Abstract:
ABSTRACT
Since youth work is a relatively new career path, there is
debate regarding the competencies necessary to advance
overall professional practice. This debate is particularly relevant in African countries, such as Kenya, with a growing number of youth in need of assistance. The purpose of this study
was to identify the competencies needed to meet the goals
and challenges of Kenyan youth workers, and assess whether
these competencies align with prominent youth development
competency frameworks. Data were collected from Kenyan
youth workers related to the challenges, goals, and barriers
they faced. These data were matched to two competency
frameworks. Four themes emerged: (1) programs management
competencies are most important; (2) holistically developed
youth is a primary goal; (3) differences exist in how competency frameworks map to Kenyan youth workers; and (4) all
competencies are not equal in the view of youth workers.
Implications for program and system development
are discussed.
