EAYW: 4th Edition (2026)

The 4th European Academy on Youth Work focuses on the question: How can youth work move forward in times of uncertainty?

 

The main questions the EAYW is exploring are:

• What does youth work need in order to move forward in times of uncertainty and disruption?
• How can youth work build resilience, agency and readiness for change?
• How can we respond to the major challenges affecting young people and youth work today?
• How can we learn, innovate and act together for positive futures of youth work?

 

The specific objectives of the 4th EAYW are the following:

1. Celebrate the Academy’s efforts and achievements.
2. Build knowledge & capacity around the themes of future-oriented thinking, innovation and change.
3. Support youth workers’ collective resilience and sense of agency.
4. Create space to reflect on how youth work can move forward in times of uncertainty.
5. Strengthen the youth work community and inspire new ideas and initiatives for the future.

4th Residential EAYW Event: Connecting Dots and Moving Forward, Together

Almost 200 professionals from different fields of European youth work, youth policy and research came together at the 4th EAYW event in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, from 5 – 8 May 2026.

This EAYW event was closing the cycle of the Academy under the current generation of EU youth programmes. As such it was a bridging event, representing an occasion for looking back and celebrating achievements as well as looking forward and identifying action for future steps youth work can take to move towards the future(s).

The programme included:

• Plenary sessions addressing key cross-cutting themes like change, innovation, resilience and agency, inspiring collective reflection within the field and providing “container” space for the more specific Deep Dive conversations. The plenary sessions also provided moments for collective sense making and discovering the source of the future movement in the youth work field. 
• Deep Dive sessions offering space for deeper discussions on selected topics (see more below).
• Introduction of youth work tools and practices that support future oriented conversations and help youth work move forward. They were shared at different moments throughout the programme.
• Spaces for community-building, networking and joint reflection about futures of youth work and how ideas and reflections from the event can be taken further in the participants’ home environment.
• Informal spaces for seeing things from a different perspective and having fun together.

Main EAYW article

An overall article reflecting on the 4th European Academy on Youth Work, bringing together the main discussions, insights and key findings from the event. The article highlights the three plenary sessions, six Deep Dives and other activities, exploring how youth work can respond to uncertainty, navigate change and shape its future. It also captures participants’ reflections and the ideas and commitments they are taking forward.

Read the main article

Presentations and other materials

Rethinking Change: What Youth Work Needs in a Hypercomplex World

Keynote by Peter Merry exploring how youth work can navigate uncertainty, interconnected crises and rapid change. Why are traditional approaches to planning and predicting the future no longer enough? How can youth workers embrace complexity, experiment with new approaches and respond to emerging challenges? The session also explores the importance of adaptability, collective action and wellbeing in shaping positive change.

Video / Presentation slides

Generations Forward: Intergenerational Solidarity and the Futures of Youth Work

Keynote by Prof. Dr. Özgehan Şenyuva exploring what meaningful intergenerational solidarity really looks like. Is bringing different generations together enough to create understanding and cooperation? How can youth work move beyond symbolic encounters and create spaces for genuine dialogue, including disagreement and conflict? The session also examines how demographic changes, inequalities and emerging challenges may reshape the role of youth work in the future.

Video / Presentation slides

Rediscovering Resilience and Agency: Lessons from Trauma-Informed Practices

Panel discussion with Hranush Shahnazaryan and Dermot O’Brien, exploring the importance of trauma-informed approaches in youth work. How can youth workers create environments where young people feel safe, supported and understood? What does it mean to build trusting relationships with young people who have experienced adversity? The discussion also highlights the importance of collective resilience, self-awareness and caring for the wellbeing of youth workers themselves.
Video

Youth Work in Times of Uncertainty: Preparing Future Youth Workers

Outcomes of a mini-research project carried out by 20 students during the 4th EAYW. The students interviewed experts, practitioners and other participants, exploring their perspectives on youth work in times of uncertainty and how students can best prepare for their future roles as youth workers. The project gathered insights into the challenges facing youth work and the knowledge, skills and approaches needed for its possible futures.

Presentation slides

The Deep Dive Sessions were six thematic groups that ran in parallel across three 90-minute sessions. Each group explored one central theme shaping youth work today – from AI and social skills to democracy, rights, climate justice, and belonging in times of conflict. These sessions created a focused space where 20–30 participants stayed with the same topic long enough to actually… well, dive deeper – to reflect together, challenge assumptions, meet new perspectives, and connect what we hear to our own realities and practices.

If you are interested to read more about the main results from the each Deep Dive, with corresponding materials, click on the pictures below.