Academic question

[geminigirl]

So...mostly for those of you with good access to journal and lit searches...

I'm wondering (after a conversation this morning) if anyone has studied the aging out of professional health educators/youth workers.

The idea here is that people who work with youth and adolescents eventually become "too old" to do it-they lose their legitimacy with the youth they work with. I'm looking for stuff on median age, and on what individuals and agencies do to prepare the educators/workers for this. Also stuff on whether people leave jobs because of burnout, promotions, whatnot, and what kinds of things they go to do after.

(If not, I might have to do it...)

Comments

[ruralrob.livejournal.com]

Gee, now I'm starting to get an inferiority complex. As a sometimes AIDS educator who has worked with schoolkids - and prison inmates, for that matter - who are way younger than myself - your bringing up the legitimacy factor hits pretty close to home. And you have a point - the closer the audience can identify with you the better, and thats where I'm at a disadvantage. But I think a really good educator - whatever their age - is aware of that potential problem and can perhaps at least partly compensate for the age gap by good relating skills.

And of course, when I have to talk to the old geezers at the local service clubs - as I occasionally do - watch out! Coz I'm number one at that!

Fraid I'm not aware of any literature on this general subject though. Good luck with the search.

Older and Wiser

[geminigirl]

At some point, for a lot of young people, it becomes hard to listen to grey haired people show them how to use condoms. It's partly about you, and partly about how you do what you do. When I worked at the GLBT youth center, one of the most popular people there was a man in his mid or late 40's; the kids loved him.

And some people, no matter what their age aren't good at working with youth.

For most people, aging out is just part of the process. I expect at some point, it may happen for me. I'm not looking forward to it because I think I'll feel kind of lost when it does.