Study visit on youth work with refugees

Background

Youth work can be a powerful space of connection, growth, and belonging for young refugees. Across Europe, youth workers are already opening doors: building trust, creating activities, and offering spaces where young refugees can develop skills, discover talents, and simply be young. Even during stressful asylum procedures, youth work can provide moments of normality, friendship, and hope. To realise this potential, we need to address the remaining barriers. These may include a lack of clear and tailored information about what youth work is and how to take part in it; not feeling welcome in a group or organisation; or practical obstacles such as costs, transport, or not having the right clothes. Refugees—especially those in a procedure for international protection —often live in a situation full of stress, uncertainty, and confusion. In this situation, even when youth workers have good intentions, it can be hard to deal with the complex and difficult reality of refugees’ lives. Youth workers—both volunteers and paid staff—also find it hard to know how to balance their own role with knowing when and how to seek specialized professional support. At the same time, public support, political interest, and funding for refugee support are getting weaker.

The roots of this study visit lie in the belief that youth work—through European youth programmes—can play a vital role in supporting young refugees and strengthening the communities around them.

Why participate?

In this study-visit you will:

• Learn about concrete practices, methods, and tools that were developed by youth work organisations working with refugees.
• Reflect on the role of voluntary and professional youth workers involving refugees in their activities and on the boundary between youth work and other professional support (for example psychological and administrative needs).
• Exchange ideas and experiences with other youth workers from across Europe who face similar challenges.
• Find out how organisations respond to the societal and political context in which support for refugees is being challenged.

Post-migration lens

We developed this study-visit from the lens of post-migrant societies. The concept doesn’t imply that migration has been or should be overcome, but rather that societies are shaped and continue to be shaped by migration: we live in a society where different cultures, stories, and backgrounds come together, and a plurality of voices and experiences need space. We want to strengthen the perspective that young refugees are more than just their migration stories: they have many talents, dreams, and dimensions to their identities. Youth work that understands this helps young people feel  seen, heard and supported.

If you’re interested in reading more, check out the report of the seminar migration shaping youth work.

Approach 

• We will hold space for you and invite you to share your professional and personal experiences about the topic.
• We will go through a learning journey together, where you will have a main role.
• We respect that everyone is different and learns or shares in their own way.
• The study visit will connect to local realities in Mechelen and Brussels. Mechelen is a lively historic city in the Flemish Region of Belgium with about 90,000 inhabitants. The city is currently the European Volunteering Capital and is home to multiple youth organisations engaging with refugees (for example, Tumult vzw). Located roughly halfway between Brussels and Antwerp, it is also a good starting point for visiting other public institutions and youth organisations. If you want to learn more about Belgian migration history, you can download the policy report Migration as a Constant. This is provided only as background information and does not necessarily represent the views of the organisers.

Who is this study-visit for?

Ideally, you identify yourself as belonging to one or more of the following groups:

• Youth workers and youth leaders: persons who work with young people on a regularly basis in an organisation or an informal group. This could be in paid or volunteer positions.
• Social workers or other practitioners involving refugees in their activities.
• (Young) people who are active in an organisation involving or working with refugees.
• We encourage youth workers to apply that identify themselves as having a migration background.

Application procedure

• You can apply until 29 September 23:59 CET via this form. You can choose to apply by completing the full form, or by sending a video or voice recording. All application methods will be processed equally, we invite you to use the one that feels the most comfortable. Please go to the form for more information.
• We’re aiming for a group that is diverse in terms of experience and expertise. The selection will be made by SALTO ID, in consultation with the organising team and national agencies involved. We will inform you by 13 October the latest whether you are selected or not.
• If you experience difficulties in accessing the form, we're happy to provide you with a screen reader-friendly version. Just send a mail to .

We explain the measures we take to make this study-visit inclusive in ‘additional information’ (downloads).

About the Strategic Partnership for Inclusion

This study-visit is organised in the framework of the Strategic Partnership for Inclusion. This consortium between 20+ national agencies aims to increase the participation of young people with fewer opportunities and facilitate access of new organisations in the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. You can find more information about SPI in the downloads.