Description

The seminar will focus on how European cooperation, policies, programmes, peer exchange, and funding opportunities can support quality youth work at local level. It will help participants connect European resources with concrete local challenges and explore how municipalities, youth organisations, social institutions, and local authorities can use them in a practical and realistic way. The programme will move from a shared understanding of quality youth work, through the analysis of local barriers and needs, towards concrete follow-up commitments. Participants will work on identifying local challenges, connecting them to European youth work frameworks, especially the European Youth Work Agenda (EYWA) and the European Charter on Local Youth Work, as well as  funding opportunities, and developing realistic first steps to take after the workshop.

The event is organised by two Strategic Cooperations of the network of National Agencies of the EU youth programmes:

• “Growing Youth Work”, which brings the EYWA to life through expert input, Europe-wide networking, support for national EYWA processes, accompanying research, and engagement with EU youth programs, thereby promoting the further development of youth work, 
• “Europe Goes Local,” which supports the quality development of local youth work through advocacy, knowledge exchange, peer learning, and networking. 

The event is hosted in Tallinn (Estonia) by the Estonian National Agency of the EU Programmes Erasmus+: Youth and European Solidarity Corps. 

The workshop will use non-formal education methods, including individual reflection, small-group work, peer exchange, structured discussion, policy-to-practice exercises, partnership matching, and brief practical inputs and exploration of practical tools and materials. Participants will be invited to actively contribute based on their local experience and to exchange with colleagues from different countries and youth work contexts across Europe.

Specific objectives of the workshop are:

• to support a shared understanding of quality youth work and its practical meaning at local level;
• to identify local realities and barriers that affect the quality, accessibility, and continuity of youth work;
• to introduce theEuropean political context, including the EU Youth Strategy and especially the European Youth Work Agenda and Charter on Local Youth Work;
• to explore how European policy and frameworks can support local and regional youth work development;
• to showcase how funding, opportunities and support at European level can benefit practice, incl.Erasmus+ Youth, the European Solidarity Corps, as well as advisory, information, networking, and training opportunities offered through National Agencies and SALTO-Youth Resource Centres;
• to support participants in connecting local needs with possible European resources, partners, and funding routes;
• to strengthen participants’ ability to make the case for youth work and explain proposed improvements to colleagues, managers, local authorities, and other stakeholders;
• to support participants in defining realistic commitments and first steps for the period after the seminar.

Participants are expected to leave the seminar with a clearer understanding of how European resources can support local youth work, possible peer contacts for further cooperation, and concrete steps that can be started after the workshop.

Target group

We invite representatives of municipalities, local public institutions, youth organisations, independent organisations active in youth work, and other actors involved in local youth work development to apply. The workshop is particularly relevant for participants who are connected with the local youth work system and municipality, have access to relevant local actors, and want to advance the quality and/or European dimension of their local youth work after the event. 

Expected participant profile

This is the right event for you if you want to:

• share about your local youth work context and the main challenges affecting quality youth work;
• reflect on local needs,and possible change;
• explore how young people can be involved in defining problems and solutions;
• exchange with colleagues from other local contexts;
• consider possible partnerships or follow-up exchanges;
• Identify a mid-term direction for a positive development in your local context and develop one realistic action or first step that can be started within three months after the seminar.

Practical information

The seminar will take place from 29 September to 2 October 2026 in Tallinn, Estonia.

The program starts with a welcome dinner on Tuesday, 29 September 2026 at 18:30.

Depending on participants’ arrival times, an optional informal get-together is planned on Tuesday evening to allow the participants to meet and get to know each other already. The official programme starts on Wednesday, 30 September at 9:30 EEST.

The programme will close with a joint dinner on Thursday, 1 October 2026. Departure is planned for Friday, 2 October 2026.

Venue: Ibis Styles Hotel, Tallinn, Estonia
Working language: English

Further information

Here, you can find more information on Growing Youth Work and the European Youth Work Agenda. Here you can explore about Europe Goes Local, the European Charter on Local Youth Work and the EGL Youth Work Development Toolkit.