6 Country Reports on Youth Work - Jugendpolitik in Europa

Despite this situation, the experts compiled definitions of youth work for their countries as
they are listed in the given overview. Except for Ireland and Romania, these definitions have
no official nature; they can be understood as descriptive attempts combining the most
common national understanding about youth work.
Table 5: Definitions and aims of youth work
22
Austria Estonia Germany Greece Ireland Italy Nether
lands
Definition Extracurricular
youth
work with
emphasis
on leisure
time
activities
and
prevention
(Source)
Aims Prevention,
problem intervention,
education
and
accomplishments
in
the social
and political
field, leisure
time and
experiences
Youth work
is the
creation of
circumstances
for
developmental
activities of
youth that
enable
them to act
outside
their family,
curriculum
education
and job of
their own
free will.
The aim of
youth work
is to create
prerequisites
and
support
youth in
managing
as
members of
society
Offers for
young
people that
support
their
development
by
picking up
their
interests
allowing
codetermination,
fostering
self-definition
and
encouraging
social
responsibility
and
participation
Social and
personal
developme
nt focussed
on the
concepts of
self-definition,participation
and
integration
Education
and welfare
services to
support
young
people’s
safe and
healthy
transition to
adult life, as
well as
leisure time
activities
Social and
personal
development
of
young
persons.
Enhancement
of
active
political
participation
and
social
inclusion of
young
people
Planned
programme
of
education
designed
for the
purpose of
aiding and
enhancing
the personal
and
social development
of
young
persons
through
their voluntaryparticipation,
and
which is
complemen
tary to their
formal
academic
or
vocational
educational
training and
provided
primarily by
voluntary
youth work
organisations
Social and
personal
development
of the
youth
population
on the
basis of
voluntary
participation
Initiatives
that favour
the access
of young
people to
the labour
market
Provision of
better
transition
opportunities
to adult
life (jobs,
housing,
participation
in
public life
etc.)
Supportive
and
reactive
services, as
well as
broad
leisure
oriented
offers
Social
participation
and
social
inclusion
Norway Romania Spain
Giving
young
people an
interesting
and
meaningful
leisure time
and opportunities
of
personal
development
through
participation
and
social
interaction
Introduction
to participation
and
democracy.
Prevention
of social
exclusion
and marginalisation
Any activity
organised
to improve
the
necessary
conditions
for the
social and
professionnaldevelopment
of
youth
according
to their
necessities
and wishes
Access to
information
provided to
young
people,
involvement
in civic
activities:
ecological,
political,
community
support
activities,
addressing
exclusion
through
prevention,
political
participationinclusion
and
integration,
self-development,
education,
offering
space, time
and support
for leisure
time
activities
Activities of
a social,
cultural,
educational
or political
nature with
and for
young
people
Neutralisation
of
young
people’s
social
exclusion
and marginalisation.Strengthening
the
participation
and
integration
of young
people in
different
spheres of
society as
citizens
with full
rights