I have worked for 30 years in the field of youth and community work, which I have understood as a field of socio-cultural and educative practice. I have contributed to the development of dialogue concerning feminist, anti-racist and other critical approaches in this field of endeavour.

I studied English at Cambridge and was a research student at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at the University of Birmingham, when Professor Stuart Hall was Director. I worked as a youth and community worker for ten years before taking up a post as Lecturer in Youth and Community Work at Manchester Polytechnic in 1986. I have taught and conducted research in youth and community work since then, and was part of the team which established a Women’s Studies MA at Manchester Met which ran successfully during the 1990’s.

Currently I am leading on a significant three year ethnographic study of young peoples social and political participation across seven European cities, including Manchester: the Partispace project.

I am interested in how the education system could change in response to understanding the experiences of people who do not currently do well in it. I am also very interested in the resources offered by critical social and cultural theory and research to this project of understanding and change.