Research Inquiry: Reimagining our future - youth and community work education during and post Covid-19
The Association is pleased to announce a collaborative research inquiry to be facilitated through a partnership between the Association, the Open University, University of Glasgow and the University of Hull. The inquiry launches this month (February) and the project will run until June 2022. Details of the project are included below, along with a call for research participants.
Context for the inquiry:
As we learn to live with COVID-19 we are conscious of how the experience raises questions about new and persistent forms of social injustice and inequalities that impact young people and communities. It has also raised questions about the changing nature of youth and community development practice and the entanglements with teaching practices in and across professionally qualifying youth and community programmes. This inquiry sets out to investigate these entanglements as we have worked through and emerge from the restrictions imposed to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. The research inquiry will be used to support the development of practice and professional education in youth and community work.
The aims of the project are twofold:
Firstly, it will examine and capture the experiences of lecturers teaching on youth and community work programmes during the current pandemic, the issues and challenges that COVID is presenting, and how they are creatively addressing these challenges.
Secondly, the research will look forward to the future post-pandemic (whenever that might be). In a context of great uncertainty, it will explore what the future might look like for youth and community work and youth and community work programmes? Ask whether the pandemic will lead to longer term change in learning and teaching methodologies - including opportunities for learning through collaboration? And, investigate how students can be prepared for working with young people and communities; and for navigating practice in the society that emerges post-COVID?
Call for research participants:
There are two inquiry sessions that will run online in March 2021:
Friday 19th March between 12.00 and 2.00p.m
Friday 26th March between 12.00 and 2.00p.m
The sessions will focus on the first aim of identifying and making visible teaching practices, the issues, challenges and changes since the pandemic was first announced in March 2020.
In addition, in preparation for these sessions we are seeking participants who will write a short account (no more than 2 sides of A4) of their experience of teaching on a youth and community work programme in the current context of COVID-19, the issues and challenges that COVID is presenting, and ways in which you are addressing (or maybe trying to address) some of these challenges. The written accounts will provide the focus for discussion in the sessions run online on the 19th and 26th March 2021 and are invited regardless of availability to attend the inquiry sessions.
Please respond by Friday 19th February to participate in stage one of the inquiry:
If you are interested in participating in the initial inquiry sessions and/or submitting a written account of experience then please e mail: hello@tagpalycw.org to express your interest by Friday 19th February. All participants will then be contacted with a full participant briefing pack, submission instructions and invitations to the enquiry sessions.