the regular contributors
| Jason Wood is the creator and editor of Student Youth Work Online. Jason first came into contact with youth work in his early teens and as a result started a campaign for youth provision in his local area. This resulted in a group of young people managing Gloucester's first youth-led project. He continued to volunteer with this, before moving into part time and then full time youth work in Gloucester. In 1999, he moved to Leicester and has worked in a variety of youth and community settings, most recently in mental health, community adult education and youth participation. Since graduating with a BA (Hons) in Youth and Community Development at De Montfort University in 2002, he has been working freelance in adult education and youth work. He starts a PhD in September 2002. EMAIL JASON |  |
| Jaiwanda Patel contributes essays and practical resources. With excellent experience to match her theoretical skills, this second year youth and community student draws from a range of projects to inform her discussions and guidance. She is a British Citizen of Asian background - born in India and grew up Britain. Having just completed the De Montfort Leicester course, she describes the experience as helping her to understand more about young people and the community around her. She also holds a Responsible Youth Worker post with Leicester City Council and has worked in a variety of youth and community settings. Her contributions at University, and her deep, personal understanding of oppression give Jay a platform of knowledge and skills that serve Student Youth Work Online well. EMAIL JAY |  |
| Shahid Ashrif is the current affairs commentator and contributes articles and resources to the site. For 15 years, Shahid has provided training on equal opportunities to a variety of LEAs, Higher Education, Further Education and other institutions. He set up and managed Strathclyde’s innovative multi-agency Ethnic Minorities Project. As Race, and Community Education Inspector for Rochdale LEA, he wrote LEA policies on antiracist education and racial harassment. His expertise in the field of racial equality and youth & community work has been utilised on several occasions by HMI and the CRE. He has had fifteen articles published, his most recent on Islamophobia in the spring issue of Multicultural Teaching. An experienced consultant and trainer specialising in the fields of education, quality assurance, equal opportunities, science, youth & community work and Black history, he is also a P/T lecturer at De Montfort University, co-ordinating and teaching the ‘Anti-oppressive Practice’ module for the MA in Community Education, teaching on the BA course and the occasional lecture on the Black Perspectives module. In 1995 Shahid was consultant to Manchester Business School’s project on training ethnic minority businessmen. On behalf of Leicester Black Prisoners Support Group, Shahid has delivered training on Black History for African-Caribbean & Asian inmates at Glen Parva Prison, as the first stage in a comprehensive package of training aimed at White inmates, Prison officers and Governors. In addition he has prepared a resource pack aimed at other trainers across England working for Black Prisoner Support groups. EMAIL SHAHID | |
| Sean Harte contributes essays and book reviews. He has been actively involved in youth work since 1995 when he started as a volunteer for a local Charity organisation (Youth Action Middlesbrough). Previously he had assisted on week-long residential personal development course run by the Local Authority for school-leavers (PAL - Preparation for Adult Life). After a short taste of youth work practice he decided to leave full-time employment and committed to youth work by enrolling for a full-time degree course at the University of Durham. He graduated this year, and now works as a full time 'Youth Empowerment Curriculum Development worker' for Middlesborough Council. EMAIL SEAN or visit SEAN'S WEBSITE. |  |
| Shikoll Akthar contributes essays and practice features. She is currently in her third year of the youth work degree at De Montfort University in Leicester. Previously, her work has centred on disadvantaged communities, with the sole aim of contributing to positive change. Shikoll describes herself as passionate about anti-oppressive, anti-racist and anti-discriminate practice based on both personal, and professional experiences. EMAIL SHIKOLL. | |