Linking the European Youth Strategy to the YOUTH IN

ACTION opportunitiesHans-Georg Wicke

JUGEND für Europa – NA for YOUTH IN ACTION in Germany

Rotterdam, 19.3.2010

An EU Strategy for Youth – Investing and EmpoweringA renewed open method of coordination to address youth

Communication of the COMMISSION Brussels, 27 April 2009COM(2009) 200 final

COUNCIL RESOLUTION on a renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (2010-2018)Brussels, 27 November 2009

Overall objectives until 2018

_ create more and equal opportunities for all young people in education and in the labour market

_ promote the active citizenship, social inclusion and solidarity of all young people

Reference to the renewed Social Agenda: Children and Youth – the Europe of tomorrow (COM(2008) 412, July 2008)

Themes of the renewed framework

_ Education and training_ Employment and entrepreneurship_ Health and well-being_ Participation_ Voluntary activities_ Social inclusion_ Youth and the world_ Creativity and culture

Horizontal subject A New Role for Youth Work

Objective: Youth work should be supported, recognised for its economic and social contribution, and professionalised._ appropriate training for youth workers and youth leaders_ the recognition of their skills using appropriate European instruments_ Develop mobility of youth workers as indicated in the EU Treaty_ promotion of innovative services and approaches of youth work

Youth policy and YOUTH IN ACTION

YOUTH IN ACTION is the only instrument on European level in the youth sector to support the implementation of the renewed framework for European co-operation in the youth field – and often also on national level.

Youth policy and YOUTH IN ACTION

YOUTH IN ACTION contributes – in principle – to everything in the renewed framework:

₋ identity of aims of programme and policy ₋ implementing the 8 themes₋ consultation and Structured Dialogue₋ development (European dimension) of youth work ₋ building up structures₋ knowledge building and evidence based policies₋ mutual learning

Youth policy and YOUTH IN ACTION

But YOUTH IN ACTION is not designed for that.

Youth policy and YOUTH IN ACTION

Imagine, there would be a next YOUTH IN ACTION programme, which would be designed to effectively contribute to the development of youth work as its foreseen in the renewed framework: Youth work should be supported, recognised for its economic and social contribution, and professionalised.

Imagine, there would be a YOUTH IN ACTION programme, which would….

₋ develop a European training strategy for the capacity building of youth workers in Europe and in European projects and implement appropriate forms of training for youth work in Europe for youth workers, trainers etc₋ offer international mobility experiences for every youth worker as a learning opportunity

Imagine, there would be a YOUTH IN ACTION programme, which would….

₋ help to agree on competence profiles of youth workers etc and code of conducts in youth work and to develop strategies to support the quality in youth work in Europe₋ foster the recognition of youth work in the member states through identifying common ground in youth work in Europe and its different forms ₋ develop European portfolios for the self assessment and instruments for the documentation of competencies of youth workers etc which would help to recognise youth work in Europe

Imagine, there would be a YOUTH IN ACTION programme, which would….

₋ deliver sufficient and appropriate European platforms for the continuous exchange on innovative servicies, practicies and methods and allow new perceptions of youth work ₋ develop tools, instruments, methods etc which help to run European projects in youth work

Imagine, there would be a YOUTH IN ACTION programme, which would….

₋ offer formats and resources for the internationalisation of youth work organisations and the building of sustainable networks and partnerships₋ build up structures for youth work in Europe to support the development of youth work in Europe and in the member stated

Imagine, there would be a YOUTH IN ACTION programme, which would….

₋ Support the translocal exchange and cooperation amongst those, who are responsible for youth work and youth work strategies on local level on relevant youth issues₋ offer means to support the development of national (….) youth work strategies and youth related policies, like peer learning exercises

Imagine, there would be a YOUTH IN ACTION programme, which would….

₋ help to build up the triangle between youth research, youth policy and youth work on European and national level and to build up evidence based youth policies and youth work strategies₋ support the development of youth work as a profession through exchanging experiences on youth work as an element in formal education and support curricula on European youth work

Imagine, there would be a YOUTH IN ACTION programme, which ….

could serve effectively all this, but which will be eaten by the Youth on the Move initiative before!

Imagine,

we all would have learned from this conference and would start influencing policy makers

Thank you very much for your attention.