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Core principles of youth work

Youth work is value based and its core principles are that it needs…

to be based on voluntary participation – on young people being active in youth work out of their own will and motivation
to be based on and respond to the needs, interests, ideas and experiences of young people as perceived by themselves, thus bringing added value and/or joy in life.
to be created, organised, planned, prepared, carried out and evaluated together with or by young people.
to contribute to the personal and social development of young people through non-formal and informal learning.
to strive to enhance young people’s self-determination, autonomy and access to rights.
to have a holistic perspective on young people and meet them where they are, as capable individuals and primary resources in their own lives and for society as a whole.
to promote critical thinking and creativity, as well as human rights, democratic values and active citizenship.
to be actively inclusive and offer equal opportunities to all young people.

Organisation & practice

The organisation and practice of local youth work needs …

to be set up in dialogue between all relevant stakeholders.
to transform aims and objectives into coherent strategies and plans.
to define and establish the preconditions and work processes needed for carrying out quality youth work.
to continuously exchange information about plans and activities with other local, national and European actors in the field of youth and actively engage in both cross- and intra-sectorial cooperation.
to counsel and give young people access to a wide range of adapted information regarding their rights as well as their possibilities to take part in different kinds of local, national and international activities.
to stimulate and support young people.
to stimulate and support young people to meet over all kinds of barriers and borders in order to socialise, exchange experiences and ideas, organise, learn from each other and take action.
to stimulate and support young people to be active citizens and exercise influence in society, including taking part in political decision-making.
to stimulate and support young people to be open to the world and to actively engage in regional, national, European and international mobility and cooperation.
to articulate, together with young people, learning objectives that they perceive as relevant for their personal and social development.
to document and make visible young people’s non-formal and informal learning outcomes, i.e. knowledge, skills, attitudes and values, achieved through youth work and to support the validation of achieved competences.
to provide youth workers with information, education, training and support that is relevant and adapted to local needs and to stimulate and support continuous competence development.

Quality development

The quality development of local youth work needs …

a clear and comprehensive system for documentation and follow up of outcomes, preconditions and work processes in relation to measurable indicators and aims.
regular and up to date mappings of local realities and needs.
clear procedures for continuous analysis of and reflection on outcomes in terms of how they relate to preconditions, work processes and activities, and the need for further development.
clear procedures for continuous updates on new national and international research, trends and methods in the field of youth and youth work.
common efforts of all stakeholders to cooperate around quality development and adoption of innovations.
continuous competence development of youth workers based on a clear competency framework in combination with an analysis of local outcomes, needs, strengths and weaknesses.

Youth work policy

Youth work practice needs to be guided by a youth work policy that …

is developed within the framework of, and in compliance with, the core principles stated above.
is developed in cooperation between all relevant stakeholders, including young people, having clear roles and mandates and being engaged in all stages of the process.
is developed on the basis of relevant and updated knowledge on young people’s needs, rights and interests as well as on new research and the different forms and methods of youth work that can be used in order to meet aims and objectives.
is based on clear and measurable qualitative and quantitative indicators regarding what shall be achieved in relation to young people’s participation, influence and learning.
allocates resources that are appropriate in relation to aims.
contains clear and politically approved local aims and objectives, while respecting the autonomy of local non-governmental organisations.
is clearly positioned in relation to and connected with broader youth policy on all levels, from local to European.

Youth workers

Youth workers need …

to act within a clear ethical framework, based on the core principles stated above, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights.
to be driven by the will to support young people in their personal and social development.
to create an enabling and trustful environment that is actively inclusive, empowering and socially engaging, creative and safe, fun and serious, playful and planned.
to see the need for, and seek ways to engage young people in all stages of the youth work process.
to see the need for, and seek ways to support young people to self-organise.
to have the competences, i.e. knowledge, skills, attitudes and values, necessary for carrying out youth work in accordance with the principles and actions described in this Charter.
to see youth work as a process of mutual learning and to see the need for constant competence development.
to be aware of and able to articulate the role and mission of the youth workers, and not to lend themselves to aims and activities that fall outside the realm of the core principles.
to continuously and critically reflect on how their own actions, as well as local objectives, methods and ways of organising activities comply with the core principles.