Youth work
A youth centre offering after-school workshops and leadership programmes, a youth organisation running non-formal education activities on human rights or climate action, or volunteer programmes where young people gain skills while helping their communities! All these are examples of youth work, a practice that helps young people build life skills, find their voice and shape their own futures outside the walls of formal education. Rooted in non-formal education, it creates safe, inclusive spaces where young people grow, connect and lead.
Youth work is done with and for young people, often led by paid and volunteer youth workers and youth organisations.
Why youth work matters
It helps young people shape their futures
Confidence. Critical thinking. Emotional intelligence. These and many other competencies are not typically taught in formal education systems, but they thrive in youth work.
It enables active citizenship
Youth work equips young people to engage meaningfully in civic life – in communities, in policymaking and beyond the ballot box. It’s about knowing your rights, and using them.
It drives social cohesion
From mental health support, wellbeing and resilience to creating spaces for connection, youth work helps create a sense of inclusion and belonging. Especially among those facing barriers.
Who makes it happen?
Youth organisations
They play a crucial role! They bring young people together, run programmes and shape policy, turning real-life lived experiences into powerful advocacy.
Youth workers
Volunteers: the backbone of grassroots work, bringing both energy and commitment.
Paid youth workers: offering continuity, structure and long-term support for young people.
Institutions
From the EU and the Council of Europe to national governments and local authorities, public institutions play a vital role by funding, recognising and enabling youth work.
What is holding it back?
- Lack of recognition and funding: Youth work is often forgotten – undervalued, underfunded, and struggling for stability.
- Shrinking civic space: Across Europe, youth organisations are being pushed out of decision-making spaces – limiting young people’s participation and weakening democracy.
- Barriers to access: Not all young people can benefit from youth work equally. Marginalised youth often face the biggest barriers, and youth workers don’t always get the support they need to reach them.
What we’re calling for
The recognition of youth work as essential for young people’s personal, civic, social and professional development, and as a core part of youth policy.
The recognition of the role of youth organisations in developing policy frameworks and quality standards. This means giving youth organisations a real seat at the table, and a voice in shaping national and European youth strategies.
The recognition of non-formal education: Skills gained through youth work to be formally recognised and valued — whether for future jobs, education, or personal development. Youth work and non-formal education should complement, not compete with, formal education. Long term investment in youth work in the form of funding should not be only project-based, but rather structural and sustainable so that youth organisations and workers can offer stable and high-quality services.
Support for all youth workers, whether paid or volunteer-based. Both have the right to fair working conditions, training, mobility opportunities, and recognition for their work
Strengthen civic space and ensure equal participation: All young people, especially those facing systemic barriers, must be able to access youth work, assemble, and take part in democratic life. Every young person deserves a chance to take part.
We’re fighting for youth work to be recognised, funded, and led by young people – so it’s not a privilege, but a right.
Asserting Space: Youth work through rights and recognition
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.
Key Documents and Resources
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