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I have been involved in community work since my own first year at University. I started as a volunteer at a student-run Community Development organisation in South Africa and ended up as the Chairperson.
My experience at this organisation made me realise that I did make the right decision in my own choice of studies.
My first degree was in Public and Development Management which has a lot of similarities to a number of the core units in the Department of Applied Social Studies.
After completion of my postgraduate studies at the University of Cambridge I started my career as a Youth Worker.
I am a professionally qualified youth worker who ended my 8 year career in the post of Locality Youth Work Coordinator as part of an inter-agency multi-disciplinary team in the Office of Children and Young People’s Services (OCYPS).
Sharing of knowledge and experience has always been incredibly important to me and for this reason I became a Youth Work and also Safeguarding Trainer for both the statutory and voluntary sector during my last 2 years of practice.
I lecture for the Open University on the Working with Young People degree.
I have significant experience of working with children and young people and love my job with the University of Bedfordshire as I feel I can contribute to a positive learning experience for students preparing themselves for work in the field.
I am coordinating and teaching on a number of units. My teaching expertise includes:
My areas of interest are
I have undertaken research in my work as a practitioner but also academic pieces of work. This Includes an ethnographic study of virtual communities and commerce on the Internet and a study of South Africa’s foreign policy with specific reference to SADC from 1994-2000.
Currently I am researching the impact of Social Networking Sites, for example, Facebook, on the self-perception, leisure pursuits and educational attainment of young people in the UK.
I am currently in the third year of my professional doctorate researching youth workers and young people interacting through social network sites through personal profiles of members of staff.
I also have an interest in research to do with teaching, learning and reflection on-line. I am currently part of the Making Assessment Count Evaluation (MACE) project in collaboration with a number of other Higher Education Institutions.
Luton campus
Park Square
Luton, LU1 3JU
E: liesl.conradie@beds.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1582 743 214
