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Introduction
Social Work and Youth Development Work are intrinsically related; therefore, this BSc Social Work with Minor in Youth Development Work seeks to offer students a rich blend of aspects of the human services that are urgently needed to address current societal issues that exist or are emerging in this 21st Century environment. This alignment of Social Work (Major) with Youth Development Work (Minor) offers students an exciting opportunity to explore and benefit from compatible and supplementary areas of academic interests that will make them stand out in the job market and in applying for graduate studies.
The programme seeks to equip the region’s professionals and volunteers with the requisite knowledge, skills and competencies to contribute meaningfully to the practice of social work and the issues of youth development work across the Caribbean region and elsewhere.
Who is this programme for?
the programme is for individuals with an interest in pursuing careers in the human services including:
social/youth workers and volunteers who do not have formal qualification in social work and/or youth development work and are desirous of pursuing a profession in the human services
persons who are interested in enhancing and strengthening their competencies in order to engage in human services support in their places of employment, or as volunteers in social and civic organizations and institutions e.g. schools, churches, places of safety, children homes, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs); first line supervisors and trainers in government ministries and agencies, private sector entities.
Which careers can graduates pursue?
Graduates are likely to pursue the following careers:
- Social services administrator
- Probation officer
- Public administrator
- Public policy consultant
- Guidance counsellor
- Educator
- Youth coordinator and manager
- Police officer
- Sociologist
- Correctional officer
- Substance abuse counsellor
- Child welfare officer
- Outreach worker or volunteer
- Behaviour specialist
- Advocate
- Researcher/Evaluator
Programme Structure
The structure of the BSc Social Work with Minor in Youth Development Work reflects progression of intellectual growth and promotes student success. The courses at Level 1 are foundation and introductory level courses. Levels II and III of the programme comprise the courses offered in the Social Work (Major), the Youth Development Work (Minor), and the Free Electives. All courses in this proposed structure are drawn from the Open Campus’ existing undergraduate programmes in Social Work and Youth Development Work in particular, as well as from the Sociology and Psychology programmes for the Free Electives. This degree category comprises the Major (30 credits); Minor (18 credits); and Free Electives (12 credits)
When will the programme start?
The programme is offered in August of each Academic Year. Students may complete the degree full time in a minimum of three academic years (over six semesters). Students, however, may pursue the programme part-time according to their capacity to manage their academic and professional responsibilities.
Entry Requirements
New entrants must meet the University’s normal matriculation requirements in order to be accepted into the programme.
New entrants must meet the University’s normal matriculation requirements in order to be accepted into the programme. They must satisfy the requirements in either (a) or (b) or (c) or (d) below:
(a) Entrants with CXC-CSEC and GCE qualifications having:
- An acceptable pass in CXC-CSEC Mathematics or its equivalent; AND
- An acceptable pass in CXC-CSEC English A; AND
- One of the following minimum qualifications:
o either five subjects (at least two GCE ‘A’ Level or CAPE) and the remainder acceptable passes in CXC-CSEC or GCE ‘O’ Level; OR
o four subjects (at least three GCE ‘A’ Level or CAPE) and the fourth an acceptable pass in the CXC-CSEC or GCE ‘O’ Level - Grade requirements for CXC/CSEC subjects are General Proficiency, Grades I or II pre‐1998 and Grades I, II, or III from June 1998.
(b) Holders of five (5) CXC-CSEC or GCE ‘O’ Level passes or equivalent, not necessarily obtained at the same sitting.
NOTE: The same subject cannot be counted at both CXC-CSEC General Proficiency and GCE ‘O’ Level.
English Language Proficiency Examination
Entrants may be required to take The English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT). This test is used to assess whether persons applying to pursue undergraduate degree programmes at the UWI Open Campus possess a satisfactory level of writing and reading proficiency in English for university academic purposes.
Academic Preparation
The following courses do not provide credits for your programme of study but will give you the added benefit of preparing for your academic studies at the UWI Open Campus:
OOL1001 Orientation to Online Learning
IYMS1001 Improving your Math Skills (if applicable)
Course of Study
This is a cross-disciplinary course. It is designed to provide a firm base for Communication courses and for courses in English for Special Purposes linked with specific disciplines. It helps students to achieve the level of competence in written language that is required of the university student in undergraduate programmes. Course content includes Language in the Caribbean, Summarizing, the Formal Essay and Methods of Organising Information.
This course is designed to develop an awareness of the main process of cultural development in Caribbean societies, highlighting the factors, the problematic and the creative output that have fed the emergence of Caribbean identities. It also develops a perception of the Caribbean as wider than island nations or linguistic blocs and stimulates students’ interest in, and commitment to Caribbean civilization and to further their self-determination.
Exempted if completed ASc. In Social Work
This course will introduce students to classical social theory through an understanding of the work of writers such as Auguste Comte, Max Weber, Karl Marx and George H. Mead. The main focus of this studying is to understand the central ideas of these writers and to reflect on the usefulness of their theory in contemporary Caribbean societies. This reflection will support students’ further investigations of the explanations given for issues on the front line of Caribbean societies’ development agendas. At the same time, students will learn about the central ideas and perspectives of writers such as Edward Kamau Brathwaite, M.G. Smith and George Beckford. The combination of classical and Caribbean schools of social inquiry will set the tone for a synthesizing of perspectives on race, class, gender, ethnicity and the family in society. This process will assist students with developing their theoretical base in social theory, as well as independent thought on happenings in Caribbean society.
Exempted if completed any of the following: ASc. In Social Work, Diploma in Social Services, Certificate in Social Work (Trinidad)
Shared with Undergraduate programme: BSc Social Work
Students in the final year must complete all their Year 1 (level one and two) and Year 2 (Level one) courses before undertaking the practicum
This is the first of three core YDEW courses which focus specifically on developing effective and reflective practitioners. It is followed by YDEW2000 in Year 2 and YDEW3000 in Year 3. This course introduces students to the foundations of the profession by exploring the theoretical principles which underpin the concept of youth and youth development work through an exploration of the history of youth development work with special reference to the evolution of practice in the Caribbean. The course will examine definitions and labels attributed to youth including child, youth, juvenile, adolescent and young person and will highlight issues affecting special categories of youth. By engaging in study on the contemporary status of Caribbean YDW, students will understand the significance of professionalisation and competencies, the roles and responsibilities of the youth worker, the dynamics of working with youth individually and in groups, special ethical issues and current institutional values and organisational structures for YDW in the Caribbean. It will introduce students to the rights-based approach to youth development. Students will begin a Learning and Professional Development Journal outlining their professional goals and objectives, which they will use and update as they progress through their programme.
Competencies:
YDWCYP0343: Promote equality of opportunity, participation and responsibility
YDWCYP0493: Work as an effective and reflective practitioner
This course is the second of the core YDEW courses. It will support students in building competence in reflective practice by helping them to understand the youth sector. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding and working with youth-led organisations and assisting with the personal development of youth leaders. This course requires practical application and students will be asked to develop a mock personal development plan for a young person in need of support in a given area (based on case study provided by instructor). Students will be required to amend and update their Learning and Professional Development Journal by monitoring their own progress towards achievement of YDW competencies through the Level II period of study, and to make notes about the sectors in which they would like to work and plan for the additional skills and competencies required to pursue their career in that area.
Competencies:
YDWCYP0674: Promote a culture of occupational health and safety in youth development work
YDWCYP0323: Assist young people with their personal development plans
YDWCYP0493: Work as an effective and reflective practitioner
This course will explore the main debates and issues of concern in Caribbean youth development work. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the complex interrelated themes of development which impinge on youth development and be able to offer a critical analysis of current youth affairs with respect to issues such as: globalisation and migration, the sociology of poverty and socio-economic development (education and unemployment), gender and sexuality, public health, crime, violence and citizen security, environmental protection and sustainable development, and sports and culture. Students will explore youth culture and youth sub-cultures in conducting their analysis of contemporary development issues and will be required to formulate recommendations and strategies to address youth development concerns.
Competencies:
YDWCYP0604: Design, develop and support the implementation of HIV/AIDS, STIs and related programmes
YDWCYP0714: Manage the promotion of healthy lifestyles among youth
YDWCYP0724: Manage implementation of youth peace building agenda
YDWCYP0684: Develop and implement protocols and procedures to safeguard the welfare of young people in youth development work
YDWCYP0694: Promote a culture of entrepreneurship among young people
YDWCYP0764: Design, develop and support the implementation of new opportunities for the development of young people
YDWCYP0373: Promote environmental protection and sustainable development
The course will introduce students to the main tenets of sustainable development and the relationship with principles of sustainable environmental management. Students will engage in debates on current environmental concerns such as the international climate agenda. They will learn how to raise awareness among youth about sustainable development, support the formation of youth environmental networks and advocate for youth participation in environmental decision-making.
Competencies:
YDWCYP0614: Design, develop and support the implementation of community youth development programmes
YDWCYP0564: Apply advanced advocacy skills
YDWCYP0714: Manage the promotion of healthy lifestyles among youth
YDWCYP0744: Design, develop and support the implementation of programmes to enable young people to address their circumstances
YDWCYP0764: Design, develop and support the implementation of new opportunities for the development of young people
YDWCYP0373: Promote environmental protection and sustainable development
YDWCYP0493: Work as an effective and reflective practitioner
Assessment: 100% Continuous Assessment.
This course provides a solid grounding in Mental & Physical Health, extending on the material presented in the Introduction to Psychology Course in Level 1. It highlights abnormal psychology and psychiatric disorders including the behavioural disorders in children, autism, mood and anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, personality disorders, psychopathy, the schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and various therapeutic orientations. It concludes by introducing some controversies in psychiatry and highlights the important role clinical psychology will need to play in treating mental disorders in the future. Mental & Physical Health is one of the core pillars of general content in the discipline of psychology. The core pillars include Biological, Cognitive, Developmental, Social & Personality Psychology, and Mental & Physical Health.
The course builds on the rights-based approach to youth development through a focus on the tools which can be applied to protecting and supporting the right of youth to participate in decision-making at all levels of society in matters which affect their lives. It will expose students to methods and strategies for assessing the needs and considering the protection of the rights of special vulnerable groups such as indigenous, differently-abled and other minority groups. Students will explore the relative merits, shortcomings and principles of approaches to youth-adult partnerships, youth leadership, mentorship and peer mentorship. Students will explore the principles underpinning advocacy for youth participation and the design of programmes for soliciting youth views on development issues and for youth mentorship.
Competencies:
YDWCYP0564: Apply advanced advocacy skills
YDWCYP0614: Design, develop and support the implementation of community youth development programmes
YDWCYP0684: Develop and implement protocols and procedures to safeguard the welfare of young people in youth development work
YDWCYP0744: Design, develop and support the implementation of programmes to enable young people to address their circumstances
YDWCYP0343: Promote equality of opportunity, participation and responsibility
YDWCYP0493: Work as an effective and reflective practitioner
This course will introduce students to the role, purpose and principles of advocacy in youth development. Students will learn how to conduct analyses of policies and legislation which address (or do not address) youth issues and to develop an advocacy agenda around gaps and weaknesses in existing frameworks, paying attention to the principles of equality, equity and human rights. Students will learn and apply advocacy skills using verbal and written communication tools in public education and awareness raising, networking and lobbying, paying attention to the differences in types of audience and the varied purposes of advocacy. Special emphasis will be placed on learning how to support youth and build their capacity to advocate for themselves and for others.
The course requires practical application of skills to the legislative and policy arenas. Having explored legislative and policy frameworks in the Caribbean related to the human rights and constitutional protection of children and youth, economic and social rights, juvenile justice, family law, children and youth policies, and the actors and stages of the legislative and policy formulation process, students will be expected to engage in a critical analysis of the National Youth Policy, where it exists in their country or other primary policy documents which govern youth development and to develop a Strategic Plan for networking and advocacy towards the revision and updating of legislation and policy.
Competencies:
YDWCYP0564: Apply advanced advocacy skills
YDWCYP0574: Develop networks to support the national youth development agenda
YDWCYP0584: Develop and implement national youth policy
YDWCYP0644: Develop a strategic plan
YDWCYP0684: Develop and implement protocols and procedures to safeguard the welfare of young people in youth development work
YDWCYP0764: Design, develop and support the implementation of new opportunities for the development of young people
YDWCYP0343: Promote equality of opportunity, participation and responsibility
YDWCYP0363: Plan and conduct high-level meetings
YDWCYP0493: Work as an effective and reflective practitioner
There will be two distinct parts of the course. In Part I, Community Psychology will be highlighted. Under this theme the principles of community work will provide the framework for discussing quality of life issues and social problems arising out of the relationship between the individual and his or her community and the society. In part II the focus will shift to Environmental Psychology. A review of psychological concepts and principles will provide the background for discussing the transaction between the individual and the natural and built environment.
