Poywe

18/06/2026

We are on Linkedin!

Follow us and connect with others working with Professional Open Youth Work in Europe: Linkedin.com/company/poywe

16/06/2026

BAG Offene Kinder- und Jugendarbeit e. V. is inviting you to the first session of their new online series: 4 x 4 – The Principles of Professional Open Youth Work in Europe (POYWE)!

This four-part series will offer a space to deepen the discussion and further explore what professional open youth work means in today’s European context.

This session will focus on the first four out of 16 Principles (openness, relationships, based on pedagogical knowledge, low threshold & inclusion; for more details see page 4 in the annex).

Join us for this opening session:

📅 Monday, 29 June, 11:00–12:30 CET

💻 online (Link in comments)

👉 Please register until 24th June (link in comments)

*About the series*
We will examine all 16 POYWE principles in sequence. Each session brings together practitioners, umbrella organisations, and researchers to reflect on these principles in relation to current practice, exchange perspectives from different national contexts, and identify where understandings or terminology may differ across countries.

*Our aim*
We want to strengthen a shared understanding of professional open youth work in Europe while acknowledging the diversity of approaches across countries. Your insights and experiences will be documented and feed into a digital results paper capturing our common ground, diverse perspectives, open questions, and possible areas for further reflection.

*Preparation*
For our first meeting, please read Principles 1–4 (openness, relationships, based on pedagogical knowledge, low threshold & inclusion) in advance and take some time to reflect on how the related concepts and terms are understood or defined in your national or local context.

You will find the POYWE Principles on page 4 here ⬇️

We look forward to your contribution to the discussion!

10/06/2026

How can youth work support and strenghten youth participation in remote areas of Europe?

As part of the Advisory Board, POYWE was present at this years Europe Goes Local Conference in Tromsø 🇳🇴

Together with local youth work stakeholders, practitioners, NGOs, EU policy makers, politicians and academics, we are exploring how quality youth work can create meaningful opportunities for young people to participate, influence decisions, and shape their communities — regardless of geography.

From sharing promising practices to discussing policy developments and local realities, the conference is an important space for strengthening youth work across Europe and ensuring that no young person’s voice is left unheard.

Tanja Herceg Judit Balogh

Photos: Stian Straumsnes

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.