The original relationship between the school and youth work is twofold. Firstly, in many places, the birth of youth work can be linked to the time when a part of the young population broke away from primary production, and industrial and wage work. The school became their place. Youth work, on the other hand, filled the idle and free time outside of the school. Secondly, many forms of youth work were born in connection with schools, or teachers played a key role in creating different forms of youth work. Hardly anywhere school and youth work have developed and functioned completely without knowing each other. In many countries, the cooperation between school and youth work, youth work in school, or activities like youth work, are noteworthy fields of educational work. It should be acknowledged however that school and youth work do not work closely together everywhere.

School is usually understood as a place where an adult teacher raises and teaches children and young people. Education and teaching also generate, guide, and support learning to achieve the goals set for education and teaching. Over the centuries, the school has developed into an institution of its own where learning plays the fundamental role. At the same time, it is good to remember that learning is not the only activity that takes place at school. Learning in youth work comes into an interesting light when it happens at school, whose important task is precisely to create learning. In terms of the flow of the face to face youth work practice, it is obvious that the learning goals and content of youth work carried out in the school environment cannot conflict with the learning goals and teaching content set by the school itself for its students.

YOUTH WORK AT SCHOOL
Youth work at school is described in many ways or terms, but surprisingly rarely from the perspective of and within the concepts of learning itself. Instead of a learning perspective, working forms of youth work or similar activities done at school are often reviewed or named (for example Smith 2019). A recent survey conducted in Finland revealed that the goals of youth work at the elementary school level emphasize improving young people’s friendships and group relationships, preventing bullying and violence, improving enjoyment at school, and supporting educational transitions (Kivijärvi et al. 2022, 58). When implemented, these efforts support the school’s learning goals and the young people’s learning, even if they are not directly connected with the learning process in the classroom. Youth work activities can improve the well-being of the students, but it is not fair to think that the teachers are not interested in the well-being of the students. It makes sense for the profession to define its professional role and practical tasks realistically enough. Youth work can offer itself as an educational and developmental partner for the students and for the teachers in the school environment.

According to the conceptual understanding of the Council of Europe, youth work “is delivered by paid and volunteer youth workers and is based on non-formal and informal learning processes focused on young people…” (Recommendation 2017). This definition, given to youth work in the political and administrative process of one specific organisation, considers learning to be the foundation of youth work. However, the document definition does not guarantee that at the local level, in all the member states, that youth work is really based on learning or that youth work methods are consciously based on learning processes. In a school environment, youth work is not always considered a learning environment, although youth work can be officially defined or named through learning. When working in a school environment, youth work can guide young people to learn about things that interest them and help young people to learn about society, communities, and themselves.

More goals can be assigned to the school other than just the acquisition of the knowledge content of the subjects included in the curriculum. The comprehensive goal for a human’s education, growth support, and versatile understanding can be set in the school and in the different fields of education. The goal is a civilized and critical human being participating in solving social problems. Briefly describing the school’s wide-ranging goal is difficult, as its understanding and conceptualisation varies in different countries, cultures, and languages. For example, the English language lacks a word that fully corresponds to the Finnish word “sivistys” or the German word “bildung”. Sometimes the broad goal of education and the learning of things contained in the school subjects are seen opposed to each other. However, it is difficult to think of a civilized person without versatile learning. Becoming an aware, active, and empathetic citizen does not happen by itself, it requires education and learning. This is the kind of learning which happens in youth work and it can be brought to the school community with the expertise of the youth worker. It is also the expertise of the interaction, of the participation of young people, and of the positive activities.

ANALYSING LEARNING IN SCHOOL AND YOUTH WORK
When discussing and analysing learning in school and youth work, it is customary to use the concepts of formal, non-formal and informal learning. In the current teaching and learning of our time, the differences between the concepts are no longer completely clear. The modern teaching methods and learning concepts also include student-oriented learning that can take place outside the classroom. In practice, it is ultimately difficult to distinguish when exactly it is formal, non-formal or informal learning. A person can learn almost all the time, and many activities and environments have opportunities for learning. And we should not forget that many times it is good for a human to just be and have fun without the conscious pressure of learning. Although the purpose of the formal, non-formal and informal conceptualisation is to show the special features of the different kinds of learning, however, making such distinctions can also turn against a deeper understanding about learning. A classification of learning that is too detailed can be alien to the comprehensive nature of learning of a human being. In a way, the conceptual system of learning seems to be getting out of hand. Would it be time to give up this concept jungle and simply talk about human learning in different life environments? Young people learn in life, as well as in school, as well as in youth work.

References: 
Kivijärvi, Antti et al. (2022). Slow growth and increasing responsibilities. Municipal youth work in Finland 2021. (In Finnish.) Hidasta kasvua ja lisääntyviä vastuita. Kunnallinen nuorisotyö Suomessa 2021. Nuorisotutkimusseuran/Nuorisotutkimusverkoston julkaisuja 238. Helsinki.
Recommendation (2017). Recommendation CM/Rec (2017)4 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on youth work. https://rm.coe.int/1680717e78. Read 14.10.2022.
Smith, Mark K. (2019). Youth work in schools. https://infed.org/mobi/youth-work-in-schools/. Read 14.10.2022.