On 26 November 2024, we held the kick-off webinar of our “Youth Work Talks”, an event series aimed at establishing a space for professional debate and reflection on pressing issues in youth work development. How was the kick-off webinar? What were the key insights? And how did the community of practice react? Continue reading to find out more!
Written by Domagoj Morić
3, 2, 1… and we’re off! After thorough preparation, we launched the journey of our “Youth Work Talks” series! It was a historic moment for our Growing Youth Work SNAC: after months of planning, we began with the kick-off webinar, led by Snežana Bačlija Knoch.
The idea for this series didn’t emerge out of nowhere: these Talks build on previous efforts in the youth work field. As highlighted in the webinar introduction, the Youth Work Talks draw inspiration from the Think Tank meetings in 2012 and 2013, where 20 experts discussed pressing topics in youth work and youth policy. They also build on the “Offenburg Talks,” a series of five expert workshops addressing themes and phenomena relevant to the youth sector.
Additionally, the series connects to the Bonn Process Meet-ups held in 2021, 2022, and 2023, as well as the Conference “Value and Recognition of Youth Work” held in 2023 in Zagreb, Croatia.
The Youth Work Talks series will feature various formats, including webinars, sessions integrated into existing events, and a European residential conference held every two years. The next conference is scheduled for October 2025 in the Netherlands. In the coming period, the Youth Work Talks will focus on the topic of recognition of youth work.
Participants expressed that this kind of series is crucial, relevant, inspiring, and necessary for advancing youth work. When asked about the potential future impact of Youth Work Talks, the most common themes mentioned by participants were:
As mentioned earlier, the key focus of the Youth Work Talks in the upcoming period will be on recognition. When asked about the role of recognition in their daily work, webinar participants shared that recognition serves as a source of motivation, validation, and professional satisfaction.
It helps them feel valued for their contributions and it provides a sense of progress in their everyday efforts. For participants, recognition is essential not only for personal growth but also for fostering collaboration, improving outcomes, and explaining the importance of youth work to others.
Recognition is essential not only for personal growth but also for fostering collaboration, improving outcomes, and explaining the importance of youth work to others.
Participants also highlighted challenges, particularly in achieving political recognition at national and local levels and within higher education institutions. They emphasised the importance of advocacy and showcasing the impact of youth work to other sectors.
Following the discussion, participants had a chance to be engaged in a short series of inputs about recognition.
Rita Bergstein from JUGEND für Europa (German National Agency Erasmus+ Youth, Erasmus+ Sport and European Solidarity Corps) presented an overview of the journey of recognition in the EU youth programmes and beyond, emphasizing key milestones for participants. Rita mentioned some of the processes important for youth workers, which include Youthpass and the ETS competence models.
Continuing on Rita’s input, Federica Demicheli, from AYWA – Alliance of Youth Workers Associations, shared more about the landscape of the recognition process across Europe. She mentioned that recognition happens at different levels in different countries, but that it starts with us.
In the end, the input session was closed by the researcher Frederike Hofmann-van de Poll, who gave an overview of possible roles of recognition in regard to the thematic areas of the European Youth Work Agenda. This input was inspired by the research report on the "State of Play of National Processes Within the European Youth Work Agenda Implementation".
After the inputs, participants further discussed the role of recognition in the future and how they could contribute to the process. Key insights were the following:
At the end of a productive 2,5 hour session, participants evaluated the kick-off webinar of Youth Work Talks. Feedback indicated that the topic of recognition remains important for youth workers. Many found the webinar inspiring, useful, and engaging. They also expressed a need for more networking opportunities.
And this is just the beginning of the Youth Work Talks series! We are only starting to get into the topic of recognition and we invite you to join us! Participate in our webinars, events, and other activities! If you want to embed a Talk session in your event, please contact us via growingyouthwork@jfemail.de.
To stay updated about the next editions, follow our website and social media channels - more exciting content is coming your way!