Report - Salto

Bridges for Recognition | What is Bridges for Recognition? - Introduction
9
- Introduction
Bridges for Recognition was a European
conference that took place in Leuven, Belgium
from 19th to 23rd January 2005 to promote
the recognition of youth work across Europe.
The event brought together 120 people from
a variety of stakeholders in order to explore
ways forward regarding recognition of skills
and experiences gained in youth work and
the social recognition of the youth work
sector. The fact that there was a significant
waiting list of candidates was testimony to
the interest in the subject and to the desire
to take steps forward regarding recognition
of youth work.
Bridges for Recognition took place at the Faculty Club in the University City of Leuven (Belgium),
in the ancient buildings of the Convent of Chièvres and the Great Beguinage. This is a UNESCO
World Heritage site and it proved an excellent environment in which to work, following in the
footsteps of other important European meetings that took place there.
Further Conference Documentation can be found at
www.SALTO-YOUTH.net/BridgesForRecognition/
Objectives
The conference set out to contribute to the following objectives:
To promote the recognition of young people’s skills and learning acquired through
participation in youth work activities;
To raise the visibility of youth work, its impact on young people’s lives and its contribution
to society;
To enhance the social recognition of youth work in society.
These objectives were met through a dynamic programme of keynote speeches, workshops to
share good practice and discussion groups to enable understanding.
An outline programme is provided on p. 15 of this report.