Youth work is dialogue and learning
The idea of a charter was first introduced at the 2nd Youth Work Convention (Brussels, 2015). The declaration stated “The Convention is asking for more awareness of this local level responsibility and to agree with the local and regional authorities on a European Charter for youth work at local level.” The motivation was to create a common ground for youth work.
With the declaration as a starting point, 22 Erasmus+ National Agencies in the field of Youth, together with partners the InterCity Youth network, the POYWE network, the European Youth Forum and the partnership between the EU and the Council of Europe, launched the Erasmus+ strategic cooperation project ‘Europe Goes Local’. The charter is one of the main outcomes of this project. It has been developed through a Europe-wide consultation process, engaging a wide range of stakeholders on all levels, including governments, municipalities, NGOs, youth organisations and councils, umbrella organisations and many more. It is, thus, created and owned by the European youth work community and concerns everyone, from policy makers to youth workers and young people, who is engaged in youth work and wants to improve it.
The aim of the charter is to contribute to the further development of local youth work. It does this by stating which principles should guide it and how different aspects of it should be designed in order to meet these principles. To help youth work professionals do this in practice, the Changemakers Kit was developed. It offers lots of valuable support and information, no matter what your youth work re.