Staff Profile
Dr Carole Pugh
Senior Lecturer
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I joined York St John University in 2014. I have worked for over 20 years as a professional youth and community worker with Local Authorities, voluntary and faith based organisations. I have also worked on a number of national youth research projects, undertaking fieldwork and data analysis.
My academic interests relate to young people, youth and community work, and youth political participation.
- School – School of Education, Language and Psychology
- Email – c.pugh@yorksj.ac.uk
- Phone – 01904 876 457
- Research - View my work in RaY
Further information
Teaching
I teach on a range of courses:
- Foundation Year Education, Children and Counselling
- BA Children, Young People and Society
- BA Education Studies, Special Educational Needs and Mental Health
- BA Early Years Education and Care
- MA Education.
Across these courses, I teach on the following modules: Historical contexts of education, childhood and counselling; Inclusive and holistic practice; Preparation for progression; Academic and professional literacies; Social divisions and inclusion; Supporting families; Learning as researcher and Dissertation at both BA and MA levels.
Research
I have been actively involved in research around young people for over 20 years. I have been involved in national research projects that have examined detached youth work and narrative approaches to evaluating youth work practice. I have been commissioned to work collaboratively with a range of organisations to support service development and evaluation.
Areas of research interest include: young people's political citizenship and political socialisation; youth work and youth policy.
My current research examines young people's political citizenship, evaluation approaches in mentoring, innovative approaches to poverty proofing schools and exploring the role of young people in shaping the development of ecological youth work.
Publications
Books
Bright, G. & Pugh , C. (Eds) (2019) The Future of Youth Work: Global Perspectives. Rotterdam: Sense.
Crimmens, D., Factor, F., Jeffs, T., Pitts, J., Pugh, C., Spence, J., and Turner, P. (2004) Reaching Socially Excluded Young People: A National Study of street-based youth work, Leicester, NYA.
Book chapters
Bright, G. Pugh, C. & Clarke, M. (2017) ‘Youth work, agonistic democracy and transgressive enjoyment in England’ in Pickard, S. & Bessant, J. Young people regenerating Politics in times of crisis, Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
Pugh C. & Norris P. (2015) Local Authority Youth Work in Bright, G. (ed.) The Nature of Youth Work Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
Pugh C. (2010) ‘Sustaining Ourselves and our Enthusiasm’ in Jeffs & Smith, Youth Work Practice, London, Palgrave.
Research report
With D Crimmens, F Factor, T Jeffs, J Pitts, J Spence and P Turner (2004) Reaching Socially Excluded Young People: A National Study of Street-based Youth Work, Leicester, NYA.
Journal articles
Pugh, C. (2025) Reconsidering the approach to political citizenship in youth work in England, Youth and Policy Available at https://www.youthandpolicy.org/articles/political-citizenship-in-youth-work/
Pugh, C. (2019) ‘Death of a service’ (2019) Youth and Policy Available at https://www.youthandpolicy.org/articles/death-of-a-service/
Reconfiguring Youth Work: Some Findings from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Detached and Outreach Research Project (with J Spence and P Turner) in Youth and Policy No. 81 pp 58-73.
Classic Texts Revisited, ‘GW Goetschius & MJ Tash: Working with Unattached Youth, and CS Smith, MR Farrant & HJ Marchant: The Wincroft Youth Project: A Social Work Programme in a Slum Area’ in Youth and Policy No. 79 pp 60-68.
Classic Texts Revisited, W D Wills: The Hawkspur Experiment and The Barns Experiment Youth and Policy No. 72 pp 80-87.
‘Christian Youth Work Evangelism or Social Action’ in Youth and Policy No. 65 pp8-27.
Conferences & Presentations
Pugh, C., Newton, R., & Baxter V. (2025). “Collaborating with Raise York to facilitate social impact across research, teaching and civil society.” Presented at York St John Talk About Teaching conference, July 2025.
Pugh, C. (2025). “Research informed Practice and Practice informed Research.” Presented at Champion of Childhood Conference, Leeds Trinity University, March 2025.
Terrell, K & Pugh, C. (2023) “Personal, political, participatory: Zines as active learning and assessment” Presented at Active learning Network Conference, July 2023.
Bright, G. and Pugh, C. (2017) Youth work and Agonistic Democracy in England Professional Association of Lecturers in Youth and Community Work annual residential conference, 5-7th July 2017, University of Hull.
Bright, G. and Pugh, C. (2015) Youth Work and Cartographic Action: Renaming Paradoxes – Mapping Utopian Futures Professional Association of Lecturers in Youth and Community Work annual residential conference, 25th-27th June 2015, Brathay House, Cumbria.
Professional activities
I am a Senior Fellow of the HEA. I also have a number of roles supporting the youth and community sector locally, including: Chair of York Youth Sector Partnership; Vice Chair Door 84 Youth and Community Project, and Board Member for the raise York Partnership. I also convene the Raise York Research Network. I am an external examiner at Teeside University.
