<< Objectives >>To investigate the legal and administrative environment in which youth councils functionTo compare the legal and administrative environment for youth councils in different countriesTo develop a collection of good practices from different countriesTo create an innovative training program for development of key civic competencesTo propose an EU wide intervention on the topic of independence of Youth councils through development of policy papers.<< Implementation >>- Kick off meeting of the project - Survey and analysis of the current situation of youth councils across Europe- Collection of good practices from National youth councils- Development of policy recommendations regarding independence of national youth councils on national and European level- 2 study visits on the Independence of youth councils- Final mobility<< Results >>Report on the legal and administrative environment in which youth councils functionComparative analysis of the legal and administrative environmentCollection of good practicesDeveloped an innovative training program and methodologyYouth leaders developed key civic competencesDraft proposal for a policy paper submitted to the European youth forum.

The Council Resolution on youth work, 2010, identifies eight fields in which cross-sectoral youth policy initiatives should be taken and how youth work can contribute, as well human rights and democracy, cultural diversity and mobility. The youth work activities and processes are self-managed, co-managed or managed under educational or pedagogical guidance by either professional or voluntary youth workers and youth leaders. The report of the expert group set up under the EU Work Plan for Youth for 2014 – 2015 describes the concrete role of the value of the youth work in addressing challenges young people are facing, notes the so important youth work approach as a link and broker between young people and different fields, sectors and services, such as the local communities, schools, social services, media and police. As well the report focus on the importance of the inclusion of the youth workers in the youth policy formulation - youth work is “like a radar, it is first in line and can pick up early indicators of changes, tendencies and trends among young people and help trigger quicker responses”. The new EU Youth Strategy /2019 -2027/ pointed 3 main core areas of youth sector: Engage, Connect, Empower. These 3 areas cover the general path how to engage young people to be part of the community life and to be creative architects of their own life, how to work together, to experience solidarity, to share best practices and to further work on effective systems of recognition and validation of gained competences outside the formal education. Youth work is addressed as catalyst of empowerment. Having that in mind the project partners agreed, that it is important to make further efforts to share different practices, increase training opportunities for youth workers, recognise competencies, as key to improving quality of youth work and the well-being of young people. The main objective of the project “Youth work and Youth workers across EUROPE – good examples from practice about volunteering, employment, education and training” is to explore, to describe and to exchange good practices concerning youth work in the different countries of the project partnership in order to ensure synchronised information and additional access to education and training for youth workers. The project will have the following main sub -objectives: 1. Exploring different practices in detail of youth work volunteering, employment, education and training in different European countries 2. Sharing good practices of youth work education and training within partnership3. Exploring possibilities of implementation of the shared youth work educational programs within partnership 4. Development of supportive network for information and experience exchange concerning youth work5. Better the competences of the partnering organisations of project management, achieving common goals and results and quality assurance of process. The expected results on the project completion include report on the different practices of youth work in the partnership countries; good practices collection book; shared within the partnership educational program for youth workers; development of pilot versions in the participating organisations; development of the competences of the participating organisation concerning quality assurance of processes and projects. The project will involve in the different activities youth workers and/or experts who are practitioners, who could deliver correct and evidence - based information, who could develop content, who are ready to share and improve their knowledge and experience. The project aims to get together practitioners who have an intimate knowledge of the needs of the sector and have motivation to find and deliver different solutions. Participants who are familiar with the process of non – formal learning, learning outcomes achievement, recognition and validation. The impact for the partnering organisations and other relevant stakeholders– more knowledge about youth work in practice, new partners, new competences for international cooperation, new service that they can provide to the youth workers or future youth workers in their countries. The impact for the target groups - more knowledge about youth work in practice /collection book/, new instruments and examples about the work on the field, new educational program. Enable access for youth workers to cross – border mobility opportunities, including employment and volunteering in the civic sector.The project “Youth work and Youth workers across EUROPE – good examples from practice about volunteering, employment, education and training” is complementary to the activities already carried out by the participating organisations, but as well to the institutional efforts by exchanging quality and good practices on practical level and developing new opportunities for youth workers to have access to educational programs and training outside the formal educational system.