Book Launch – The Ultimate Separatist Cage?
Youth Work with Muslim Young Women
By Dr. Gill Cressey
The book is commissioned by The National Youth Agency and was given its launch on Sunday 13th January 2008 in Bolton, Lancs. Gill Cressey says in the book: “My intention in bringing this book together is to introduce a range of reasons why youth work organisations engage in women-only work, particularly with Muslim Young Women…….my aim is to provide examples of good practice and to draw lessons from the accounts of the youth workers and young women about what works and what can make youth work accessible and effective in the lives of a variety of Muslim young Women”
(Cressey, G 2007:3)
So that explains how and why the book was written. Juice (bayc’s Young Women’s Development Officer) was asked by Dr. Cressey to write a section for this book, along with her colleague, Simbi Folarin (Ladywood Girl Work Forum), whom Juice has forged many partnerships to enable working with young women to occur. Juice commented: “After many years of working with Muslim young women it is a privilege to have been asked to write for this book. Our joint effort looks at how we have worked with Muslim Young Women in mixed settings i.e. with other young women from different backgrounds and religious beliefs, and highlights the reasons for the need to continue single sex youth work. It is good that opportunities like this come about and that many practitioners will be able to read for themselves and gain valuable insight.” The launch was at Bolton Lads and Girls Club and they too were asked to write a section for the book. Sunday is the day in which the club is opened solely for young women and the purpose of this enables young Muslim Women to engage in the youth provisions that the club provides. Bolton Lads and Girls Club is a purpose built facility that incorporates Health & Fitness, Creative Arts and Healthy Living and Lifestyle Choices for young women and boasts over 180 members.
The Ultimate Separatist Cage? (ISBN 975 0 86155 339 6) is available from the National Youth Agency, Eastgate House, 19—23 Humberstone Road, Leicester LE5 3GJ, priced at £9.50 Tel: 0116 242 7350 Fax: 0116 242 7444 Email: nya@nya.org.uk
Why work with Young Women?
- Creating space for young women.
- Awareness of self with different gender- from male worker perspective
- Not enough youth provision for young women
- Giving young women space to speak - a voice
- Enables issue base work with young women’s differences- sexual heath/self esteem etc.
- Need for isolation to enable integration
- To continue the work with young women
- To keep young women politically and socially aware
- Because workers enjoy the challenges - especially more challenging now
- To have a positive impact on young women
- Enabling listening and advice giving
- Frustration/anger re. equality of access to provision
- Knowledge Base- Language of work with young women
- Enthusiasm for work with young women-motivation
Sustainability and consistency
