A proud heritage
1904
Founded in Leeds to promote youth work with girls in the city.1937
We develop the first accredited training for youth workers.1945
Already working across the West Riding, boys were allowed into the Association for the first time.1948
Highfield House, a residential centre on Ilkley Moor was donated to the Association.1956
We are one of a small number of organizations to pilot the new Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.1966
We became a registered charity.1969
We launched our first project delivered by Association staff; The 2-3-6 Project in Leeds.1971
We deliver our first detached youth work.1974
As a new county was born, we changed our name to West Yorkshire Youth Association.2001
We bought our head office on South Parade in Wakefield.2003
We launch a county-wide mobile young people’s advice service.2009
In line with the expansion of our work to new areas, we changed our name to The Youth Association.2012
We create ‘Youth Approved’, our young inspectors programme.2014
Our Young Upstarts young people’s enterprise programme helps its first young business to start.2017
We create Selfiesured, our innovative smartphone app for young people.
The Youth Association’s history stretches right back to the early years of youth work and our long story of survival is made up of thousands of successes, failures, experiments and innovations, told by generations of young people and youth workers. In all that time, the important things we believe about good youth work have never changed; we call that being ‘progressive but rooted’.
We are lucky that we have been able to keep copies of all our past annual reports and minutes going right back to our founding in 1904. They make interesting reading for anyone interested in the history of youth work and society’s changing attitudes to work with young people. Some attitudes and ideas have long since changed, but It’s surprising how many discussions and debates are still current today.
