Illustration by Coline Robin
Next-Gen youth work: impact and possibilities
by Babis Papaioannou
Youth work has transformed significantly in the past decade, especially within the European Union. Key policy developments, structural reforms and funding mechanisms have reshaped the sector. Youth work plays a crucial role in helping young people become active citizens who contribute positively to their communities. Across Europe, it promotes non-formal education, inclusion and democratic participation.
Over the past decade, the European Union has increasingly supported youth work by fostering co-operation, sharing good practices and providing financial backing. Programmes like Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps create opportunities for youth workers to gain international experience, develop new skills and connect with peers across borders. These initiatives also help organisations and institutions strengthen their capacity and build meaningful partnerships.
The 3rd European Youth Work Convention (EYWC) in 2020 was a turning point for youth work, leading to the adoption of the European Youth Work Agenda (EYWA) to strengthen its professional status, address national disparities and ensure sustainable funding. The EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and programmes like Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps have been vital in supporting youth work across Europe.
One of the primary outcomes of the 3rd EYWC was the European Youth Work Agenda, guiding EU member states in integrating youth work into national policies.
1. Key developments since the 3rd European Youth Work Convention
1.1 Strengthened policy frameworks
A major achievement in recent years has been the increased recognition of youth work at both EU and national levels. This resulted in the adoption of two important policy documents: The Council resolutions on youth work (2020, 2024) showing the joint commitment of the EU and member states to further support the development of youth work.
Both documents emphasised the necessity of:
● defining youth work as a distinct professional and educational domain;
● ensuring fair working conditions, career development pathways and adequate remuneration for youth workers;
● developing a cross-sectoral framework that formally integrates youth work into national education systems, social inclusion strategies and intergenerational collaboration initiatives, ensuring consistent funding, institutional support and policy alignment.
Despite these advances, variations in national implementation of the European Youth Work Agenda remain. While some countries have fully integrated youth work into formal policy structures, others still face challenges in institutionalising youth work as a recognised profession.
1.2 Professionalisation and working conditions
Another critical development has been the increased emphasis on professionalisation. Youth workers have historically struggled with low pay, job insecurity and inconsistent professional recognition.
The European Training Strategy for Youth Work, implemented under Erasmus+, has sought to address these issues by:
● developing competency frameworks for youth workers;
● providing professional development through mobility programmes;
● promoting knowledge exchange through strategic partnerships.
At the same time, seven Strategic National Agencies Co-operation (SNAC) initiatives on youth work policy development have been supported by Erasmus+. Several strategic long-term training and co-operation activities (LTAs) managed by Erasmus+ National Agencies focus on different aspects of youth work and their results feed into several ongoing processes in the field:
● Europe Goes Local on youth work at municipal level (co-ordinated by the Belgian-Flemish National Agency);
● Digital Youth Work (co-ordinated by the Finnish National Agency);
● European Academy on Youth Work (co-ordinated by the Slovenian National Agency);
● Education and Training of youth workers (co-ordinated by the German National Agency/SALTO T&C);
● Growing Youth Work (co-ordinated by the German National Agency);
● Youth@Work (co-ordinated by the Italian National Agency);
● Mental Health in Youth Work (co-ordinated by the Finnish National Agency).
In addition to these large-scale, ambitious long-term projects, many training and co-operation activities among Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps National Agencies (TCA/NET), funded under both EU Youth programmes, Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, target youth workers and trainers, tackling priorities and topics important for their training and development and supporting quality implementation of their programmes. These opportunities aim to equip youth workers with the skills and competences needed in their daily practice, working alongside young people, including those with fewer opportunities.
The EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership was created 26 years ago as a collaboration between the European Commission and the Council of Europe on youth policy issues. It focuses on areas such as participation and citizenship, social inclusion and the quality of youth work. The Partnership aims to exchange experiences and promote non-formal education, youth policy and research on youth. Youth work is one of the three priority areas of the work plan and under the youth work priority topics the Partnership provides useful information, research, statistics and studies on youth work. The Partnership has recently been given a stronger mandate and additional financial support from the European Commission in the area of youth work and in the implementation of the EYWA.
However, while these initiatives have strengthened training and skills development on a European level, gaps remain in securing long-term career stability for youth workers, particularly in countries with weaker youth work infrastructure.
1.3 Information on youth work
The Commission’s main information service on youth policy is the European Youth Portal. There you can find general information, news and future events for young people, youth civil society organisations and youth stakeholders. Under the EU Youth Strategy section there is information about the “Empower” priority of the Strategy which connects directly to youth work and presents the general framework on youth work. A new page on youth work on the European Youth Portal presents latest updates and recent initiatives on youth work.
The Youth Wiki is an online platform presenting information on European countries’ youth policies. It supports evidence-based European co-operation in the field of youth, serving as a reporting mechanism on youth work in 34 European countries.
1.4 EU funding and strategic support
The European Commission provides various tools to support youth work across Europe. It fosters policy development and innovation through dedicated projects, strategic partnerships and the exchange of best practices from local to European level. Additionally, the Commission invests in the professional development of youth workers and supports a strategy for the development of quality youth work via the European Training Strategy for Youth Work (ETS), offering mobility opportunities that enhance skills, knowledge and cross-cultural learning. Research and knowledge gathering also play a key role such as the work of the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership, which ensures that youth work policies and practices are informed by evidence and aligned with evolving societal needs. These initiatives are primarily implemented through EU funding programmes like Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, reinforcing the quality and impact of youth work across Europe.
Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps also play a vital role in supporting and developing youth work across Europe. These programmes provide valuable resources and opportunities for professional growth, enabling youth workers to enhance their skills and expand their networks both within Europe and beyond.
Erasmus+ remains a cornerstone of financial support, funding hundreds of youth work projects across Europe including non-formal education initiatives, leadership training, intercultural exchange programmes, networking actions, transfer of quality youth work practices and digital skills development. The European Solidarity Corps has also played a crucial role in encouraging youth civic engagement through volunteer placements, community-driven initiatives and social inclusion projects.
The most visible and popular action of the Erasmus+ programme for the support of youth work and youth workers is Key Action 1 “Mobility projects for youth workers”. The Action supports the professional development of youth workers and thereby the development of quality youth work at local, regional, national, European and international level, through non-formal and informal learning experiences in mobility activities.
Through funded projects, youth workers engage in:
● exchanging good practices, fostering innovation and quality improvement;
● testing new tools and formats, enhancing the effectiveness of youth work methodologies;
● building a strong community of practice, strengthening collaboration and knowledge sharing;
● contributing to the overall development of the youth work sector, ensuring its continued progress and recognition.
Despite significant investments from the European level, disparities in funding accessibility remain, particularly for grass-roots organisations and youth work initiatives in rural and remote areas. The Council Resolution of November 2024 on “providing glocal opportunities for young people living in rural and remote areas” invites further support of young people in rural and remote areas and the development of youth work there.
To gain further insights on the situation of young people in rural areas, the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership is preparing a piece of research on rural youth, exploring how young people living in rural areas access opportunities (non-formal learning, active citizenship and participation at local, regional, national and European levels), analysing promising practices, existing tools and youth-friendly frameworks, and providing guidance for policy makers on how to expand opportunities for young people in rural areas. The final report on the research is expected during summer 2025.
Part of the Final Declaration of the 3rd European Youth Work Convention, dated 10 December 2020, was a proposal for the creation of an Alliance of Youth Workers Associations. Led by the Estonian National Association of Youth Workers and supported by an Erasmus+ KA2 application under the Estonian National Agency, a project was implemented between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2024, resulting in the creation of the Alliance of Youth Workers Association (AYWA), a network of 10 national associations of youth workers and a new strategic partner in European youth work.
On 7-8 June 2021, a peer learning activity (PLA) on non-vocational qualifications for youth work took place, hosted by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (France) and the Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC), European Commission. The key messages from that PLA are summarised below:
● It is important to recognise both the similarities and differences in the recognition of key competences in youth work through knowledge and information sharing, e.g. the Youth Work chapter on Youth Wiki, which provides information about development modules for youth workers.
● Various efforts to harmonise youth work provision and mutual recognition practices should be encouraged across Europe, making use of dual learning and, for instance, involving the European universities network (Erasmus+).
● Profiles for youth workers that are mutually recognised across Europe should be established.
● Greater trust between the formal and non-formal educational sectors should be fostered, and opportunities for cross-border research and co-operation in the field of youth should be reinforced, particularly through the implementation of the European Youth Work Agenda.
2. Best practices and innovative projects
Many EU-funded projects show the transformative impact of youth work in practice. Notable examples include:
● Up 2 You(th)! is an Erasmus+ project that empowers young people to engage in politics and community life, helping them feel valued and heard.
● Speechless in Europe is a project engaging disengaged youth in European dialogue through storytelling, creative media and digital platforms, while training multipliers to foster participation.
● CreARTivity project combats youth social exclusion by training youth workers in arts-based non-formal education to develop essential competencies and foster inclusion.
● The Play With Your Future project developed digital tools to support youth work, promoting innovation, gamification, European values, mental health and inclusion.
● Non-formal Methods for a Greener World is a project that trained 25 youth workers in sustainability and green non-formal education, fostering proactive change agents who promote eco-friendly methods and mindset shifts among youth.
● #Youthworkworks strengthens youth work by defining its mission, impact and future, addressing key challenges through dialogue, research and international collaboration.
All the above projects won the Erasmus+ Good Practice label. These initiatives demonstrate the adaptability of youth work in addressing contemporary social challenges, from digital transformation to social equity and green.
3. Shaping the future of youth work: the 4th European Youth Work Convention and the post-2027 EU Youth Strategy
Scheduled for May 2025 in Malta, the 4th European Youth Work Convention (EYWC) will serve as a pivotal forum for assessing progress since 2020 and setting new strategic priorities under the theme “Youth Work Xcelerate”. The convention will focus on scaling up the quality and recognition of youth work while aligning with the European Commission’s listening process for shaping the new EU Youth Strategy beyond 2027.
As a major platform for dialogue among youth work practitioners, policy makers, researchers and young people, the convention will generate innovative ideas, identify key challenges and propose policy recommendations. The insights from participants – rooted in grass-roots experiences, best practices and emerging trends – will contribute to ensuring that the future EU Youth Strategy reflects the evolving needs and aspirations of young people across Europe.
Beyond the convention, broader policy developments will shape the post-2027 EU Youth Strategy. These include the continued implementation of the European Youth Work Agenda, co-operation with the Council of Europe and the forthcoming 2025-2026 work plan for the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership. Recent Council resolutions, discussions within SNACs on youth work and ongoing input from the youth work community will further influence the strategy. Additionally, the 4th EYWC is expected to issue a declaration that will help guide these efforts, reinforcing youth work’s role in fostering social inclusion, active citizenship and lifelong learning across the EU.
The EU has made significant progress in advancing youth work through clear policies, professional development and funding support. The EYWA, the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027, and financial instruments like Erasmus+ have collectively strengthened the sector. However, challenges remain in ensuring uniform policy implementation, sustainable funding and long-term career security for youth workers.
Youth work plays a vital role in empowering young people, equipping them with the skills and tools needed to navigate an increasingly complex world, and fostering their active participation in democratic life. In times of social, economic and environmental challenges, youth work provides essential support, ensuring that young people can shape their own futures and contribute meaningfully to society.
The 4th EYWC will serve as a crucial platform for addressing these gaps, fostering dialogue on the future of youth work and influencing the next generation of EU youth policies. With continued collaboration between the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership, national governments and youth work stakeholders, the future of youth work in Europe remains promising. By investing in youth work, we are investing in a more inclusive, resilient and participatory Europe – where all young people have the opportunity to thrive and drive positive change.
Issue 38
4th European Youth Work Convention
