In response to the European Commission’s ongoing preparation of the next EU Youth Strategy 2028-2034, the IYWT Guild has issued a position paper on behalf of its members, setting out how the next Strategy can recognise and support the role of international youth work trainers.

Here’s what we have to say about it:

OUR CENTRAL MESSAGE A future-ready EU Youth Strategy requires a youth field that can continuously learn, adapt and develop. International youth work trainers contribute to this learning capacity.

Executive Summary

Young people must remain at the centre of the EU Youth Strategy 2028-2034. To deliver meaningful improvements in their rights, participation, well-being and opportunities, Europe also needs a youth field that can continuously learn, train, adapt and respond to changing realities.

The revised European Youth Goals provide an important youth-led framework for the EU Youth Strategy. Training and competence development are essential for advancing both Quality Learning and the proposed expanded goal on Youth Organisations, EU Youth Programmes and Youth Work. Trainers also support youth workers and organisations in responding to emerging priorities, including digital rights and AI, participation and democracy, equality and equity, mental health, climate justice, peace and security, and quality of life. While young people must define these priorities, trainers help translate them into inclusive learning processes, organisational development and meaningful youth work practice.

International youth work trainers contribute to this capacity by supporting youth workers, youth leaders, young volunteers, organisations, institutions and programme actors in developing competences and strengthening practice. Their role is therefore a key part of the learning infrastructure that enables quality youth work to respond to young people’s needs and aspirations.

The IYWT Guild therefore calls on the next EU Youth Strategy and its implementation framework to:

• recognise trainers, educators of youth workers and facilitators of non-formal learning as key stakeholders in the European youth work ecosystem;
• strengthen coherent professional-development pathways, shared quality principles and sustainable working conditions that enable trainers to provide high-quality, responsive and youth-centred practice; and
• involve trainers and representative trainer bodies in relevant implementation, learning and other processes, while developing stronger evidence about training provision and its contribution to the quality and impact of youth work.

These priorities would strengthen Europe’s capacity to put policy into practice, respond to emerging needs and sustain high-quality, inclusive youth work.

Three priorities for the EU Youth Strategy 2028-2034

Priority 1 – Recognition and role clarity. The next EU Youth Strategy should explicitly recognise international youth work trainers, educators of youth workers and facilitators of non-formal learning as stakeholders in the European youth work ecosystem, and training and competence development as a pillar of youth work development. The point is not to create a narrow or compulsory definition of who may train, but to clarify the contribution, responsibility and competence expected when someone takes on a professional training role.

POLICY DIRECTION Training and competence development should be recognised as essential instruments for strengthening the quality, reach and adaptability of youth work. Youth work trainers, educators of youth workers and facilitators of non-formal learning should be included among the stakeholders contributing to the implementation of the Strategy, complementing the participation of young people, youth organisations and youth workers.

Priority 2 – Professional development, quality and sustainable conditions. A strong youth work ecosystem depends on opportunities for those working with young people to continuously learn, reflect and develop their practice. The next EU Youth Strategy should give the European Training Strategy (ETS) a clearer and more visible position within its implementation framework, supporting coherent and accessible pathways for trainers to gain experience, develop their practice and build expertise. This should be complemented by fair and sustainable working conditions, including adequate resources and remuneration for the full learning cycle, from preparation and educational design to evaluation, follow-up and travel.

POLICY DIRECTION The Commission and Member States should support coherent and accessible pathways for the initial and continuous development of youth work trainers, based on competence frameworks, supervised practice, mentoring, peer learning and advanced professional development. EU youth programmes should promote shared quality principles and fair conditions covering the full learning cycle, from needs analysis and preparation to evaluation and follow-up.

Priority 3 – Participation, evidence and future-readiness. Trainers are often invited to implement priorities after policy and programme decisions have been taken. Yet their cross-border practice gives them insight into emerging competence needs, barriers to participation, differences between national contexts and the conditions that enable or weaken educational quality. This knowledge should inform implementation and review without replacing the voices of young people.

POLICY DIRECTION Implementation and monitoring should include structured participation by practitioners responsible for training and competence development. Their practice-based knowledge should contribute to programme learning, the identification of emerging competence needs and the assessment of how policy priorities are translated into educational practice.

Closing statement

A future-ready EU Youth Strategy needs more than ambitious priorities. It needs a youth field that can interpret change, test new approaches, learn from experience and act together across institutional and national boundaries.

International youth work trainers contribute to that capacity. They support people and organisations in developing competences, challenging assumptions, working through uncertainty and turning policy ideas into meaningful educational practice. Their contribution is already part of European youth work. What is missing is a clearer place for it in the Strategy’s design, implementation and support systems.

Read the full position paper here: Download the PDF

We welcome feedback from our members and the wider field. If you’d like to contribute to the Guild’s advocacy work on this, get in touch.