Variety of youth work in EU. Case: Youth worker certification system in Lithuania

Nerijus Miginis, Institute for Policy research and Analysis (Lithuania) 5th of November, 2014 #strategic #iResearch

What is youth work in Europe?

Publication: Working with young people: The value of youth work in the EU, 2014

Why it is difficult to define youth work in Europe?• Does youth policy equal to youth work?• Are all youth NGOs providing youth work services? Does youth

participation equal to youth work?• Should youth worker be paid or work as a volunteer?• Who is providing this service NGOs, State, Business, Church or

all?

What to take in to consideration creating youth work system?• What qualification should youth worker have? University

degree or qualification gained after training program? • Is it possible to recognize competencies a persona already

has?• Is youth work a new function, service provided or

reorganization of existing structures (hobby education)? • Were do we place youth work? Which policy domain? (Sport,

Education, Youth, Integrated)

Other aspects• Who is paying for youth work services? State? Municipality?

Business? Service user?• What aims do we set for youth work: leisure time activities?

Education? Teenager pregnancies? Helping to solve social issues?

• Other…

What is youth work in Lithuania?• Educational activities directed at young people or their groups

during their leisure time activities, based on their needs, aiming create conditions for integration of youth in to life of society and empower them to create their personal life, consciously and actively participate in life of the society. Youth work supplements formal education and family education.

Who is a youth worker in Lithuania?• Youth worker – an adult, working with youth at their leisure

time, aiming personal and social development of young people through individual work different youngsters and groups of youth, having needed competencies for this job.

Qualified youth worker

21 - 45 years old

secondary education + 5 years of youth

work experience (min. 350 days) OR

higher education + 3 years of youth work

experiences (min. 200 days)

all generic youth work competences are

assessed above 60% of required level

certificate is issued to confirm the

qualification

Recognition of qualification based on prior experiences

Application Info meeting with the selected ones

Certificate is issued

Competence assessment with the accredited Tutor

Commission makes a decision

Recommendation to attend qualification course

Getting qualification without (sufficient) prior experience

Application

Certificate is issued!

Commission makes a decision

Initial assessment

Accredited qualification course with the integrated competence

assessment

Accredited qualification course (“secure route”)

5 modules with integrated field practice and competence assessment

Example of the module

seminar (4-5 days)

Min. 40 hours field practice

Competence assessment in dialogue with tutor (individually or in a group)

Youth worker training modulesTo get the 30 competencies you have to go through:1. Youth work context and personal development as youth

worker2. Youth age psychology3. Individual youth work4. Working with youth groups and difficult behavior5. Methodologies of working with youth6. Organization and project management

What is needed in the future:• Detached youth work (from 2012);• Work with specific target groups –NEET’s (from 2015);• Mobile work with youth;• Other…

• interested in Detached youth work?

TC Detached youth work: UK, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. 2015 Jan 17-23• With this project we want to create opportunity for the Baltic states: Lithuania,

Latvia and Estonia to further develop youth work systems in their countries by institutionalizing detached youth work practices which are conducted in UK and Norway.

• Contact: marius.ulozas@gmail.com or nmiginis@gmail.com • https://www.facebook.com/events/331627227016370/

Contacts

Institute for Policy Research and Analysis &Lithuanian association of non-formal education

Gedimino pr. 21-2, Vilnius, Lithuanianmiginis@gmail.com www.institutas.EU @institutasEU

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