The Council of Europe youth sector moves forward with implementation of the European Youth Work Agenda

Meeting in March 2021, the Joint Council on Youth agreed the Council of Europe youth sector had a significant role to play in the implementation of the European Youth Work Agenda.

The Committee of Minister’s recommendation on youth work, adopted in 2017, will constitute the backbone of the youth sector’s work. This text is rooted in the conviction that youth work makes an important contribution to active citizenship by providing opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for civic engagement and social action. The recommendation underlines young people’s contribution to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law – the Council of Europe’s core values – and thus the importance of government policies to support them in realising their full potential as autonomous members of society.

Youth work is a key pillar in the Council of Europe youth sector strategy 2030, the frame within which the Organisation will continue to invest in young people, assisting member states to adopt an opportunity-focused approach to tackling the many challenges young people face.

The partnership between the European Commission and the Council of Europe in the field of youth will be instrumental in the implementation of the Agenda, as will the network of Youth Centres holding the Quality Label and the European Youth Foundation.

The Joint Council on Youth has set up a working group, composed of members of the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ) and the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ), as well as other important partners and stakeholders.

The European Youth Work Agenda was the result of the 3rd European Youth Work Convention, held in December 2020, and organised by Germany in the framework of its overlapping presidencies of the Council of Europe and the European Union. Over 1 000 participants from the youth work community of practice came together online to explore the challenges and needs of youth work in Europe.

Information shared from coe.int