person and the opportunities that are available for their personal and social development. In simpler terms, we can say that the worker as catalyst ‘makes things happen’, providing stimulus, challenges and opportunities.
Issues: Acting as a catalyst can involve taking risks. One worker in an inner city youth club decided to organise an event to which none of the young men would be allowed entry if they weren't wearing a tie. Some would view this as inappropriate, demonstrating how out of touch the worker was with youth culture. However, it did produce all manner of reactions and conversations among the young people. The event was very well attended and was talked about years afterwards.
Being a ‘catalyst’ implies a relationship of power which can be viewed as positive or negative, depending on the outcome of the intervention, and who is doing the judging. So extending young people's experience can be interpreted as ‘workers deciding what is good for young people’, but it can also be seen as ‘opening doors’. On the clips from The Factory project, notice how the workers extend the experiences of the young people they meet through their street project.
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