Uni & thinking through practice

One of the most powerful/empowering things that I've experienced is thinking through practice. My very first encounter with this was during my early DEIS days when I started writing about the projects that I was involved in and how they've helped me. Back then, it was important to me that my posts were appreciated and shared as real-life examples of the impact of youth work.

Then I came to uni to study English Lit and I was told (for the first time in a formal environment, may I add) that my views and interpretations of literary texts were valid as long as I had the evidence to back my perspective. Mind-blowing! Now, while doing an MA in Youth Work & co, we had an entire 2-hour seminar in which we discussed about our experiences as youth workers, community workers, and/or artists. The essay that I will be writing is going to use practice as evidence.

Everything we do is important. Once we recognise the power of our lived experiences we gain confidence. When I took this pic, I was working on something that I would never have taken on without this newly acquired professional self-esteem. Or maybe I would've, thanks to the people around me who knew what I could do before I did. Hmm... the impact of youth work...