The Conference: Youth Work and Democracy
The conference Democracy in Action: Youth Work Matters! came timely. In the last twenty years, the number of democracies in the world has been decreasing. For the first time in over a century, we must confront the possibility that today’s young people may not experience a future that is more democratic or freer than the one their parents knew. This development negatively
affects civil society, which is where most youth work takes place and where young people are expected to begin engaging in social and political life. This gloomy perspective was taken as a call to action by IJAB – International Youth Service of the Federal Republic of Germany. In cooperation with the Council of Europe, IJAB hosted a conference for representatives of youth work from Europe and beyond in December 2025 and put youth work and democracy centre stage. Youth work has different traditions in different countries and is related in various ways to democracy. Some youth organisations directly aim to foster the participation of youth in democracy and politics; others advocate for youth participation and inclusive policy making. Some youth workers offer citizenship education or promote children and human rights, while others link cultural activities or sports to participation, fairness or human rights education. These diverse forms of youth work were represented at the conference. The conference aimed to empower youth work representatives by exploring current developments, fostering solidarity among participants, and equipping young people and youth workers to defend democratic values, practices, and institutions against erosion. To reach these objectives, the conference offered a rich program: keynotes by experts and policy makers alternated with interactive sessions, where participants shared experiences, best practices, and actively shaped the program with their plans for future action. The venue, the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg, facilitated networking and intercultural exchange. The conference successfully reached its target group: Roughly 80 participants from 20 countries and three continents travelled to Strasbourg. Most participants represented civil society organizations (CSO). Some came from small local organizations, others from national umbrella organisations or from universities. The introductory exercises showed that one part of the antidote to democratic erosion was in the room. People in countries as different as Georgia and Germany, Türkiye and Tunisia, the USA and Italy used similar words to describe what youth work means for democracy: solidarity, active listening,
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