The article's first section discusses the concepts of youth that underlie the traditional personal model of youth work and the structural model of youth work. The remaining three sections of the article discuss the place of social context in these two models of youth work, along with the theoretical underpinnings of the two models and the roles and practice of youth workers under the two models. The author argues that the traditional youth work model which focuses only on change in the problem behaviors and attitudes of youth is apolitical and insensitive to the oppressive context within which youth exist. Further, under this traditional model, low priority is given to youths' development of power, esteem, and resources that they can use to change the structure of the social environment in which they live. Youth work must, therefore, encourage youth to assume a partnership/leadership role in changing the structures of oppression and discrimination that negatively impact their lives. This inevitably involves youths' involvement in community affairs and the political process. 36 references