Future-ready youth work: insights from the European Academy of Youth Work
Interview with Sonja Mitter Škulj and Domagoj Morić, European Academy on Youth Work
By Lorena Barić
In a time of rapid change, youth workers are facing complex challenges from digitalisation to climate anxiety. The European Academy on Youth Work (EAYW) has emerged as a space for collective reflection, innovation and forward thinking in the youth field.
In this interview, Sonja Mitter Škulj, EAYW and SALTO SEE Resource Centre co-ordinator, and Domagoj Morić, communications expert at the EAYW, reflect on what youth work needs to thrive and remain relevant in the years ahead.
Sonja, this one is particularly for you. Can you share a story or anecdote about how the EAYW came to be?
The “Academy” is a project that looks more towards the future, but let’s go back to its beginning for a moment…
Discussions about creating something like the European Academy on Youth Work began around 2016 and 2017 among a few national agencies of the Youth in Action Programme and the EU–Council of Europe Youth Partnership. As Hanjo Schild noted in his 2019 text “From the idea to concept development to implementation”, these discussions focused on the need for a facility that could support reflection, innovation, knowledge sharing and training in the youth field to promote quality and professional development in youth work.
Strategically, the Academy’s establishment was linked to the implementation of the 3rd European Youth Work Convention’s conclusions. When I took over co-ordination of the first event, we placed emphasis on two main concepts: the idea of an “academy” as a space for quality learning and the exploration of “innovative practices” to understand and develop responses to emerging trends in youth work.
While these concepts were clear in theory, it was challenging to bring them to life. We quickly realised that “innovation” wasn’t a widely understood or rooted concept in European youth work. Defining what innovation means, what role it should play and how it can be supported has remained at the heart of the EAYW ever since.
Over the years, what key trends or shifts have you, Sonja and Domagoj, observed in youth work, and how do you see these shaping its future?
Across the three editions of the EAYW, we selected 91 practices from youth work practice, research or policy, from around 500 proposals. These practices highlighted innovative or future-oriented approaches and priorities in youth work.
Looking across these practices, some key themes stand out. Unsurprisingly, digital transformation and technology have become increasingly prominent. Many contributions explored how digital tools and online engagement are shaping youth work – making it more accessible, interactive and responsive to young people’s realities.
Another recurring theme is professional development and quality in youth work, with a strong focus on improving youth workers’ competences and ensuring high standards in the field.
While not very visible in the first edition back in 2019, sustainability and climate action have recently gained momentum. Initiatives now increasingly promote environmentally responsible youth work and encourage young people’s active engagement in climate issues.
At the same time, mental well-being emerged as a crucial topic, recognising the need to support both young people and youth workers in managing stress, resilience and emotional well-being.
Accessibility, inclusion and diversity are also key areas of focus, with many initiatives working to ensure youth work reaches all young people, especially those from marginalised backgrounds. However, discussions at EAYW events have also highlighted that youth work in Europe is not always as inclusive or accessible as we would wish.
And finally, youth participation and civic engagement remain central to youth work, with many initiatives aiming to empower young people, strengthen their voices and encourage them to actively shape their communities.
The topic of professional development and quality in youth work also comes into sharper focus. The 2024 report of the 3rd EAYW event stresses the need for a “future-ready mindset”, meaning that youth workers need structured spaces to reflect on upcoming challenges, build resilience and adapt to rapid societal change.
All these topics are interconnected and are featured in the 2024 EAYW research on the “futures of youth work”. For example, digital transformation offers exciting opportunities but also poses risks such as exclusion and ethical concerns about artificial intelligence (AI). The report calls for a “future-ready mindset” – where youth workers reflect, adapt and build resilience in response to rapid societal shifts.
We’ve also noted broader, emerging themes like demographic shifts, conflicts and value-based debates that will likely shape the sector in the years ahead. The key challenge now is ensuring youth work evolves in ways that remain relevant, innovative and deeply responsive to young people’s realities.
What are the biggest challenges youth workers face today, and what support is most urgently needed?
Many of the trends mentioned earlier are also challenges.
Findings from the 2021 EAYW study “Innovation in youth work” are particularly relevant here. The research shows that innovation in youth work is mainly driven by youth workers and young people. But it also revealed that sustainable innovation depends on systemic support and collaboration among stakeholders.
One of the biggest challenges identified is the lack of stable and flexible funding. Many organisations in the youth work field rely on project-based funding, which often comes with rigid requirements for measurable outcomes and indicators. This creates a tension between the need for long-term, sustainable innovation – which includes space for experimentation and the risk of failure as well as resources to maintain outcomes – and the short-term, output-driven nature of many funding schemes.
There’s also a gap between policy and practice. More flexible, innovation-friendly policies and funding could spark more transformative initiatives. Organisations also need a supportive culture that values experimentation.
Another gap exists between the youth field and other sectors. Cross-sector collaboration –with education, tech or social services – needs to be strengthened, especially in smaller communities.
When it comes to training, youth workers who have an innovative and future-ready mindset was perceived as the most important condition for innovation to happen. This dimension was deepened in the “Futures of youth work” study, which concluded that “fostering a future-ready mindset is crucial for youth workers as they navigate an increasingly uncertain world, influenced by shifting towards a culture of hope from one led by anxiety and risk.” So, youth workers need support in developing strategies to deal with the unknown, build resilience and develop the competences and attitudes needed to support young people in creating their futures.
What has been highlighted in both studies and in various conversations in the framework of EAYW events is the need for a holistic approach – being aware of the whole ecosystem that influences innovation in youth work on the one hand, and addressing emerging challenges through an approach that includes both individual development and systemic changes in the youth work sector on the other.
Are there innovative approaches or practices you believe deserve more attention or wider adoption?
It is challenging to select just a few from the diverse range of practices, as many are innovative in terms of content, methodology or approach. What we need to mention is that these practices emphasise adaptability, inclusivity and active youth participation to address contemporary challenges.
On a general level, we can say that all practices that are youth led and focus on empowerment, digital youth work, mobile youth work or outreach; address climate change; or relate to quality in youth work should be more visible and further explored by the community of practice. Therefore, all of the contributions that have been presented and explored within the EAYW can be found on our website: www.eayw.net, where people can get inspired and acquaint themselves with these practices.
Having said this, one element that should be underlined is that innovation in youth work is context specific. We have now experienced three cycles of assessing project practices with a view to selecting the most innovative projects to be presented at the EAYW events. This was not an easy process! Despite quite clear criteria for selection, the assessments by the different assessors involved in the process were surprisingly diverse. This was certainly at least in part because what is innovative in one environment or context might not be so innovative in another. This means that also the question of transferability and the possibility of wider adoption remains context specific.
We also realised that we received many very interesting and high-quality practices from youth work, policy or research, but that in fact there were not that many projects that seemed really “out of the box”, or to be doing something that seemed very new to the field. This brings us back to defining what is innovative where it turns out that innovative could be smaller adaptations as well as totally new ideas put into practice.
At the same time, we might ask ourselves how innovative and even how forward-looking the youth work field really is. So, there is a need to further support this very challenging dimension in the community of practice.
How does the EAYW strengthen the youth work sector and what impact have you seen so far?
We offer a platform for reflection, exchange and knowledge gathering on trends affecting youth work and how the field can respond innovatively.
We have produced different materials, such as the studies “Innovation in youth work” and “Futures of youth work”, the Innovation+ Toolbox (2024) or the Window to the Future game (2024), and have created numerous articles, visuals, podcasts, videos and interviews related to quality youth work, innovation and the future of youth work. What we see from the field is that these resources are used in different contexts; they help, for instance, in structuring discussions in project teams or in broadening the knowledge and views on specific topics. The EAYW events, workshops and webinars we organised have gathered over 600 youth work professionals around Europe in residential activities, and many more online. These professionals then had the chance to disseminate the findings and resources within their local contexts.
We have also been closely co-operating with selected university faculties teaching youth work and related subjects in different countries. This co-operation has been very fruitful. It led to integrating the notion and relevance of European youth work and non-formal education into these specific courses, while the EAYW benefited from the initiatives and contributions of the students and their professors.
The “Futures of youth work” study has sparked particular interest as it’s one of the first foresight studies in youth work at the European level. Rather than planning the future from today’s lens, it asks how we can shape the present with future trends in mind. Participants are already using this approach in their local contexts.
It’s hard to measure impact, but we can say that EAYW has helped put innovation and forward thinking on the European youth work agenda. In 2020, the RAY-INNO study concluded that many organisers of Erasmus+ KA2 projects struggled with the term “innovation” and were not able to indicate if or in which way their project was innovative. We do not have subsequent research to compare the situation today, but the EAYW has certainly created a substantial knowledge base and raised awareness about how to define innovation in youth work, how to support innovation and how to respond to emerging trends and needs, as well as forward-looking approaches as an important aspect of quality youth work. We still have some way to go to better reach out and connect the created knowledge and tools with youth work practice and policy.
What are your hopes for the upcoming Youth Work Convention?
“As individuals and as a community we need to decide if any of these scenarios threaten, challenge, put in danger or erode our youth work values, or if are they going to strengthen them. It is then up to us to react or not.” Aleksandra Szymczyk and Özgehan Şenyuva (from: report of the 3rd EAYW, 2024)
According to the public announcement, the convention should lead to a road map for the implementation of a European strategy for the further development and recognition of quality youth work policy and practice. We would hope, of course, that support for innovation and future-readiness in youth work at the different levels of policy and practice will find a strong place in the initiatives and processes that will be a part of it.
Besides the specific action points or takeaways, the overall perspective in which the road map is developed will be important. For sure, it needs to build on past developments, challenges and achievements, but it should also draw on a vision of what youth work might look like in a few years from now. The roadmap should respond to today’s needs but also, as far as possible, to emerging or future trends.
While thinking about processes and initiatives to further strengthen the quality and recognition of youth work, participants might ask themselves: What is youth work of the future invited to become? What will change and what will remain as it is? How can individual youth workers and youth work systems be prepared for these changes today and in the coming years?
These questions will also be explored in the EAYW workshop at the convention, where we will explore some aspects based on the “Futures of youth work” research.
What’s next for the EAYW?
We’re focusing on spreading the results of the “Futures of youth work” study. We’re developing a new section on our website with tools to support future-readiness and are planning two residential workshops on this in 2025.
We’re also expanding our Innovation+ Toolbox with a workshop module for national agencies that complements the toolbox by supporting innovative dimensions in Erasmus+ projects.
And of course, we’re preparing for the 4th edition of the EAYW, which will take place in Slovenia from 5 to 8 May 2026. It will include both in-person and online formats to maximise participation.
More information will be shared on EAYW social media and the website.
If you could send one strong message to policy makers, funders and youth organisations, what would it be?
Empower youth workers and organisations to develop innovative, future-ready mindsets. Support them in building resilience and adapting to fast-changing realities.
This means investing in systemic support, cross-sector collaboration and strategic long-term funding. It means creating policies that allow space for experimentation, risk and creativity.
Only with a holistic and forward-looking approach can youth work remain relevant and responsive to young people’s evolving needs.
As Sonja and Domagoj make clear, the future of youth work won’t be built by chance. It will be shaped by a community that is bold enough to innovate, brave enough to reflect and supported enough to grow.
Sonja Mitter Škulj has facilitated international co-operation in the field of youth since the late 1990s, first at the Council of Europe Youth Directorate, then in the framework of the EU youth programmes. Personal intercultural experiences and her M.A. studies in history with a focus on migration and social integration convinced her of the value of people-to-people contacts and intercultural exchange. As co-ordinator of the SALTO SEE Resource Centre in Ljubljana and the European Academy on Youth Work, her focus is on supporting youth work and co-operation in the Western Balkans within Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps as well as innovation in youth work.
Domagoj Morić is a facilitator and a trainer in the field of youth. For the last 15 years, he has been a consultant for public relations for different NGOs and has implemented several campaigns related to civic education and sustainable energy. He regularly works as a trainer in the field of youth and school education. Within the EAYW, he has been active as a communication expert since 2019.
