Working with young people : the value of youth work in the European Union : executive summary.
Date: 2014-07-28
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
Subjects: EU Member State, case study, cultural policy, labour market, personal development, social work, voluntary work, young person, youth policy

This  document  has  been  prepared  for  the  European  Commission  and  the  Education, 
Audiovisual  and  Culture  Executive  Agency.  However,  it  reflects  the  views  only  of  the 
authors,  and  the  Commission  cannot  be  held  responsible  for  any  use  which  may  be 
made of the information contained therein.  

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Prepared by Allison Dunne, Daniela Ulicna, Ilona Murphy, Maria Golubeva  
Checked by Daniela Ulicna, Margaret James 

Edited by European Commission, Directorate-General for Education and Culture 
February 2014 
General report available at: http://ec.europa.eu/youth/library/study/youth-work-
report_en.pdf 

© European Union, 2014 

ISBN: 978-92-79-36199-9 
Doi 10.2766/72862 
NC-04-14-174-EN-C 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Working with young people: The value 
of youth work in the EU 

Executive summary 

About this study 

The history of providing youth work for young people varies depending on the Member 
State, but youth work is not a new concept in the EU and the landscape of youth work 
continues to  evolve. Although youth work has  greater recognition and visibility today 
in  comparison  to  the  past,  there  is  still  much  to  be  done  as  there  is  a  need  to 
recognise youth work for the contribution and value it has in the lives of young people.  
In  consideration  of  the  fact  that  sources  of  data  on  youth  work  are  currently  scarce, 
this  study  strives  to  bring  together  existing  evidence  in  order  to  facilitate  the 
understanding  and  appreciation  of  youth  work.  It  draws  on  literature  in  the  area,  a 
mapping  of  national  contexts,  consultation  amongst  stakeholders  and  an  analysis  of 
successful practice.  The latter was conducted during the course of the study in order 
to  gain  a  deeper  understanding  of  youth  work  in  the  EU  and  the  contribution  that  it 
makes  for  young  people  of  the  EU.  The  report  highlights  the  diversity  of  youth  work 
practice, the variety of actors involved, the observable trends in the sector, features of 
successful  youth  work  and  the  range  of  outcomes  associated  with  that  success. 
Furthermore,  it  presents  a  comparative  overview  of  the  frameworks  which  support 
youth  work  at  the  national  level  across  the  EU.  Whilst  youth  work  practice  will  take 
place  regardless  of  whether  countries  provide  a  policy  framework  of  support  for  the 
sector or not, EU and national level policies and funding provisions have the potential 
to  frame  and  shape  the  practice  of  youth  work.  These  should  be  designed  so  as  to 
further strengthen the capacity of the sector to provide meaningful activities for young 
people  in  their  leisure  time  that  lead  to  identifiable  successful  outcomes  for  youth  in 
the EU. 

What is youth work? 

The  term  ‘youth  work’  is  used  to  describe  a  diverse  range  of  activities,  topics  and 
measures  provided  by  a  range  of  actors  in  assorted  fields  and  settings.  However,  at 
the  heart  of  youth  work  there  are  three  core  features  that  define  it  as  youth  work 
distinct from other policy fields: 
(cid:374)  a focus on young people,  
(cid:374)  personal development, and  
(cid:374)  voluntary participation.  

Not  all  countries  have  a  formal  definition  of  youth  work  and  amongst  those  that  do, 
there is a variety of definitions. Based on a review of national definitions and experts’ 
views, this study identified that the following characteristics are frequently cited when 
describing youth work:   

 3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Typology of youth work 

Given  the  range  of  activities  that  fall  under  the  umbrella  of  youth  work  this  study 
proposes a typology  of  youth work practice to  capture the types  of  activities and the 
focus  of  youth  work.  The  proposed  typology  consists  of  two  axes  distinguishing 
between  the  objectives  and  the  target  group  of  the  youth  work  activity.  Most  youth 
work  activities  fall  somewhere  along  the  continuum  of  these  axes.  Youth  work 
activities at one end of the target group axis are those that are universal (targeting all 
young  people)  and  at  the  other  end  those  which  focus  on  specific  target  groups  of 
young  people.  The  other  axis  representing  the  objectives  of  youth  work  runs  from 
youth  work  with  a  broad  goal  of  personal  development  to  youth  work  with  very 
specific  issues  it  wishes  to  address.  Many  organisations  deliver  some  activities  that 
have  a  specific  target  group  focus  and  others  that are open to all young people. The 
types  of  activities  can  be  partially  linked  to  the  types  of  expected  outcomes  and 
therefore  to  the  discussion  of  the  value  of  youth  work.  This  report  shows  a  range  of 
outcomes  of  youth  work  but  not  all  types  of  activities  have  the  potential  to  result  in 

 4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
the  full  range  of  outcomes.  The  typology  together  with  the  discussion  on  outcomes 
could be seen as a way to clarify the focus of a specific youth work activity and related 
expected outcomes. 

Issue based focus 
Issue based focus 
Issue based focus

Target group 

Not specified 
Universal 
provision 

O
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e
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f

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e

a
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s

Specific groups 

Personal development in 
general 

Trends in youth work in the last decade 

The  youth  work  sector  continues  to  evolve  and  is  gaining  increasing  prominence  on 
the  political  agenda  at  the  EU  and  Member  State  levels.  Youth  work  organisations 
themselves also adapt to the changing needs and contexts of young people. There are 
a  number  of  key  trends  that  were  highlighted  on  the  basis  of  the  stakeholder 
interviews,  country  reports  and  case-studies  carried  out  during  this  study  with 
implications for both policy and practice. 

 5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  combination  of  an  increasing  demand  for  youth  work  activities,  the  growing 
expectations  of  youth  work  to  deliver  successful  outcomes  and  evidence  of  that 
success  means  that  organisations  providing  youth  work  have  to  find  a  balance 
between: 
(cid:374)  meeting  the  priorities  set  out  in  policies  and  funding  mechanisms  with  an  ever-
increasing  trend  for  youth  work  practice  to  be  more  target-group  based,  address 
specific issues and be intervention based; 
responding to the individual needs and interests of young people; 

(cid:374) 
(cid:374)  whilst  maintaining  the  core  principles  that  form  the  foundation  of  youth  work 

practice.  

The  potential  disconnection  between  the  purpose  and  mission  of  youth  work  and  the 
expectations  of  outcomes  is  a  growing  issue.  There  is  a  concern  that  youth  work  is 
increasingly expected to deliver what had previously been carried out by other policy 
sectors.  Some  of  those  within  the  sector  can  see  this  trend  as  putting  extensive 
pressure  on  the  sector  and  can  take  youth  work  away  from  its  original  purpose.  On 
the  other  hand  this  indicates  that  there  is  growing  awareness  of  the  possible 
contribution of youth work. Though in many countries this does not yet come hand in 
hand with funding frameworks and commitment to develop the youth work sector. 

Quality youth work 

In addition to exploring what youth work is, how it is delivered and supported and the 
observable  trends  within  the  sector,  an  examination  of  the  literature  and  analysis  of 
case-studies  led  to  the  identification  of  the  elements  that  make  up  successful  youth 
work  practice.  This  study  finds  that  successful  youth  work  outcomes  are  reached 
through  a  combination  of  behaviours,  attitudes  and  methods.  Core  areas  of  good 
quality youth work are: 
(cid:374)  The close relationship between the youth worker and the young person; 
(cid:374)  Active outreach to young people in need of help and support; 
(cid:374)  Flexibility, accessibility and adapting to the needs of young people; 
(cid:374)  Learning opportunities, goal setting and recognition of achievements; 
(cid:374)  Safe, supportive environments enabling young people to experience life, to make 
mistakes and to participate with their peers in an enjoyable and fun setting; 

(cid:374)  Autonomy with young people driving their own development; 
(cid:374)  Partnerships/collaboration with other actors (e.g. formal education, social work). 

Organisations  and  those  working  in  the  field  of  youth  work  need  to  find  the  right 
balance  between  support  for,  and  the  autonomy  of,  young  people.  Young  people 
benefit from this combination of supportive and safe spaces as well as the autonomy 
to create an environment that promotes their own personal development.  

The contribution of youth work 

An  important  aspect  of  this  study  is  not  only  to  look  at  what  makes  youth  work 
successful  but  to  take  stock  of  the  outcomes  associated  with  successful  practice. 
Currently,  a  general  lack  of  data  and  robust  evaluation  hinders  the  sector  from 
demonstrating  effectiveness.  However,  the  body  of  evidence  on  both  outcomes  and 
successful  practice  is  beginning  to  grow.  Greater  availability  of  research  facilitates 
learning and development of those active in the sector.  
On  the  basis  of  the  evidence  identified  from  existing  research  and  the  data  collected 
throughout this study successful youth work practice can result in a range of positive 
outcomes for young people which enable them to: 
(cid:374)  Develop skills and competences in a diverse range of areas (their human capital); 
(cid:374)  Strengthen their network and social capital; 

 6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(cid:374)  Change particular behaviours (such as risk behaviours); 
(cid:374)  Build positive relationships.  

Beyond the individual level outcomes, youth work is: 
(cid:374)  An important component of our social fabric offering a space for contact, exchange 

and engagement among youth but also between generations; and 

(cid:374)  Of value in its own right. Most youth work activities are designed to offer learning 
experiences that can be both enriching and fun and offer activities that are shared 
with others. These have a social value and should be recognised as such. 

The  European  Youth  Strategy 1 identified  eight  fields  of  action  to  which  youth  policies 
should  contribute.  This  study  ascertains  the  contribution  of  youth  work  to  each  of 
these fields based on existing research, the country reports and case-studies.  

1  European  Commission  (2009)  An  EU  Strategy  for  Youth  –  Investing  and  Empowering  A 
renewed open method of coordination to address youth challenges and opportunities. 

 7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                           
Although  the  main  focus  of  this  report  was  to  recognise  the  value  of  youth  work  in 
terms of the positive outcomes identified above, it is important to state that this study 
acknowledges that the focus and value of youth work is not only in what it produces in 
terms  of  outcomes.  Youth  work  processes  and  activities  should  be  valued  alongside 
the positive outcomes these can produce. 

 8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reach of youth work 

A  challenge  when  discussing  the  reach  of  youth  work  is  that  no  EU  country  has  a 
comprehensive overview of the reach of youth work in terms of those participating in 
youth  work  activities.  One  third  of  countries  analysed  have  no  data  on  this  issue. 
Those  countries  that  collect  data  often  only  have  information  about  particular 
segments of youth work. The data is frequently: 
(cid:374)  based on membership in youth organisations but membership-based organisations 

represent only one part of the youth work sector; 

(cid:374)  based  on  numbers  of  participants  in  activities  funded  by  a  specific  programme 
causing possible double counting as a significant share of young people participate 
in more than one set of activities; 

(cid:374)  not broken down into more detailed categories enabling refined analysis of who is 

reached and who is left out.  

As a proxy, an existing survey of young people 2 showed that 
more  than  one  young  European  (aged  15  to  30)  in  two 
participated  (during  the  12  months  prior  to  the  survey)  in 
activities of at least one type of organisation named 3. Though 
not  all  organisations  named  always  offer  youth  work,  this 
data  indicates  that  the  reach  of  youth  work  is  possibly 
significant. One young person in five took part in activities of 
a  youth  club,  leisure  time  club  or  a  youth  organisation. 
Furthermore,  there  are  some  groups  of  particularly  active 
young people who participate in a broad range of activities.  
However,  this  research  also  shows  that  some  groups  have 
less access to youth work than others. These are:  
(cid:374)  Older age groups of young people (aged 18 and over);  
(cid:374)  Young people in rural areas; 
(cid:374)  Young people from migrant backgrounds; 
(cid:374)  Young people from other minority groups (e.g. disabled, 

LGBT); 

One young person in two 
took part in some 
organised activities  in the 
past year (2013, 
Eurobarometer data)

44

Yes

No

56

Hi ghest participation (cid:1096) 75: NL, IE, 
(cid:62)(cid:104)(cid:854)(cid:3)(cid:62)(cid:381)(cid:449)(cid:286)(cid:400)(cid:410)(cid:3)(cid:393)(cid:258)(cid:396)(cid:410)(cid:349)(cid:272)(cid:349)(cid:393)(cid:258)(cid:410)(cid:349)(cid:381)(cid:374)(cid:3)(cid:1095) 37: HU, 
LT, CY

(cid:374)  Disadvantaged young people. 
Therefore,  whilst  some  young  people  gain  the  most  out  of 
youth work, many  of those with perhaps the greatest potential to benefit from youth 
work are not currently being reached by youth work. 

One young person in five took part in activities  of a youth club,  leisure time club  or any 
other kind of youth organisation  (2013 Eurobarometer data)

22

78

Yes

No

(cid:44)(cid:349) (cid:336)(cid:346)(cid:286)(cid:400)(cid:410)(cid:3)(cid:393)(cid:258)(cid:396)(cid:410)(cid:349)(cid:272)(cid:349)(cid:393)(cid:258)(cid:410)(cid:349)(cid:381)(cid:374)(cid:3)(cid:1096)(cid:3)(cid:1007)(cid:1004)(cid:855)(cid:3)(cid:62)(cid:104)(cid:853)(cid:3)(cid:47)(cid:28)(cid:853)(cid:3)(cid:17)(cid:28)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:62)(cid:381)(cid:449)(cid:286)(cid:400) (cid:410)(cid:3)(cid:393)(cid:258)(cid:396)(cid:410)(cid:349)(cid:272)(cid:349)(cid:393)(cid:258)(cid:410)(cid:349)(cid:381)(cid:374)(cid:3)(cid:1095)(cid:3)(cid:1005)(cid:1006)(cid:855)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:75)(cid:853)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:104)(cid:853)(cid:3)(cid:18)(cid:122)

2 Flash Eurobarometer survey “European Youth: Participation in democratic life” (N.375). 
3  The  organisations  listed  were:  sports  club,  youth/leisure  club  or  youth  organisation,  local 
organisation aimed at improving local community, cultural organisation, organisation promoting 
human  rights  or  global  development,  organisation  active  in  climate  change/  environmental 
issues, political organisation or political party. 

 9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                           
Supporting frameworks for youth work 

The  youth  work  sector  is  supported  by  policies  and  funding  programmes  at  both  EU 
(Youth  Strategy  and  Youth  in  Action)  and  national  level.  The  EU  Youth  Strategy  has 
influenced  national  youth  policy  since  its  implementation  in  2010  with  national 
priorities reflecting those set at the EU level. In the majority of Member States youth 
work  is  supported  by  a  legal  framework,  governance  structure,  policies  and  funding. 
However  these  frameworks  often  emphasise  some  aspects  of  youth  work  more  than 
others and it is not uncommon that youth work comes under several legal or funding 
frameworks.  
Legal frameworks commonly regulate funding mechanisms, funding eligibility, and the 
requirements  and  responsibilities  of  those  involved  in  the  sector  as  well  as,  in  some 
cases, serving as a tool to recognise youth work practice.  
Most  countries  either  have  a  specific  strategy  or  action  plan  on  youth  work  or  their 
broader youth strategies incorporate aspects of youth work. 

Beyond regulation, the sector is supported by national level policies, programmes and 
funding. In fact, there is evidence that policy developments related to youth work are 
increasingly  being  developed  in  countries  across  the  EU  as  governments  commit  to 
establishing,  renewing  or  replacing  youth  work  strategies,  policies  and  funding 
programmes.  A  comparative  overview  of  these  policies,  programmes  and  funding 
mechanisms on the basis of information collected for the country reports found that in 
addition  to  developing  youth  work  in  specific  thematic  areas  (in  line  with  the  eight 
fields of action in the EU Youth Strategy), there are a number  of  core main priorities 
for current and future youth work emphasised at national level. The core priorities of 
these national policy frameworks for youth work in EU countries are presented below. 

 10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Impact of economic crisis on youth work 

Young  people  have  been  disproportionately  affected  by  the  economic  crisis  that 
started in 2008, particularly on the labour market. One in four young people under 25 
is  unemployed  in  the  EU  4.  Therefore,  young  people  have  become  a  core  priority  for 
policy makers at EU level. Youth policy is seen by many as a possible solution to tackle 
the  issues  and  offset  the  negative  impact  of  the  crisis.  On  the  basis  of  the  country 
reports  and  interviews  amongst  stakeholders  in  the  sector,  the  economic  crisis  has 
had  a  number  of  significant  impacts  on  youth  work  within  Member  States  across 
Europe: 
(cid:374)  The majority of EU countries have experienced cuts to public funds to youth work 

due to the economic crisis (at national and municipality level); 

(cid:374)  There is a growing use and reliance on EU level support and financing for the youth 

work sector as other sources of funding at national level are reduced; 

(cid:374)  The  priorities  for  public  funding  of  youth  work  have  changed.  There  is  greater 
emphasis  on  youth  work  targeted  at  giving  young  people  better  opportunities  on 

4 Eurostat unemployment rate – annual average in % for 2012 under 25 years old for the EU 27 
was 22.8%.  

 11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
the  labour  market  and  in  education.  Focus  is  increasingly  on  funding  support  to 
those  who  are  socially  excluded.  Organisations  providing  universal  youth  work 
increasingly struggle to get public funding; 

(cid:374)  With greater demand on youth work, there is pressure to do more with either the 

same or less funding than before; 

(cid:374)  Youth work policy developments have slowed or recently stalled in some countries 

primarily due to the economic downturn; 

(cid:374)  With  less  funding  there  is  increasing  emphasis  on  youth  work  with  an  identifiable 
effect and return on investment. Not all organisations have the capacity to engage 
in such evaluations.  

Impact of the economic crisis on national level public funding for 
youth work 

National public funding cuts 

Country 

Experienced national level public 
budget cuts for youth work 

Limited impact on national level 
public budget for youth work5 

Expected national budget cuts for 
youth work 

Youth workers 

BE (fr), BG, CZ, DE, DK, EL, ES, HU, IE, IT, 
LT, LV, PL, PT, RO, SI, SK, UK-EWNI, UK 
(Scot) 

AT, BE (de), BE (nl), EE, FI, FR, LU, MT, NL 

CY, EL 

The exact population of youth workers in the EU remains unknown, though estimates6 
show  that  the  number  of  volunteers  greatly  outweighs  the  number  of  paid  youth 
workers in the sector. Calculations on the basis of a select number of countries in the 
EU estimate over 1.7 million youth workers with this figure likely to be higher for the 
whole  EU.  Fundamentally,  youth  workers  typically  carry  out  the  same  roles  and 
functions regardless of their status as volunteer or paid. The status of youth workers 
is increasingly becoming understood as a distinct profession but professionalism is not 
only about formal qualifications. Volunteer youth workers also integrate a professional 
approach  to  their  work  with  young  people.  Youth  workers  are  often  qualified  and/or 
specifically  trained  to  carry  out  the  activities  they  are  involved  with.  Whilst  there  is 
evidence of some government support through training opportunities, recognition and 
validation  of  learning  for  youth  workers,  most  commonly  it  is  the  youth  work 
organisations  themselves  which  are  active  in  offering  training  or  development 
opportunities for youth workers. Given the prevalence of in-house training, there is a 
need for greater external recognition of youth workers skills and competences, based 
on quality criteria against which skills and competences can be recognised. There are 
also  some  initiatives  for  clarification  of  common  minimum  competence  standards  for 
youth  workers  across  the  different  organisations  and  roles.  It  is  equally important  to 
support youth workers as it is to support young people involved in youth work. A lack 
of  adequate  support  in  combination  with  the  pressures  on  the  sector  can  discourage 
those who are working with young people and, in some cases, lead to high turnover. 
This has the potential to damage the established relationships between youth workers 
and young people which are fundamental to successful practice. Therefore, support for 
youth  workers  (paid  and  voluntary)  to  recognise  the  experience,  professionalism  and 
contribution  they  bring  to  their  work  with  young  people  is  an  important  identifiable 
need. 

5 Though in some countries cuts were experienced at the level of municipalities. 
6 Source: ICF GHK calculations based on data in country reports. 

 12