Plan of Action

Action/measures

Remarks/questions

Political Process

The Youth Department in the Council of Europe takes action to make the Strasbourg process a reality

Preparation of a standard-setting  instrument (European Charter)  concerning youth work and non-formal learning (as follow up of CM recommendation (2003)8 on the recognition of NFE/NFL of young people)

The international reviews of national youth policies should include the recognition of youth work and non-formal education/learning as one of the youth policy issues to be examined. In this regard, the Charter could serve as guidelines. Where appropriate, some youth policy reviews could focus mainly on this issue.

The above-mentioned follow-up group should take the lead of such a political process by identifying key areas of concern, initiating a standard-setting text (European Charter), supporting member states to develop national strategies and monitoring progress.

The preparation of such an instrument should be the starting point of the action plan on the recognition of youth work and non-formal learning.  For this purpose, the follow up group should have the task of co-ordinating the development and implementation of the present action plan.  The preparation process of the standard-setting instrument (Charter) should foresee an open consultation of actors/stakeholders concerned. In parallel with the measures/activities proposed in this table, the follow-up group could consider developing other appropriate measures and activities in accordance with the aims and content of the standard-setting instrument (Charter), for example a training course on this standard-setting instrument (Charter). 

Promotion & campaign

Establishment of an Action   Day on youth work and non-formal education/learning.

Dissemination and promotion of the above-mentioned standard- setting instrument (Charter) at national and local levels in the member states

Compilation and promotion of stories/experiences of young people concerning the impact of youth work and non-formal education/learning on them, as well as compilation of existing tools to support the recognition of youth work and non-formal education/learning

Train youth organisations on advocacy for the recognition of non-formal learning and youth work

Organise a conference to showcase tools for non-formal learning / education.

Youth work practitioners should be encouraged to reflect upon and document the learning process of youth work and non-formal learning / education

A strategy for the promotion of the standard-setting instrument (Charter) should be further elaborated by the follow-up group.

This activity may be an initiative developed within the CDEJ (sharing of policies and practices). It may also be launched as an online tool / blog, potentially in cooperation with the EU-CoE Youth partnership

The seminar and study sessions planned in the activities of the Youth Department for 2014-2015 should play an essential role. It may also connect with the development and promotion of the manual on advocacy (under preparation in the Youth Department).

This conference could be linked to the planned 2^nd youth work convention within the Committee of Ministers chairmanship of Belgium in 2015.

Tools

Revision of the European Portfolio for youth leaders and youth workers (in progress). The secretariat should keep record of how many portfolio are disseminated and used, in which countries it is used, who uses it, etc.

Recognition tools (such as Portfolio) should be user-friendly and be promoted online and made available in different languages.

To ensure coherence and complementarity of recognition tools at European level

The revision of the Portfolio includes further support measures and activities for the purpose of dissemination and promotion of the tool, training of youth NGOs.

The members of the CDEJ and the Youth partnership should play an active role in promoting the portfolio.

The Portfolio will have an online version and made  available in various  languages In cooperation with CDEJ members (and, possibly, national youth councils)

It should be analysed in how far links to the respective parts of YouthPass can be made when it comes to the revision of the Portfolio.

Quality

Quality of practices and instruments used in youth work and non-formal education/learning in the youth field needs to be assured

Develop (minimum) standards and instruments used in youth work and non-formal education/learning.

To record, publish and disseminate existing standards set out and applied by the Council of Europe youth sector in its training and educational activities, as well as standards applied to the two European youth centres as such and in the Quality Label for youth centres. Where appropriate, to revise these standards. Consider the relevance and feasibility of establishing a Council of Europe quality label for training, in the light of the Quality Label for youth centres.

Support youth NGOs in developing and applying non-formal education/learning quality assurance mechanisms in youth work, for example  based on the manual on Quality Assurance of Non-Formal Education/learning developed by the European Youth Forum

The activities of the Youth Department for 2014-2015 seek for synergies to the quality measures of the action plan, e.g.:

·         Seminar with members of Trainers Pool on new quality standards of the EYCs and the role of the Trainers Pool in the recognition processes

·         2 study sessions at the European Youth Centre on quality and recognition of youth work, in cooperation with youth organisations

·         Support measures for quality in e-learning

The Youth Department will revise its quality standards for its intercultural non-formal education/learning and training activities.

Mechanisms and tools for quality assurance such as the manual on Quality Assurance of Non-Formal Education/learning developed of the European Youth Forum and the standards in place in the Council of Europe should be further disseminated, developed and adapted by youth NGOs and other providers of NFL.

Resources and support

Empower youth organisations to play an active role in the recognition process

Resources and support for the recognition of youth work and non-formal education/learning should focus on empowering youth NGOs to play an active role in this respect and enable policy-makers/governmental actors concerned to understand and support the recognition of youth work and non-formal education/learning.

This action should be further developed in cooperation between the Advisory Council, European Youth Forum and the Youth partnership. They could develop promotion material/resources (i.e. posters) on the value of youth work and non-formal education/learning.

The standard-setting instrument (Charter) should be published in a user-friendly version.

Cooperation and Partnerships

Development of co-operation between actors from the fields of youth and education, and employers, in order to develop quality standards of non-formal education/learning that are likely to improve young people’s employability.

The follow-up group should be given the task of further elaborating concrete proposals for the implementation of this kind of partnership. (it is foreseen that the Education sector will be invited to be represented in the follow-up group).

Knowledge

Further evidence about the impact of youth work and non-formal education/learning may be collected and provided. This could be examined when the European Union study on the value of youth work is available (soon).

The actions in the field of knowledge should preferably be implemented by the EU-CoE youth partnership. However, the Youth Department should actively support the building, gathering and provision of knowledge, wherever possible and appropriate.