1.

Youth work is a broad term covering a wide variety of activities of a social, cultural, educational, environmental and/or political nature by, with and for young people, in groups or individually. Youth work is delivered by paid and volunteer youth workers and is based on non-formal and informal learning processes focused on young people and on voluntary participation. Youth work is quintessentially a social practice, working with young people and the societies in which they live, facilitating young people’s active participation and inclusion in their communities and in decision-making. (1)

2.

Although there is a common understanding of the primary function of youth work, it takes very different forms across EU Member States of the EU is defined or described differently and is associated with different perceptions, traditions, stakeholders and practices. It takes pla.ce in different forms and settings (2). Youth work plays an important role in the personal and social development of young people, their participation in society and in the transitions, they are going through. It is aimed at all young people, including those less engaged with society and/or with fewer opportunities and / or whose full political and social participation is at risk due to individual or structural disadvantages (3) or discrimination.

3.

Young people engage on a voluntary basis, in an organised or self-organised manner, in youth organisations, associations, young people’s initiatives or other open forms, thus contributing to the development of society at all levels. Youth work plays a crucial role in supporting this engagement. It is a way of reaching out to small and remote communities and promoting dialogue with young people in a form that is open and accessible to all.

4.

Youth work enables young people to learn about and experience universal values such as human rights, gender equality, democracy, peace, pluralism, diversity, inclusion, solidarity, tolerance and justice.

5.

Youth work is a field in its own right and an important non-formal and informal socialisation environment. It is carried out by a wide youth work community of practice. (4) Youth work is geared to young people’s individual needs and requirements and directly addresses the challenges they face in today’s society. An essential component of youth work is creating safe, accessible, open and autonomous spaces in society, as well as supportive and experiential learning environments for young people. The participation of young people in the design and delivery of youth work is essential in order to guarantee that organisations, programmes and activities are responsive and relevant to their needs and aspirations of young people.

6.

Youth work facilitates learning and engagement among young people and thus promotes democratic awareness and active European citizenship.

7.

At the second European Youth Work Convention, which took place in 2015, stakeholders worked to reach a common European understanding of youth work and to describe its core functions with regard to young people: creating spaces for young people and providing bridges in their lives.

8.

During recent decades, youth work has grown to become a distinct field of work, carried out by, with and for young people at European level. In some Member States youth work is already a well-established field. However, in order to fully explore its potential, capacities need to be further developed.

9.

The youth work community of practice has been the source of many recent developments in the field. These have been driven by a wide range of stakeholders, who are involved in addressing specific needs in the field of youth work. These developments reflect the great diversity of youth work and its different traditions in the individual Member States.

10.

Youth work in Europe continues to face multiple challenges:

11.

Both the EU Youth Strategy (2019-2027) and the Council of Europe Youth Sector Strategy 2030 call for the development of a European Youth Work Agenda. In this call, the EU Youth Strategy encouraged seeking further synergies with the work carried out by the Council of Europe in this area. This would allow fostering mutual co-operation and creating synergies between the EU and Council of Europe to further develop youth work practices and policies.

12.

The European Youth Work Agenda (hereinafter ‘the Agenda’) is a strategic framework for strengthening and developing quality and innovation in, and recognition of youth work. It adopts a targeted approach to further developing knowledge-based youth work in Europe and connecting political decisions with their practical implementation. The Agenda is characterised by coordinated cooperation among stakeholders at different levels and in various areas of youth work, and it also serves to strengthen youth work as a distinct field of work that can act as an equal partner with other policy fields.

13.

The Agenda comprises the following elements:

14.

Promote the further development and strengthening of quality and innovation in and recognition of youth work and, in partnership with the youth work community of practice, improve the framework within which it is carried out, at all levels, including by drawing on cross-sectoral cooperation and evidence-based approaches.

15.

Give particular attention to the implementation of the Agenda as part of the EU Youth Strategy and, where possible, fully integrate youth work policies into all levels of youth policy and the associated strategies (national, regional and local) in the Member States.

16.

Ensure the presence of sustainable structures and the availability of appropriate resources for quality youth work, so that all young people can have a positive experience of the measures put in place in this area, or shape these measures themselves, with a particular focus on action at local level and in remote and rural areas where there are fewer opportunities for youth work.

17.

Strengthen and extend the common principles of youth work within the youth work community of practice by increasing knowledge and awareness of developments in youth work in Europe, by promoting regular cooperation, exchange and common practices, while taking into account the differences between the various levels and areas of youth work.

18.

Enhance understanding of the concepts, methods and tools used for education and training in youth work, further develop competence-based frameworks for formal and non-formal youth work education and training, where applicable and provide the various actors involved in youth work with sufficient quality education, training, guidance and support.

19.

Regularly monitor and evaluate the state of and developments and challenges in youth work, analyse the needs of young people and trends relevant to youth work, involve young people when developing strategies and encourage the youth work community of practice in cooperation with other sectors concerned, to respond to these developments and continue to develop their ways of working accordingly.

20.

Where appropriate, further develop strategies and actions that allow non-formal and informal learning in the area of youth work to be recognised and validated, and the contribution of youth work to empowering young people to be recognised.

21.

Strengthen youth work’s capacity to empower young people to contribute to the development of inclusive, sustainable, democratic, plural and peaceful societies.

22.

Increase opportunities for cross-border interaction and exchange between young people from different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and for intercultural exchange within Member States, making this standard practice in youth work, and facilitate the creation of more strategic projects for cooperation in youth work across Europe.

23.

In light of the experience gained from the COVID-19 pandemic and in view of possible future crises, ensure, at all levels, the ongoing existence and operation of the various facilities and structures involved in youth work by developing crisis-proof mechanisms and resources, including digital technologies, and ensure that facilities and structures are able to adapt to the current situation and similar situations that may arise in the future.

24.

Strengthen cooperation both between Member States and the Council of Europe and between the respective institutions in order to support the development of quality youth work across Europe.

25.

Integrate youth work into existing and future youth policy strategies and their implementation at all administrative levels in order to facilitate greater innovation, improve quality and increase recognition of the field, with a particular emphasis on action at local level in shaping and developing the Agenda.

26.

Identify themes and fields of action for the further development of youth work at local, regional and national level, in accordance with the common objectives of the Agenda, which should be drawn up and implemented within the framework of the EU Youth Strategy and in cooperation with the youth work community of practice. This process should be as targeted as possible and be integrated, where appropriate, into existing strategies.

27.

Inform all relevant actors at national, regional and local level within the youth work community of practice about the Agenda and its implementation and ensure there is an appropriate dialogue with and among them.

28.

Promote the European dimension of youth work through cross-border and transnational exchange, cooperation, intercultural learning and peer-learning.

29.

Facilitate the implementation and further development of the Agenda by using existing structures and instruments or identifying or establishing, where appropriate, new, support structures, tools, partnerships or other appropriate methods of cooperation at the various levels.

30.

Strive to ensure that the Agenda is shaped to the greatest extent possible by the youth work community of practice, and make available to them information, opportunities and spaces to facilitate its involvement. In this regard, special attention should be given to young people and youth workers.

31.

Foresee a European Youth Work Convention in principle every five years, to serve as a forum for the further development of the Agenda, consider inviting the Member States of the Council of Europe as part of the neighbourhood policy of the EU, and explore the possible ways of supporting for the preparation and implementation of the Agenda through the Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps programmes.

32.

Set up an open and consultative ‘Network for youth work development in Europe’ of relevant structures that contribute effectively to the development of youth work by promoting innovative approaches, supporting the development and cooperation with and between different actors inside and outside the youth work community of practice, providing support and disseminating information on the various thematic priorities, approaches, networks and target groups. In this regard, advice and expertise from other sectors should also support the network. The network should seek to involve new actors in its development work.

33.

Explore the possibilities under which the EU funding programmes, such as Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps, could actively contribute, where appropriate, to the implementation of the Agenda using the programmes’ different funding instruments.

34.

Promote active, critical citizenship and democratic awareness and the appreciation of diversity among all young people as permanent and fundamental parts of youth work, including by promoting competence-building through the education and training of youth workers. Give all young people, without discrimination, the opportunity to act on their own initiative, develop their self-efficacy and exercise a positive influence.

35.

Monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Agenda. To this end, the EU Youth Report should include a dedicated chapter on the development of youth work structures, support tools, partnerships or other appropriate methods of cooperation in Member States and at European level.

36.

Ensure that the Agenda is enshrined in the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy, including the European Youth Goals, and increase its visibility by using the governance instruments and tools provided for in the EU Youth Strategy to implement the Agenda and to monitor, evaluate, disseminate and utilise its results.

37.

Ensure synergies with other international organisations and reinforce the existing partnership with the Council of Europe when implementing the Agenda through complementary and coordinated action. The EU-Council of Europe partnership in the youth field could be assigned a central role in ensuring synergies and in facilitating dialogue for youth workers.

38.

Consider developing an open and multilingual dedicated European digital platform on youth work in close cooperation with the youth work community of practice to share information, knowledge and good practices, engage in cooperation and peer-learning. Thereby facilitate the development and implementation of the Agenda, including its external dimension, where relevant. An expert group representing the youth work community of practice could accompany and advise on the process of creating and implementing the platform.

39.

strengthen knowledge-building and evidence-based approaches in youth work in Europe by facilitating expert exchanges and scientific- and practice-informed research on the impact of the principles, developments, concepts, activities and practices applied in the field, in particular by involving youth researchers and building a repository of expertise within youth work organisations.