StreetWork4Future

Across Europe, local authorities and civil society organisations are increasingly investing in outreach youth work to prevent youth exclusion, promote participation, strengthen community engagement and support young people experiencing vulnerability. Outreach work has become an essential component of local youth policies because it enables professionals to engage young people directly in their everyday environments, reaching those who rarely access traditional services.
Despite the growing importance of outreach youth work, many local authorities and youth organisations are experiencing many difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified outreach workers, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of these services.
Research carried out on this topic has revealed that outreach youth work organisational models vary considerably across Europe in terms of governance, professional roles, partnerships, supervision, quality assurance and service delivery. European studies have highlighted the diversity of national youth work systems while pointing to the need for greater exchange of knowledge and practices on organisational models and workforce development. This creates a valuable opportunity for mutual learning and the transfer of innovative approaches among local authorities and youth organisations.
Rather than developing another training programme for outreach workers, StreetWork4Future aims to strengthen the quality, sustainability and attractiveness of outreach youth work services by enabling European organisations to compare organisational models, exchange effective practices and co-design innovative solutions that can be adapted to different local contexts.