In 2024–2025, the Youth Partnership has developed a set of practical advocacy tools to support youth work development, tailored to the needs of the youth work community of practice.

These tools provide guidance on why advocating for youth work recognition and development is important, who can and needs to do advocacy work, what topics can be addressed, and to whom advocacy is addressed to. It aims to strengthen the relevant capacities of youth workers, practitioners, youth organisations, and policymakers. It also seeks to support both national and local efforts to enhance the recognition and structural support of youth work.
 

 Objectives

Building on this momentum, the Youth Partnership will design and implement a communication action to promote the importance and value of youth work. Stakeholders in the youth field at European level will play a key role in co-creating and disseminating communication content, through the  EU-Council of Europe reference group.

The communication action aims to:
  • Raise public awareness about what youth work is and its positive contribution to young people and to society, with particular emphasis on democracy, inclusion, well-being, and participation.
  • Promote consistent, coherent, and harmonised messaging across Europe.
  • Contribute to enhancing the visibility and recognition of youth work at European, national, and local levels.
  • Showcase the relevance, diversity, and impact of youth work in different contexts.
  • Promote, focus on, and emphasise good practices in quality youth work, especially in countries where it is not recognised.
     

 Expected outcomes

  • A coordinated communication action developed and delivered with European-level stakeholders, featuring unified messaging and recognisable branding.
  • Pack of communication materials that are adaptable across countries and translatable into various languages.
  • Seminars organised within the framework of the network of national correspondents on youth work, and support mechanisms targeting member states and youth organisations to adapt and implement campaign efforts and the Advocacy Kit.
     

 Indicative timeline

2026

Development of communication materials

Communication action on the importance and value of youth work at European level

2027-2028

Seminars to support the adaptation and implementation of communication efforts and the Advocacy Kit at national level.