ABSTRACT

Experiential learning is a key concept in the youth work curriculum, and as we found in Chapter 5 it is rooted in the work of Dewey (1916, 1938). Experience is at the heart of Dewey’s educational philosophy, where learning is defined as the reconceptualisation or transformation of experience. He emphasises social interaction and the development of real life ‘situations’, which he argues should be at the heart of the learning process. This is central to youth work theory and practice. Experiential learning is implicitly incorporated into youth work curricula with their emphasis on relationship building and working in the dynamic social spaces that youth workers create. They work with the interactions that develop from these situations and utilise these as a source of learning ‘underpinned by social education principles … [which] may vary from basic befriending to highly complex relations’ (Leicestershire, 2000: 7).