“Tokenism in youth work: what, where, how – and what should be done to avoid it”

This training course provides an opportunity to explore the concept of tokenism in youth work, its forms, manifestations, and impact on young people’s participation. It equips youth workers with the knowledge, tools, and strategies to ensure that youth participation is meaningful, inclusive, and free from superficial or symbolic involvement. Through non-formal education methods and experiential learning, the training will introduce participants to key frameworks and approaches such as the participation ladder, co-creation, and inclusive youth work practices. Participants will also explore how to recognise and address power imbalances, privilege, and representation issues in youth work settings.

The training goes beyond theoretical input by engaging participants in interactive exercises, practical workshops, structured reflections, and collaborative learning experiences aimed at building concrete skills for avoiding tokenism. Special attention will be given to the design and facilitation of inclusive local-level activities that promote genuine representation and empower all young people to actively shape their communities. By the end of the course, participants will have deepened their understanding of meaningful youth participation, developed strategies to counter tokenism, and created action plans for inclusive activities in their local contexts.

The training course is developed in line with Youth Goal 1: Connecting EU with Youth and contributes to following sub-goals:

Guarantee meaningful youth involvement and dialogue in all stages of EU decision making by improving existing participatory mechanisms and creating new ones.

Ensure equal access to quality impartial and youth-friendly information about how the EU works, how to engage in it and what opportunities it offers.

Introduce and increase education about Europe and the EU in formal and non-formal settings.

The training course will be based on non-formal education methods and experiential learning principles. The program is designed to provide youth workers with the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary to foster genuine youth participation, promote youth engagement, and link local-level youth work to wider European democratic frameworks.

The first days of the training will be dedicated to creating a safe and collaborative learning environment, fostering trust within the group, and aligning participants’ expectations. These initial sessions will focus on introducing the concept of tokenism, exploring how it manifests in youth work, and presenting the Erasmus+ Program and Youthpass as tools that can support meaningful participation. Participants will also engage in team-building activities and begin reflecting on their own experiences with participation and representation.

As the training progresses, participants will examine real-life examples of tokenism, explore the participation ladder and co-creation approaches, and develop skills to identify and address power imbalances, privilege, and representation issues in youth work. Interactive sessions will focus on practical strategies to avoid tokenism and design inclusive youth activities that ensure genuine engagement of all young people.

In the later stages of the course, participants will work in groups to design concrete local-level follow-up activities that promote meaningful participation and counter tokenism in their own contexts. They will receive feedback on their draft ideas, explore potential challenges and solutions, and refine strategies to make their initiatives inclusive and impactful.

On the final day, participants will present their follow-up plans, evaluate their learning outcomes, and reflect on their professional growth. The course will close with a structured evaluation process and a Youthpass ceremony to celebrate and acknowledge participants’ achievements.

Objectives:

To explore the concept of tokenism in youth work, its forms, manifestations, and impact on young people’s participation.

To raise participants’ knowledge about tools and frameworks for meaningful youth participation, including the participation ladder, co-creation, and inclusive youth work practices.

To strengthen participants’ competences in recognising and addressing power imbalances, privilege, and representation issues in youth work settings.

To support participants in creating and planning inclusive local-level activities that promote meaningful participation and representation of all young people.