Better conditions for youth work to preserve democracy in Europe – that is what youth workers from European youth work organisations and young people from 14 countries are calling for. At the European Youth Work Symposium, they met with representatives from academia, politics and administration. The motto of the event: building bridges, breaking barriers.
Those who attended the international event in Dortmund on 28 October 2024 were greeted by a colourful exhibition. Anti-discrimination initiatives in Spain and Hungary, an eco-festival in Poland, a campaign for more practical life experience in school lessons in Germany: in total, 31 such best-practice examples were presented by European youth groups in the foyer of the ‘Dortmunder U’.
Great Projects, Huge Problems
So everything is fine in the field of youth work? Unfortunately not, says Jocelyne Jakob, managing director of the International Association for Education and Exchange. Based in Dortmund, the association has been coordinating networks and funding programmes for the cooperation of European youth institutions for more than 15 years. “What young people achieve is fantastic,” says Jakob. “But many organisations that make it all possible are at their wits’ end. We are struggling with rising costs, shrinking budgets and a lack of sustainable structures.“
Jocelyne Jakob reports that an increasing number of professionals are leaving the field due to overwork and a lack of support. “This year, two of our partner organisations had to leave the Generation Europe network and stop this kind of youth work.” The rest of the programme, which enables local projects and European networking in more than 40 European municipalities, is currently only secured until the end of next year. “Youth programmes for a strong civil society are being called into question while authoritarian thinking is on the rise across Europe,” Jakob continued. “I’m worried that something is going to slip.”
Working Together to Find Solutions
The participants of the symposium discussed in working groups what needs to be done to safeguard youth work in Europe. Guided by experts, the working groups discussed the working conditions of youth workers, the mental health of young people, and concepts for more inclusion. Another working group made it clear that international youth projects are most effective when they are integrated into permanent local youth work structures. There was also an exchange of views on the common interests of active young people and those who decide on the funding of youth work.
Around a third of the participants from the fourteen countries were young people who are themselves active in international projects as part of the Generation Europe – The Academy network. Youth work professionals made up another third of the plenary, along with representatives of relevant ministries, representatives of local authorities, other funding agencies and researchers. Involving so many young people in the international symposium was part of the concept, says Jocelyne Jakob. “Far too often, discussions about youth policy take place without those who are most directly affected by the consequences. We want to overcome these barriers in order to jointly establish a solid foundation for youth work in Europe.”
