ABSTRACT
Demographic and attitudinal changes in Irish society in recent years have necessitated a re-imagining of the professional practice of both second-level teachers and youth workers. As educators, working in formal and non-formal settings, both sets of professionals play an important role in the lives of young people. However, in the Irish context, very few examples exist of teachers and youth workers coming together to address issues of shared concern. Moreover, opportunities are rare where both sets of educators can develop together an understanding of the principles, purposes, and practices that underpin their respective professions or question the impact of shifts in the educational policy landscape. In seeking to develop and deepen a shared understanding among the two professional cohorts, we have combined student teachers (second level) from the Education Department and youth work students from the Department of Applied Social Studies for a series of workshops. Catalysed by participation the ‘Among Others’ project, a multi-annual transnational project funded by the Erasmus Plus programme, our aim in bringing both sets of student educators together was to open a conversation that could facilitate a shared understanding of each other’s professional practice, values, and objectives. At one level we hoped to encourage collaborative approaches to working with young people to address and enhance equality and culturally responsive pedagogy. At another level the work seeks to re-imagine professional development of educators, prompting each group to consider the views they hold about the other. Finally, these efforts are our route into reinventing, where we can, ways to educate our students for critical practice in meaningful ways.
