NUI Certificate Global Youth Work and Development Education 2022

The NUI Certificate in Global Youth Work and Development Education is a Level 8, Special Purpose award delivered by the National Youth Council of Ireland in partnership with Maynooth University.  Aimed at those working in the youth sector, this programme will be of interest to anyone looking to develop knowledge, skills, and competence in the areas of global youth work and development education practice in youth settings.

The programme begins on January 22^nd, 2022 and is delivered over 100 contact hours of blended learning, a mixture of online and on campus learning, including 17 half-day (2.5 hrs) weekly online sessions (please see programme dates below).

What is global youth work?

Global youth work is essentially good youth work, which responds to young people’s lives and changing circumstances.

Global youth work and development education explores global issues with young people (poverty, inequality, hunger, injustice, and climate change, etc) through non-formal education. Global youth work explores the role young people have in their local community as well as their connection to the broader, globalised world. Global youth work recognises that globalisation increasingly influences young people’s lives and environments, creating new opportunities, challenges, and concerns.  

This programme is funded by Irish Aid.

The programme encourages, supports and facilitates youth organisations to become effective settings for global youth work and development education practice.

• Develop a critical understanding of the key concepts that underpin global youth work and development education as a practice.
• Understand your practice, including work in a UBU context as part of a global youth work approach.
• Support the inclusion of development education and global youth work in youth work settings, including at a policy level.
• Map the inter-connections between the national and international bodies and instruments that provide a framework for development education.
• Be able to demonstrate key skills to deliver global youth work and understand the practice of development education.

Assessment is continuous throughout the programme and includes essays, reflective writing, individual and group work, presentations, and the delivery of an interactive project with young people, peer youth workers and/or youth work managers.

Participants who undertake this programme will:

• Critically reflect on dynamic personal values, attitudes and behaviours and the individual relationship to a personal sense of global citizenship.
• Examine and reflect on concepts of an interconnected, interdependent, and unequal world.
• Engage and critically reflect on non-formal and transformative learning methodologies and approaches.
• Engage with development education pedagogy and a range of development education/ global youth work themes.
• Engage with a wide range of creative tools and processes within a youth work delivery context.
• Take part in development education practice linked to the Youth 2030 Network and have opportunity to engage with the Youth Workers Learners Network and the GYW Community of Practice.
• Be encouraged to suspend assumptions and expectations about development education pedagogy to create space to experience (without pre-determining) a little of what it can do at personal and collective level.

YOUTH 2030: The National Youth Development Education Programme

The NUI Certificate in Global Youth Work and Development Education is offered as part of the National Youth Development Education Programme “Youth 2030” which is a partnership between the National Youth Council of Ireland, Maynooth University, Trócaire, Concern and Irish Aid.

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) is working in consortia with Concern Worldwide, Maynooth University, and Trócaire to deliver Development Education in the Youth Sector. This Programme sets out to build the capacity of the youth sector in the area of global youth work and development education.

Past Participants in the NUI Certificate in GYW and DE have said:

“The programme was very interesting in so many ways as it calls for action taking, and all the learning content was so well taught that it allows for an almost instant use in my practice. It could be said it felt like an awakening.”

“The reflective journals gave me space and time to unpack what was emerging from me in the sessions and really examine these. Also, the group presentation gave me an opportunity to learn from my peers and the individual presentations at our final session just blew my mind! The knowledge and experience that was present within the group was very inspiring and I have learned from each and every individual.”

“I knew it would be a course that would improve my work, but I did not expect to gain from it as much as I have. I truly feel that my practise has improved, and therefore I am providing better support and more relevant projects for young people. Also, I have gained a network of inspiring peers and a stronger connection with the Youth 2030 team in NYCI.  All I can say is if you managed to create such a warm and supportive experience during the pandemic, the next group will have an even more incredible experience.”

“Yes, it increased my awareness about my own practice and the missing links between my knowledge, GYW principles, self-identity and how do I translate them in working with and alongside young people towards more just world, but mostly increased my awareness that I need to ground myself into concrete strategies/tactics for moving forward, advocating and holding space for young people. It is an ongoing process, but the certificate certainly triggered deeper reflection in these areas.”

“I really enjoyed the programme. I feel every youth worker should do this programme. It was amazing and it did open my eyes and my consciousness and curiosity to learn more and explore topics in more detail.”

“I really found it very interesting to study what global youth work means and how it can be applied in different contexts and settings. My favourite part of the certificate was the practical facilitation skills and ideas that can be applied to my own youth work regarding development education.”

“I would highly recommend the GYW Dev Ed certificate course to anyone working with young people as it provides valuable learning and insights into what is becoming a very important part of growth and development for young people in our society today.”

“It was so interesting, challenging and packed with nuggets of information that would allow you as a youth worker to have a real impact. This programme awakens your curiosity to explore and develop resources and provides you with mentoring support around funding opportunities to support the work.  This programme is one you won’t forget for all the right reasons.”