On 5th June 2025, during the Global Youth Workers Conference’s Special Youth Workers and Youth Group Capacity Building Seminar, Moses Baffour Awuah, Global CEO of Youth Arise Organization delivered a timely and thought-provoking presentation that called youth workers to pause, reflect, and re-align their focus. He raised a crucial concern, “we are beginning to think more about ourselves than the young people we serve”. According to him, this inward turn threatens the very essence of youth work.
“If we are going to make it about us, we cannot engage in youth work effectively,” he warned.
Mr. Moses emphasized that the spirit of youth work is fundamentally communal, sacrificial, and youth-centered. A shift toward individualism, where personal ambitions and comfort override the commitment to young people, will stall the progress and impact of youth development efforts.
He highlighted several practical challenges currently confronting youth workers:
• Competing Demands for Time: With increasing responsibilities, many youth workers are struggling to create space to engage meaningfully with the young people they are called to serve.
• Individualism and Self-Preservation: A growing trend where some youth workers prioritize personal advancement over community impact.
These challenges, he noted, dilute the passion and reduce the effectiveness of youth engagement initiatives.
Moses’s charge was clear and action-driven: Find a way to gather the young people you work with.
Despite the pressures and distractions, youth workers must be intentional about creating spaces—whether physical or virtual—where young people can grow, be mentored, and find belonging.
His message was a powerful reminder that youth work is not just about programs or projects; it’s about people. It’s about showing up, building trust, and walking the journey with the next generation.
As the session concluded, youth workers were left with a sobering question: “Are we still committed to the young people, or have we become too committed to ourselves?”