Defining youth work

The study that forms the basis of this book was conducted in three European Union (EU) nation states: Germany, Austria and the UK. As such, we were keen to root our analysis in an understanding of how youth work is conceptualised in Europe and to consider the commonalities and divergence between the partner countries. Youth work policies and practices across Europe are not homogeneous but rather celebrate the rich cultural, ethnic, religious and political heritage of a diverse continent. While there is broad political recognition of the value of youth work in Europe (Davies, 2009; Verschelden et al, 2009; Coussée et al, 2010; Taru et al, 2014), there are also tensions: concerns about measuring quality, significance of the contribution to the life trajectories of young people, and legitimacy in difficult financial contexts. Ideological differences, demographic change, and rising inequality both between and within generations, contribute to a potent cocktail of potential misunderstanding.

In April 2015, the 2nd European Convention on Youth Work, sponsored by the Council of Europe, brought together 500 participants from across the EU to seek to establish some common understanding of youth work. In the preface to Finding Common Ground, Howard Williamson concedes that those unfamiliar with youth work might conclude that ‘it can give the impression of … a rather chaotic and disputed field of practice’ (2015, p 3). The declaration seeks to unify what remains a ‘contested ideological and theoretical space’ (Grace and Taylor, 2016) and provides the following definition of youth work as conceived in Europe: