Asserting Space: Youth work through rights and recognition

Youth work is a practice rooted in non-formal education that supports, educates, and empowers young people beyond formal education systems, offering them spaces and opportunities to grow, participate, and shape their own lives. It plays a vital role in fostering inclusion, civic engagement, and access to rights, while helping young people develop essential practical and professional skills.

It is delivered largely by youth organisations that are closely connected to young people’s lived experiences and local realities, ensuring that youth work remains responsive, relevant, and grounded in the needs and rights of young people. Despite its proven impact, youth work remains under-recognised and underfunded, limiting its potential to support young people and contribute meaningfully to policy-making.

This policy paper reaffirms the European Youth Forum’s commitment to strengthening youth work by embedding it in strategic frameworks, advocating for greater recognition and sustainable investment, and ensuring it is youth-led, rights-based, and central to shaping future European policies and programmes.