Europe@DJHT

Aims & objectives

The Child and Youth Welfare Association (AGJ) organises a DJHT every three to four years, with the first such event taking place in 1964. Attendance is free of charge. DJHT is the biggest meet-up of its kind in the child and youth welfare community and related fields of activity across Europe. Around 30,000 experts and other interested individuals from all over Germany and Europe attend this three-day event to exchange opinions and experiences, and to strengthen networks. The agenda features a wide range of events by researchers and practitioners representing many different perspectives, making the DJHT an ideal place for experts to learn and develop. Moreover, the DJHT provides an in-depth insight into current theoretical and practical debates in the child and youth welfare community and related fields of activity (such as health, school, law, employment, etc.). The audience is just as diverse attracting social workers, scouts, day-care teachers, outreach workers, youth welfare office directors, high-ranking Ministry representatives, policymakers, and researchers. DJHT is a fixture in the calendar for all experts, whether volunteers or full-time employees, who work with and for young people and their families. It makes a valuable contribution towards assisting children and young people in growing up successfully, while also helping the Child and Youth Welfare Community to develop and evolve.

DJHT comprises two complementary components, a conference and an exhibition space, each with their own multi-faceted, diverse, informative, and creative agendas.

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

• Out of 30,000 total participants, we facilitated events for about 500 international guests representing 25 countries.
• Our international core team included four facilitators, a co-trainer, a rapporteur and a coordinator.

Training methods used & main activities

• World Café discussions – facilitated small-group rotations to exchange ideas and co-create recommendations on key themes.
• Interactive panel with guided questioning – combining expert inputs with audience participation through structured yet informal dialogue.
• Energisers and informal check-ins – short, engaging activities to build group dynamics and create a safe learning environment.
• Open space for cross-cultural exchange – informal networking embedded in the session design to enhance peer-to-peer learning.

Outcomes of the activity

• Created a space for cross-sector dialogue between youth workers, policymakers, researchers and young people from over 25 countries.
• Strengthened participants’ capacity to connect EU youth programmes (like Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps) with themes of democracy, participation, and solidarity.
• Collected concrete recommendations from participants on how youth work can better support democratic engagement through mobility—presented in plenary and shared with key stakeholders.

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

I co-hosted the opening event, three major workshops and supported contributors and participants before and during the sessions.

My tasks:
• Designing interactive learning environments (e.g. World Café, guided discussions)
• Preparing guiding questions and instructions for speakers and corner hosts
• Facilitating plenary moments, energisers, and reflections.
• Holding space for inclusive participation in a group of around 500 international participants.
• Coordinating with the technical and content team before and during the event.

• I also contributed to the harvesting of outcomes and ensured participant contributions were captured for further policy processes.

I worked on this training for 3 days as a full time trainer.