“This journey began with high-levels of demands for support to self-organise from young people of ethnic minority background. At first glance, this was an encouraging trend as it meant that young people were taking an active role in their social participation. However, on closer inspection, it very quickly became an alarming fact that most of the structures and resources that young people needed were already in place. Of course, this raised the question of whether they knew of the resources’ existence, that is, mainstream youth work or whether it was a deliberate choice not to partake in what was and still is on offer not to mention why a decision would be made not to take part. This phenomenon directed two strong youth workers on a scavenger hunt. The road they took would for many be unconventional or even slippery, however, they trusted their instinct on this.
Deciding to embark on this journey with no predetermined notion of the problem but rather letting young people direct them is what makes this research unique and powerful. This research asked the right ques- tions at the right time to the right people. It is crystal clear that Ireland as a nation has undergone a signifi- cant change to it make up. Therefore, it was about time we re-examined whether the youth work system in place was still responding to the needs of all young people and reflecting the changing times.
