Youth work talks Conference - Space for (youth) growth

Part of the SNAC "Growing Youth Work", the conference creates a space for professional debate and reflection on the issues surrounding the development of youth work, focusing on cross-sectoral cooperation for young people’s personal and civic growth.

Conference “Space for (youth) growth” is an event format of the Youth Work Talks series. This series is an activity of the "Growing Youth Work" partnership, a Strategic Cooperation project of 16 National Agencies for the EU youth programmes and SALTO Resource Centres (SNAC). Through a series of discussions, the Youth Work Talks aims to bring focus to the European professional debate on enhancing and strengthening youth work. Each Youth Work Talk centres around a key thematic issue, aligned with the European Youth Work Agenda and its eight priority areas.

The thematic focus of the Youth Work Talks Conference “Space for (youth) growth” is on cross-sectoral cooperation of the youth work sector, building up on the main SNAC focus on recognition of youth work and widening this perspective to targeting the outreach and strategic alliances beyond the youth work community of practice.

The overall aim of the conference is to facilitate building cross-sectoral alliances in the changing political, social and economic climate for young people’s personal and civic growth.

THREE MAIN STRANDS 

Personal growth: Cross-sectoral cooperation supporting young people in dealing with the current challenges – mitigating negative effects of the political, social, economic changes

Civic growth: Cross-sectoral cooperation empowering young people towards civic engagement 

The link between personal and civic growth: Ways in which youth work can act as a bridge between the two and between the relevant sectors

CONFERENCE INTENTIONS:

• Exploring the changing political, social and economic climate and effects that it has on young people and their development;
• Understanding ways in which youth work, cooperating with other sectors, can support young people’s personal and civic growth (through approaches, interventions, spaces, etc.);
• Capitalising on the success stories of cross-sectoral cooperation, their impact and factors that contributes to the success;  
• Strengthening links between the different sectors and exploring possible pathways forward in supporting young people in the changing times; 
• Supporting different stakeholders in checking the potential for cross-sectoral cooperation in their contexts and environments.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES/RESULTS:

• Insight into the cross-sectoral cooperation supporting young people’s personal and civic growth;
• Collection of success stories of cross-sectoral cooperation; 
• Emerging initiatives, activities, projects in partnership between different sectors tackling young people’s personal and civic growth; 
• Mapping of possible pathways forward in working together in supporting young people in the changing times;
• Initiating Guidelines for stakeholders for checking the potential for cross-sectoral cooperation in their context/environment.

TARGET GROUP OF THE CONFERENCE:

The conference aims at empowering those stakeholders who are interested and/or already engaged in building cross-sectoral alliances that benefit young people and contribute to their personal and civic growth.

The Conference is particularly relevant for professionals and volunteers who are dedicated to young people’s personal and civic development, either

• practitioners and experts from the youth work community of practice,
• as well as  stakeholders from other sectors, with links to youth work (especially practitioners and experts from schools and universities, municipalities, social services, youth care, police, historical sights/ places of remembrance, political foundations, youth participation organisations) 

We are looking for participants who are:

• having links to youth work in Europe, the European Youth Work Agenda and the Bonn Process, as well as to the EU youth programmes;
• looking for cross-border exchange and inspiration, resources, and practical approaches, as well as strategic alliances for the benefit of young people and their personal and civic growth;
• motivated to actively participate in the conference and willing to act as multipliers in the follow-up of the conference.

Tandems of participants from youth work community and allied sectors, with an example of good practice in cross-sectoral cooperation, are particularly encouraged to apply!