Chapter 11: The Benefits of an Integrated Sacred-Secular Approach to Youth Worker Training

“Youth work” is a phrase that is owned and constructed by both the human services and the religious sectors. Despite holding much in common around altruistic goals for the health and well-being of young people, more often than not both sectors work in isolation rather than in partnership with each other. Such isolation is detrimental to the shared goals of positive youth development and to the health and well-being of society as a whole. A far better approach would see a rich dialogue between sacred and secular views on young people and youth work, a common ground of theoretical and practical partnership. The tertiary educational setting creates the best possible hope of helping youth work students to gain a better awareness of the current sacred/secular divide and the enhanced social benefits of moving, instead, toward a sacred/secular relationship. In light of this, integrated curriculum in youth worker training is essential. A range of practical suggestions are offered as a starting point to further thinking on integrated curriculum possibilities.