The objective of this article is to place the theme of educator formation within a broader scope, which considers the field of youth and adult education as a specific pedagogical area. It begins by highlighting how harmful the charitable focus has been in constructing a positive identity in this kind of educational activity and in developing professionalism of the educational agents. It then goes on to comment some key themes that should be included in initial and continued formation of youngster and adult educators: the political dimension of this practice; the functionality of school knowledge for the students; and the regard to thought patterns that are characteristic to them. The final focus is on the importance of trying out new forms of organizing basic educational programs geared to youn and adult workers.