Youth and their workers: the interacting subjectification effects of neoliberal social policy and NGO practice frameworks

Emerging Multi-Professional Assemblages of Precision Guidance Producing the Resilient and Future-Oriented Citizen

“…The results of our study support and extend on previous studies (Reid & West, 2011;Lohmeyer 2017), demonstrating the effects of neoliberalisation of youth and guidance services and their deprofessionalisation. As Lohmeyer (2017Lohmeyer ( , 1270 states, "the deprofessionalisation effects of neoliberalism reinforces an understanding of young people as incapable, dependant economic citizens in training. "…”

“…This critical and emancipatory interest is an integral part of several disciplines among professionals who work with youth -such as youth workers, social workers and career guidance counsellors (e.g. Lohmeyer, 2017). The results of our study support and extend on previous studies (Reid & West, 2011;Lohmeyer 2017), demonstrating the effects of neoliberalisation of youth and guidance services and their deprofessionalisation.…”

“…The multi-professional 'turn' in youth guidance and support has occurred hand in hand with neoliberal Nordic welfare state reforms. The effects of neoliberalisation on social, youth and career guidance services has attracted criticism from multiple directions (Healy, 2009;Lohmeyer, 2017;Reid & West, 2011). One commonality across the various professions is the pressure towards deprofessionalisation, which quasimarketisation, privatisation and projectisation of public services have paved the way for.…”

“…Guidance and support services built from the 'bottom-up' with public-private-third sector partnerships have reported to have multiple positive effects -but at the same time there are broad local variations in the services offered as well as in the qualifications different professionals have (Helander et al, 2018;Kettunen & Felt, 2020;Määttä, 2019, p. 208). Empirically-based scepticism has been raised about how de-professionalisation might lead to the deterioration of a critical and emancipatory part of the work, integral to various academically-grounded professions such as teaching, youth work, social work and career guidance (Lohmeyer, 2017(Lohmeyer, , p. 1270Reid & West 2011, p. 399-400;Wallace & Pease, 2011).…”

“…One recurring theme was bullying at school. Instead of considering school bullying a structural, social or cultural problem or an issue of power, it was most often recognised through psychological, therapeutic and individualised vocabulary, as a process of 'wounding' some young people, and hence, endangering their full participation in the society and economy (Lohmeyer, 2017(Lohmeyer, , p. 1270):…”