Poywe

09/09/2025

Live from Leusden!
Passing the Torch: Thought Leadership in European Youth Work and Youth Policy is in full swing.

Over the past two days, inspiring voices from across Europe have been reflecting on 30 years of youth work and policy — sharing experiences, challenging ideas, and shaping visions for the future.

The energy, commitment, and collaboration in the room is a true testament to the power of youth work and its impact across generations.

04/09/2025

🌍 POYWE Exchange: A Webinar Series Fostering Shared Learning and Dialogue

Youth, Democracy, and Freedom of Speech
🗓️ Date: September 30, 2025
🕑 Time: 2:00–3:30 PM CEST
📍 Zoom: use this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84055042494

POYWE (Professional Open Youth Work in Europe) is proud to launch POYWE Exchange, a new webinar series designed to promote shared learning, dialogue, and professional development across the European youth work sector. Every third month, POYWE will host a webinar focused on a key topic in open youth work.

The first webinar, hosted by Youth Work Norway, explores a pressing issue: How do young people experience democracy and freedom of speech today? With a noticeable shift toward far-right ideologies among youth in Europe, this session will examine the current landscape and discuss how professional open youth work can and should respond.

🎤 Program Highlights:

Insights from researcher Anna Krasteva: How to speak in crisis time? The agency and experience of the Far-Right youth.

A young person, Rosa Horiat from Oslo Youth Council, shares her experience of today’s freedom of speech climate

A Norwegian youth club presents a successful democracy-focused project

Interactive discussion and Q&A with speakers

👥 Who should attend?
Youth workers, staff in youth organizations, municipal employees, decision-makers, and stakeholders in the youth work field.

Registration is required – sign up here: https://forms.office.com/e/weFP4dPbuH

Europe Goes Local
Ungdom og Fritid
BOJA - Bundesweites Netzwerk Offene Jugendarbeit
DOJ/AFAJ
BAG Offene Kinder- und Jugendarbeit e. V.
Samfés
Impress
Netz - Offene Jugendarbeit

13/06/2025

POYWE is worried about the rise in anti-democratic attitudes among young people in Europe.

It is time to take action against this rise!
POYWE has written a declaration committing to work against this trend, and we are urging supporters of professional open youth work to sign it and join us in this work.

Professional open youth work is an important actor in this work!

You can read and sign the declaration on POYWEs website:

Our network of youth work organisations are working together to strengthen cooperation, enhance quality and give a common voice to the field of professional open youth work on a European level.

21/01/2025

Europe Goes Local is now looking for municipalities that are active in local youth work policy development, to present their best practice at the EGL Conference 25-27th March.

The main aim of the event is to discuss how to create effective local youth work policies and related strategies and how the Erasmus+ programmes may support the strategic development of municipal youth work policy.

Do you know any municipalitites who should share their best practices with youth work policies? Let them know about this great opportunity to showcase their success!

All costs are covered by EGL. Submit the practice description here: https://forms.office.com/e/AwU0z1CCCC

Deadline is 10th February.

07/01/2025

Happy new year to everyone from us in POYWE!

We are looking forward to continue our work with strengthening professional open youth work in Europe in 2025.

Do you want to join us? Send us an email - board@poywe.info

19/11/2024

This week Ungdom og Fritid (Youth Work Norway) is hosting their Annual Conference in Kongsberg. This year, for the first time, in collaboration with POYWE there is also an international delegation.
We have gathered partners from youth work organisations, muncipalities and researchers from 11 European countries, for three days of lecturers, discussions and building new relations.
POYWE has also had meetings with the Nordic Network to discuss potential collaborations.

10/11/2024

This week POYWE has been represented in meetings with the Steering Group and Advisory Board in Europe Goes Local in Madeira. The purpose of EGL is to strengthen local youth work through European collaboration.

During the three days, umbrella organisations, National Agencies for Erasmus+ Youth and SALTO Resource Centers revised how EGL is structured and made the activity plan for the next three years. We also got to hear from youth organisations in Madeira on how important it is for the local youth to be able to connect with European opportunities. It was also discussed how the umbrella organisations can contribute better, and we hope to structure this better in 2025.

POYWE looks forward to seeing everyone again in Prague in March next year!

25/06/2024

Say hey to POYWES new daily manager, Kristin Eliassen!

If you have any questions about POYWE or how to become a member, please contact board@poywe.info or contact Kristin directly on Kristin@ungdomogfritid.no

14/11/2023

This week we have been lucky to partake in the BOJA - Bundesweites Netzwerk Offene Jugendarbeit annnual youth work conference, where we amongst other hosted one of the tables in the world café session «eating cake with EU politicians».

Here, we shared our experiences on important topics such as the role of open youth work for democratic participation amongst youths, climate change and peace building🌏

01/11/2023

We want to share a newly developed tool for the professional open youth work field with you!

It is called: Child and youth policy in municipalities- a new guide for concept development📑

This guide has been developed by our member organisation Dachverband Offene Kinder- und Jugendarbeit Schweiz (DOJ), together with the Hochschule für Soziale Arbeit FHNW. It is a practical tool that offers support to municipalities and cities in developing and implementing sustainable concepts for their child and youth policies.

Interested? The guide and tools are available for free download on the website www.leitfaden-kjp.ch in German, French and Italian🌏

Startseite - Leitfaden zur Entwicklung kommunaler Kinder- und Jugendpolitik

09/06/2023

Last week we were happy to participate in the Youth Partnership symposium “Visible Value: Growing youth work in Europe” in the European Youth Centre Budapest, looking at the challenges and opportunities for growing youth work in Europe.

It is encouraging to see the increased attention given to youth work in the european field of youth. However, we also see the need to underline the role of the professional open youth work field in this context. We are therfore exciting about continuing our contribution to this development!

Photos: Council of Europe 2023

26/05/2023

This week we attended the 5th european event of Europe Goes Local. Here, we participated in important discussions on how to connect european initatives, resources and tools with local youth work. Being a european network of umbrella organisations for local youth clubs and youth workers, we are eager to continue contributing in this important work!👊