Poywe

18/05/2026

Say hello and welcome to POYWE's new President Tanja Herceg, and Vice President Pål Isdahl Solberg!

Get to know Tanja and Pål a little better:

Tanja:
My work has always been driven by one belief: that open youth work is one of the most powerful tools we have to create equal opportunities.

For 17 years I have led Association Impress in Croatia, building youth work from the ground up while shaping European youth policy from the inside. I have worked as a practitioner, trainer, researcher, pan-European organisational leader, UN Youth Delegate, and policy advisor. That diversity of experience is not just part of my background. It is how I think and how I connect dots.

As the new President of POYWE, I want our network to be a space where practice, research and policy actually talk to each other. Not in parallel, but in real dialogue. Youth work deserves more than recognition. It deserves infrastructure, standards, and a seat at every table where decisions about young people are made.

I am honoured to serve as President and look forward to what we will achieve together.

Pål:
I bring more than 20 years of experience from open youth work, organisational leadership, international cooperation, education and research. My key strengths are building bridges between grassroots practice, professional development and knowledge-building, and helping strengthen the language we use to describe youth work as a distinct field of practice.

For me, POYWE is important because it connects people who are committed to developing and strengthening open youth work across Europe. It gives us a shared space to learn from grassroots practice, build professional knowledge, and further develop youth work as a recognised and meaningful field.

23/04/2026

🌍 European Youth Week 2026: All in for Change

From 24 April to 1 May, European Youth Week brings together young people, youth workers and organisations across Europe around a shared focus: solidarity and fairness.

This year’s edition also marks 30 years of the EU’s youth programmes, highlighting their long-term role in supporting participation, mobility and learning across Europe.

For POYWE, this is exactly where professional open youth work matters most — creating spaces where young people can connect, be heard, and actively contribute to their communities.

This coming week is also a reminder: strengthening youth work means strengthening democracy, participation and social cohesion across Europe.

🔎 Read more about the week and the kick-off event via the European Youth Portal:

Welcome to the European Youth Week 2026, an event organised by the European Commission every second year to celebrate and promote youth engagement, participation and active citizenship all over Europe and beyond.

26/02/2026

This week we are at the kick-off meeting for the new Erasmus+ cooperation partnership "Creating Spaces of Democracy - Advancing professional Open Youth Work Across Europe" in Berlin, where POYWE is one of the partners.

The event marks the start of the 3 year project and brings together partners from Germany, Croatia, Austria, Slovenia, Denmark, South Tyrol, Norway and Switzerland
The aim of the meeting is to start the process towards a shared European understanding of what professional open youth work is in order to strengheten its position in Europe.

POYWE is excited to be a part of this important project!

Hosted by:
BAG Offene Kinder- und Jugendarbeit e. V.

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!