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We all know that working with youth is traditionally a task or skill assigned to teachers and families, and this has been the case for centuries. However, there is another approach to working with young people that has also existed for a long time but has gained a name in recent years: youth work. In many countries, youth work has become a full-time profession for which one can study or attend competence courses to qualify.

Youth work covers a wide range of topics that we can practice and recognize – from mentoring or coaching a young person to delivering courses, programs, or workshops on various themes. It supports young people in acquiring new skills and improving behavioral patterns. Furthermore, activities such as environmental and nature conservation, art, crafting, and book clubs, political activism, street work, sports, social enterprises, and leisure-time activities can all be considered “youth work.”

Characteristics of Youth Work

• Learning takes place outside the structures of the formal education system and differs in the way it is organized and the type of recognition it offers;
• Learning is intentional and voluntary;
• The primary aim of learning is to convey and practice the values and skills of democratic life.

These characteristics are closely linked to the methodological approach that youth work brings to the learning process today, such as:

• Balanced coexistence and interaction between the cognitive, affective, and practical dimensions of learning;
• Linking individual and social learning;
• Partnership-oriented solidarity and symmetrical teaching/learning relationships;
• Participatory and learner-centered approaches;
• Relevance to real-life concerns, experimental methods, and learning through action, using intercultural exchanges and encounters as learning tools.

Outcomes or Goals of Youth Work

These follow several principles, which can be easily identified through the “six E’s”:

• Emancipate: Providing young people with autonomy and freedom;
• Engagement: Supporting young people to participate in public life;
• Enabling: Helping young people follow their passions, dreams, and desires;
• Empowerment: Creating space for young people to become agents of change in their communities;
• Enjoyment: Giving young people the opportunity to embrace a balance between work and leisure;
• Education: Providing young people with the necessary and relevant skills through non-formal education to enhance their competencies.

Creating Value through Youth Work

This is achieved in three ways:

1. Values linked to personal development: Autonomy, critical thinking, openness, curiosity, and creativity.
2. Values linked to social development: Communication, participation and democratic citizenship, solidarity, social justice, responsibility, and the transformative power of conflicts.
3. Ethical values: Human rights, respect for others, intercultural learning and dialogue, peace/non-violence, gender equality, and intergenerational dialogue.