There are many contradictions inherent in any examination of the nature of the countryside and of rural life. There are no universally accepted definitions of rural life and many of those that do exist are based on characteristics of urban life from which the rural situation is assumed to deviate. The module will explore a range of currently used rural definitions, concepts, issues and practices and their relationship to community, play and youth work.
Content:
* The context of rural community, play and youth work
* Current practice
* The impliocations of doing outreach in rural communities
* Models and approaches to work in rural areas and their relationship to Community, Play and Youth Work practice
* Identifying rural community needs and priorities
* Key aspects of managing rural outreach work
* Planning and evaluating rural outreach initiatives
* Working with communitites
* Helping people make choices
* Changing policy and practice