T he insider/outsider dichotomy is a familiar one; most of us can identify moments in which we have navigated these positions. We understand the joy of being an insider, of being accepted, seen as a part of the inner circle. Insider identity, at its core, is an expression of group affiliation; we are ‘in’ because we claim the group and the group, at once, claims us in return. At the same time, as individuals, we often feel the discomfort inherent in being an outsider, feeling like we do not belong or we are somehow lacking in the attributes necessary to move to the inside. As a field, child and youth care struggles to articulate its own inside/outside identities as well; child and youth care workers often feel like insiders with their colleagues who are ‘in the know’. When we sit together with others in our own community, we are part of the group; we understand and claim one another. Those same workers, however, often acutely feel the pain of the outsider within the larger group of human service professionals and policy makers who work for children, youth and families – a group that misunderstands or disregards those workers as often as not . This paper presents our reflections on a conversation about these issues and tensions with a group of other CYCs at Connecting at the Crossroads: CYC World Conference 2013. One of the goals of the world conference was to foster a sense of belonging among folks in our field, to build a stronger international community among individual workers within the field and across the national contexts reflected in how our profession is named (CYC/youth work/social peda- gogy). Crossing geography, disciplines, generations, and practice through keynote speakers, workshops, and social events, participants built new connections and were 82 / ISSN 1705625X Relational Child and Youth Care Practice Volume 26 Number 4 Relational Child C are Youth & Practice Child and Youth Care at the Borders: Where Inside and Outside Meet Catherine Hedlin & Ben Anderson-Nathe Abstract This article presents the authors’ reflections on conversations with Connecting at the Crossroads: CYC World Conference 2013 delegates about the tensions and potential of being a CYC practitioner in the context of larger cultural, professional, and institutional forces that affect the identity and practice of our field. The dichotomy of insider/outsider is used to explore the multiplicity of perceptions of CYC identity and professionalization. What became clear is that there are no easy answers. The concept of borders is introduced to trouble the insider/outsider dichotomy. Accepting the ambiguity of CYC practice allows us to consider the possibility of a third space – a place to bring together divergent views in new and exciting ways. Keywords: Insider/outsider dichotomy, child and youth care, youth work, identity, professional identity, professionalization, and borders.