Stephen Harrison

My professional background is in informal and community education, working with children, young people and adults in a wide variety of settings. I have worked as a Youth Worker in Bristol, London and Hong Kong and a Play Worker in Bristol and London (working with children through Save the Children on an all day visit scheme in Holloway Prison and with children from Gypsy and Traveller backgrounds via the London Gypsy Traveller Project). I have also worked extensively within the field of Drug Education and harm minimisation.

Since 1997 I have been predominantly involved in the field of professional education, teaching and managing Undergraduate programmes leading to qualifications in Youth and Community Work across the UK and Ireland.

From 1997 to 2006 I Was a Lecturer and later Senior Lecturer in Inform al and commu nity educations at the YMCA George Williams College in London. 

I joined the Open Univeristy in 2008 as an Associate Lecturer on E118  and  then joined as a full time member of the Academic Staff in 2011.

From 2016-2019 I was Programme Lead for Childhood and Youth Studies (Undergraduate) at the Open University.

I am currently a Staff Tutor/Senior Lecturer within the School for Education Childhood, Youth and Sport. I am Lead Staff Tutor for Childhood and Youth Studies alongside Sport and Fitness

I am a member the SAGE Zimbabwe Team supporting the development of Community Education provision in Zimbabwe. 

I am the Principle Investigator for 'Research Strand 2: What works in Community Education' within the SAGE p[roject.