Resources details
The Perspectives on Youth seminar brought together 34 participants representing the three angles of the youth sector triangle to discuss and reflect on the topic of young people’s autonomy and independence. Looking at the multidimensional crisis that affects young people, the discussions were focused on the needs and challenges that young people are facing, both in the context of the recent and ongoing crisis, but also in light of the fact that recovery measures determined by the effects of the pandemic are still under development. The three working days included panel discussions with experts and representatives of different organisations, and workshops that offered participants the opportunity to have access to tools and instruments utilised by various stakeholders, from national governments, civil society, youth work practice and the private sector. These included reflections on mentoring, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and realities of young refugees’ transition to autonomy.
At the end of the seminar, conclusions were drafted on the importance of exploring youth autonomy and transition processes by having an attentive look also at the social, economic or cultural aspects of their communities. It is expected that youth work practice, youth researchers and policy makers work together on responding to the three scenarios in tackling fragility of the youth population:
- avoiding addressing only consequences of the current crisis; focusing on putting in place measures designed for a long-term perspective
- the need to invest in the safety nets1 for young people, strengthening outreach
- delivering youth work activities to young people who are not visible – namely, young people with fewer opportunities.
Additionally, topics like financial literacy, mental health and well-being, housing, co-working and co-living, youth involvement in the gig economy or entrepreneurship education should be addressed by the policy agenda both separately – through tailored measures, programmes and resources – but also in an interconnected manner, responding to the continuously changing needs and interests of young people. Moreover, a better understanding of the additional challenges that young people experiencing multiple disadvantages face is extremely urgent.