In part a semi-autobiographical memoir of the life of a youth worker and in part a supplemental text that can be used to learn a method of qualitative research and youth work practice, Sketching Youth, Self, and Youth Work is a book for practitioners, scholars and researchers trying to understand human interactions. The author describes a method of reflexivity and experimental autobiography that places self at the center, and shares several sketches (vignettes) based on his experiences as a youth, youth worker with troubled youth, and professor of youth work.
Written in the spirit of discovery learning, the material is presented with the assumption that it will be discussed, questioned and critiqued by individual readers and in classrooms and other forums where people play with and discuss written material. Researchers interested in alternative forms of mixed genre inquiry will also find the book useful.