Dialogue on the margins? About the relations, not only professional, of social workers and youth threatened by social exclusion

Abstract

Article presents selected outcomes of quantitative and qualitative research focused on the perception of social problems conducted with the groups social workers and young people living in the disadvantaged neighbourhood of Warmia and Mazury region. The presented research is the first step of youth supporting and activisation programme “Pomosty” (for more details see: www.pomosty.org.pl). The results show the serious deficites of social and cultural capital among young people and stereotipization of perception of local youth communities present in the opinions of social workers. Author argues that efficient and succesfull social work adressed to the young clients must be forewarded by professional preparation of social workers and should be both: organized around young people’s reall needs and engagging different types of local institutions and individual actors.