Rethink Resources

From the work of Precita Eyes Mural Arts El Hijo del Sol

For different youth workers, ‘youth’ can mean many different age groups. For example, community health workers refer to 13-23 year olds as youth in outreach materials and many clinic services. For some in juvenile justice work, youth can mean only legal minors 17 and under. For runaway and homeless youth workers, it often means 12-21 year olds.

It can be a bit mystifying for youth who wonder why programs vary on this question. It makes it difficult to find programs at crucial stages in a youth’s life, turning 18 or 21 means potentially qualifying for or being disqualified from different programs and opportunities. Obviously no one stays a youth forever.

Age isn’t just about a number, it’s socially constructed. Plus everyone has their own idea of where they fit and how old they feel.

I realize that when I talk about youth sometimes I mean legal minors and sometimes I mean youth as in under 24 years old. And I realize being 21 is very different than being 12. But I’ve worked with many 18-23 year olds who while enjoying some of the benefits of ‘adulthood’ still understood themselves and had unresolved needs as youth.

In different youth programs on the sex trade I’ve seen programs go through times when we saw mostly minors and other times where the group was mostly young adults. It can be really challenging to have a group for a really wide age range like 12-23. But I do think it’s possible and especially when programs are offering a range of activities and opportunities - youth can find a space that fits their needs.

I would stress to anyone to reflect on the simple characterization that once someone turns 18, their involvement in the sex trade is somehow profoundly different than a day earlier. Youth have a wide range of experiences in the sex trade and those don’t change dramatically because of turning 18 years old.

Clearly both crucial developmental differences and legal realities mean what youth work with someone at 13 years old and someone at 20 years old will look somewhat different. But it’s all youth work.