We welcome Jonas Agdur, senior expert in the youth work field, and a member of the EGL Steering Group. Jonas’ work and comittment has been one of the building blocks of European youth work as he witnessed many phases of youth work development, first in his country of origin – Sweden, and then across Europe – throughout the initiatives and networks he created and participated in. Within the EGL network project, Jonas is present and involved since its inception in 2016, as a guest speaker, trainer, author of resources and tools. We asked Jonas to take a moment to reflect on the ten years of EGL and its offer to the local youth work.
The first and basic contribution of EGL to the further development and strengthening of youth work is of course, the creation of the European Charter on Local Youth Work. Through it, EGL has established a commonly agreed ground and framework for youth work and made clear what providers must consider when designing both policy and practice. The Charter has given local youth work the ‘backbone’ and the direction that it previously lacked.
The Charter has a holistic approach to youth work, and together with the newly launched EGL Youth Work Development Toolkit (previously the Changemakers’ kit) it provides local stakeholders not only with a common ground but also with a hands-on tool for the further development of all aspects of youth work. This has made it possible for local actors to, despite their different conditions, start from where they are and develop and strengthen their youth work based on their own needs and ideas.
Having a common ground and framework, a common understanding of youth work, has also made it easier and more fruitful to exchange ideas and experiences. The EGL annual conferences, as well as our study visits, project labs, and other activities has, based on this, ‘opened up the door’ to Europe and European cooperation for many local actors, widening their horizons and providing ideas and inspiration for further development. These activities have also led to many common Erasmus+ projects, enriching both youth workers and young people and bringing Europe closer to the local level.
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Jonas Agdur has been involved in the Europe Goes Local (EGL) project since its start in 2016. As a member of the EGL Steering Group, he led the expert team on creating the European Charter on Local Youth Work – the guiding principles for quality development of local youth work. Along with the Charter, Jonas contributed to the design of its operational tool, the Changemakers Kit. Both tools are widely used today across Europe within the local youth work context. With his independent and structural research and vast knowledge, Joans continues to enrich youth work policy and quality standards in the youth work field.
Jonas started in 1980 as a municipal youth worker and the head of a youth centre in suburban Stockholm, Sweden. After moving to Gothenburg in 1998, he became head of a local department for youth work, and in 2005, he founded and became executive chair of KEKS, today a network of 62 Swedish municipalities, and also municipalities in Finland and Slovenia. Jonas also chaired the European Expert Group on Youth Work Quality systems between 2013 and 2015, and in 2014, he became chair of InterCity Youth, the European Network of Local Departments for Youth Work, with over 400 member departments.
Resources:
European Charter on Local Youth Work
Youth work policy essentials
EGL Youth Work Development Toolkit
Youthworkers policy development
Get in contact: jonas.agdur@keks.se