On 23-24 November 2016, the EU-CoE youth partnership is organising in Brussels the expert seminar “Journeys to a New Life” on the role of youth work in integration of young refugees in Europe.
The EU-CoE youth partnership has initiated a process of gathering knowledge on the situation and integration of young refugees at the Symposium (Un)Equal Europe? Responses from the Youth Sector, which was held in Budapest on 30 May-2 June 2016. The analytical paper A look at the “refugee crisis” across Europe: challenges, debates and projects collecting national contributions across Europe from EKCYP correspondents and mapping out various initiatives was published in September 2016.
The seminar aims to analyse the role that youth work can play in supporting young refugees in Europe and to provide related evidence for enhancing youth policy and youth work practice. This analysis should support youth sector stakeholders across Europe to better understand the current reality, the potential in coordinated intervention and to discuss adequate policy measures. It is also meant to inspire youth work practitioners and local authorities to adapt their youth work and policy responses to some of the challenges brought by youth migration.
Objectives and expected outcomes:
- To discuss analytical papers on integration of young refugees and the role of youth work, involving young refugees, youth workers and the authors of the papers
- To share at least five case studies on the role of youth work in integration of young refugees and identify characteristics specific to this type of youth work
- To identify research themes relevant for policy-makers and practitioners in the field of youth and recommend follow-up initiatives
- To develop proposals on strengthening youth sector engagement with young refugees and on implications for the future agenda.