Mark K Smith edits infed.org – the encyclopaedia of pedagogy and informal education. In addition, he is part of a team developing a community-led affordable rental housing initiative close to where he lives in Orkney (Hope Cohousing) and a trustee of the Cromarty Hall Trust. Formerly the Rank Research Fellow and Tutor at the YMCA George Williams College, London, Mark was also a visiting professor in community education at the University of Strathclyde.
Among his books are Creators not Consumers (1980, 1982), Developing Youth Work (1988), Local Education (1994), Informal Education (1996, 1999, 2005 with Tony Jeffs), The Art of Helping Others (2008, with Heather Smith), Youth Work Practice (2010, edited with Tony Jeffs), Journeying Together (2011, edited with Alan Rogers) and Youth Work and Faith (2015, edited with Naomi Stanton and Tom Wylie). Currently, Mark is working on a new book with Tony Jeffs that explores the need to re-imagine education. Nearly all of the books that he has been involved with have been digitized and are available online. [Click for a full listing and links to epub (kobo etc.), mobi (kindle) and pdf versions where available].
Details of the articles he has written can be found here. Outlines of the various research programmes he has undertaken are here.
Educated at the Cavendish School, Hemel Hempstead and Lancaster University, Mark K Smith undertook his doctorate at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has worked in career advice, youth and community work, education projects, and higher education.
Other activities have included chairing the Two Towers tenants’ cooperative in Bermondsey (which managed the tower blocks pictured above) and the Community and Youth Worker’s Union (now part of Unite). He has also served on the editorial board of Youth and Policy and been a Resident Friend at Westminster Quaker Meeting House.
Opening picture: Richard Hills