UNDER 30'

For almost three decades, since 1998, the Youth Partnership - one of the longest-standing cooperation programmes between the European Commission and the Council of Europe - has been building bridges between institutions, connecting youth policy, youth work, and youth research around issues that matter to young people and to democracy in Europe. This Episode will discuss the new chapter of this coo...

This episode of the Under 30 podcast of the EU–Council of Europe Youth Partnership focuses on the brand-new edition of T-Kit 3 on project management , a key resource for everyone leading or dreaming up youth projects. Together with Mara Georgescu from the European Youth Foundation, editor and co-author Sebastian Schweitzer, and Tanya Basarab from the EU-Council of Europe youth partnership, the con...

This episode of UNDER 30 explores what recent research says about youth participation and civic space in Europe and beyond, and why the conditions created by laws, policies and funding matter so much for young people’s democratic rights. You will also learn about tools and initiatives that can help youth organisations, activists and youth workers better understand these trends and strengthen their...

This episode of Under 30 dives into the results and reflections from the 4th European Youth Work Convention (EYWC) , which took place in May in Valletta, Malta, under the theme "Youth Work Xcelerate". Guests Alice Bergholtz and Jim O'Donovan (co-rapporteurs) and Laszlo Milutinovits (EU-Council of Europe youth partnership) discuss the convention's energy and momentum. They unpack the "noise" (peren...

This episode of UNDER 30 reviews the EU-Council of Europe youth partnership’s new study on rural youth transitions before and after COVID-19. The guests - Francisco Simões , co-author of the study and Ketrin Kastehein from Rural Youth Europe -  highlight data on changing opportunities, challenges, and transitions to adulthood for rural youth. They discuss slower progress and persistent gaps in edu...

In this episode of UNDER 30, we explore the challenge of youth brain drain from the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership, and Türkiye. Our guests Gökay Özerim and Samir Beharić explain why so many young, educated people are leaving, what this means for societies and youth work, and the hidden drivers behind the trend. We also discuss the demographic and social consequences across these regions...

This episode explores the evolving concepts of youth mainstreaming and youth perspective(s). Researchers Marco Kovačič and Tomaž Deželan emphasize that youth are not a homogeneous group, so it's essential to consider plural perspectives . The podcast contrasts these  terms with traditional ones like youth participation, showing how the new concepts better address policy integration. Case studies f...

In this episode, we explore findings from a new study on quality tools in youth work across 15 European countries. The discussion reveals that most national frameworks focus on structural policies and funding, with few practical tools for local youth workers. Notably, young people's voices are rarely included in defining quality, despite being central to youth work. Our guest highlights the need f...

This episode of UNDER 30, the podcast of the European Union - Council of Europe youth partnership, delves into the topic of youth mental health and wellbeing. The discussion features Aagje Rottiers from Ambrassade in Belgium and Paavo Pyykkönen from the Finnish National Agency for Erasmus Plus and the European Solidarity Corps. We explore the increased importance of youth mental health post-pandem...

The government of Malta - Aġenzija Żgħażagħ (Malta's national youth agency) and the European Union Program Agency (EUPA) for Malta  together with the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership, will host the 4th European Youth Work Convention (EYWC) in Valletta, Malta, from 27 to 30 May 2025, under the Maltese Chairpersonship of the Council of Europe. In this episode, we are discussing the content, th...

In this episode, we are talking with Howard Williamson , a youth worker, academic youth researcher and lecturer, and youth policy adviser, Professor of European Youth Policy at the University of South Wales on what is youth research, who are youth researchers, what are the trends in youth research. This episode is a part of MOOC on Youth Research Essentials. Hosts: Dariusz Grzemny and Lana Pasic ....

In September 2024 the European Union - Council of Europe Youth Partnership organised a symposium on Young people, democracy and climate action to discuss how young people are engaging with climate crisis, what are the main emerging priorities, challenges, and how youth research, youth policy and youth work are responding to this issue. Climate justice was one of the main topics tackled during the...

In October 2024 the EU-Council of Europe organised the Seminar on Advocating for youth work in Eastern and South-East Europe (Skopje, North Macedonia).  The seminar highlighted the critical importance of recognizing youth work as a formal profession, encouraging youth involvement in policy-making, and tackling pressing issues such as brain drain, inequality, and mental health. Representatives from...

In this episode, we are introducing the Youth Partnership's new training kit (T-kit) on participatory youth policy - what is it for, what's inside and how it can be used.  Host: Dariusz Grzemny Contributors:  Tanya Basarab, research and youth policy officer, Youth Partnership Ajša Hadžibegović, author Miriam Teuma, bureau member and former chairperson of the Council of Europe's European Steering C...

Sustain-Mobility was the fourth conference of the European Platform on Learning Mobility (EPLM) in the youth field that took place near Munich at the end of March 2023. It was hosted by Jugend für Europa , the German National Agency for the EU programmes Erasmus+ Youth and European Solidarity Corps , in co-operation with the Youth Partnership and other EPLM members. In this episode, we are discuss...

On 31 May-1 June 2023, the Youth Partnership's symposium “Visible Value: Growing youth work in Europe” will gather over 100 participants in the European Youth Centre Budapest,at mid-point between two European Youth Work Conventions.  This event takes stock of the steps forward on youth work development and in the implementation of the European Youth Work Agenda (EYWA), and to streamline and promot...

As we celebrate International Women's Day, we know that young women's participation in political life remains a challenge.    How are young women engaging with political processes at European, national and local levels?  What are the main barriers and support mechanism for their participation? Who can be an ally in building a fairer and more inclusive society?  Guest: Caterina Bolognese (the Head...

The pandemic has redefined youth services and has reshaped the way they are delivered. What were the most impacted areas? Listen to the podcast episode exploring this topic and read our study.  Guests: Ruzanna Ivanian (PEYR member and co-author) and Rares Craiut (Secretary General, ECYC ) Hosts: Ismael Páez Civico and Tanya Basarab Would you like to know more? Read the study: Youth services during...

We have organised the “Visible Value – strengthening the implementation of the European Youth Work Agenda in Eastern and Southeast Europe” seminar in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in November 2022. The event brought together 60 participants to reflect on the way the youth work sector and community of practice had fared since the 3rd European Youth Work Convention and what structures and mechani...

Media and information literacy is crucial for a fully-fledged democracy to work. Young people need to understand how to navigate the web and differentiate between truthful and misleading or false information.  In this episode, we discuss the threat misinformation can pose to young people and how to counter it through critical thinking translated to the digital sphere, that being MIL.  Guests: Eval...

The training kit (T-kit) on value-based learning in mobility projects has recently been published by the Youth Partnership. Should youth work and learning mobility be value-based? Which values should guide us in design and implementation of youth work activities? We are discussing value-based learning and the new T-kit with: -  Snežana Bačlija Knoch - a trainer and facilitator, editor of T-kit 1...

More than a thousand young people have been involved in the European Union's YEAs initiative. Who are the Young European Ambassadors? Listen to this episode and meet three of them, Joanna Bagadzińska (Poland), Anna Bazarna (Ukraine) and Valentin Josan (Republic of Moldova) who tell us more about this initiative and their experiences. Hosts: Marietta Balázs and Dariusz Grzemny Links: Young European...

Youth civil society was quick to respond to the recent challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. What is the state of youth civil society nowadays? How does it need to be supported? We are discussing these questions with Alex Kent from Restless Development that has published the report on the state of youth civil society and Lucas Stede from the Advisory Council on Youth in...

The symposium on "Navigating Transitions: Adapting Policies to young People's changing realities " was organised by the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership in Tirana on 21-23 June 2023. It brought together more than 100 participants to reflect on what paradigm shift is needed in youth research, youth policy and youth work to support young people’s aspirations in the realities changed by the Cov...

During the symposium: Navigating Transitions organised by the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership in Tirana on 21-23 June 2022, we talked to three youth workers from Kremenchuk in Ukraine: Svitlana Ivanova,  Anna Kovalenko and Alina Shevela . They decided to share their stories and reflected on young people's transitions in the times of war. Hosts: Marietta Balázs and Dariusz Grzemny The transc...