European youth realities and policy

– reflections from youth policy and youth work practice

Supported by

The situation of

youth work in Europe

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The situation of

European Youth Work

.... The main objective of youth work is to provide space and opportunities for young people to shape their own futures....

Peter Lauritzen, 2006Published in Eggs in a Pan, Council of Europe 2008

‘..youth work is diverse. While it is recognised, promoted and financed by public authorities in many European countries, it has only a marginal status in others where it remains of an entirely voluntary nature’.

Peter Lauritzen, 2006Published in Eggs in a Pan, Council of Europe 2008

The situations

of

youth works

in Europes

How can this rich treasure of know-how, knowledge and experience be communicated in a comprehensive and concise manner to other stakeholders in order to ensure the sustainable anchoring of youth work on the policy agendas and in the budgets?

How can the quality of youth work be ensured and follow a certain number of standards, while its fantastic diversity is maintained?

How can the vocational training schemes and studies for youth work respond to the challenges of the 21st century? Can a reform of the curricula contribute to involve municipal youth work on the European level?

And: what is makes youth work European?

How can the voluntary sector and youth work, under the responsibility of municipalities and public authorities, benefit both from defining standards for the profession “youth worker”?

How can youth work knowledge and empirical data be made available to youth research?

How can youth work knowledge and empirical data be made available to youth research?

How can one define the difference and the complementarity of youth participation and youth welfare, between empowerment and guidance?

How can one counteract the tendency to instrumentalise youth work for predominantly economic interests or as a service agency for daily politics?

KÖSZÖNÖM!