Chapter 9: Taking it to a New Level: Inquiry-Based Professional Development as a Field-Building Enterprise

National and regional membership organizations representing out-of-school time (OST) and youth development professionals have established a consensus regarding the basic competencies needed for OST staff to do their jobs well (National Afterschool Association, 2011; Starr, Yohalem, & Gannett, 2009; see Warner, Ham, and Fenton’s chapter, this volume). Competencies, however, are just a starting point; professional development (PD) is needed to effectively deal with the complexities of youth work (Larson, Walker, Rusk, & Diaz, 2015; Walker & Walker, 2012). As Larson et al. summarized, “running a program and facilitating youth development is more challenging and multidimensional than is generally appreciated” (2015, p. 74). We need PD that not only teaches competencies but enables and helps staff to grow as professionals and thought leaders.