Youth workers need …

to create an enabling and trustful environment that is actively inclusive, empowering and socially engaging, creative and safe, fun and serious, playful and planned.

If young people should want to engage and take responsibility, there needs to be a vivid and inspiring environment filled with positive energy. An environment that is open for testing various activities and initiatives and where they feel comfortable in investing time and energy, knowing that it is the spirit, not the actual results, that count.

Discuss & assess
Here you find the questions you need to ask yourself to know if you need to develop and the assessment function
Set objectives
Here you describe what you want to achieve.
Needs
Here you describe what you need to acquire, develop or change.
Actions to take
Here you describe the actions you plan to take.

Remember! Development is far from always a linear process! It needs to start with discussions, but the first ‘Action to take’ might be to gather more knowledge before setting aims for development and deciding on further actions to take. Dare to be both flexible and to take one step back before taking two steps forward!

References & tips

”In order to facilitate these outcomes, youth work should create an enabling environment that is actively inclusive and socially engaging, creative and safe, fun and serious, playful and planned. It should be characterised by accessibility, openness and flexibility and at the same time promote dialogue between young people and the rest of society. It should focus on young people and create spaces for association and bridges to support transition to adulthood and autonomy.”
Council of Europe, Recommendation CM/Rec(2017)4 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on youth work, 2017