More than 200 youth workers and professionals from different areas of the youth sector in Luxembourg came to Forum Geesseknäppchen on 10 October 2023 for the „Foire vun der Jugendaarbecht“, an annual youth work fair in Luxembourg organised by SNJ.
After various plenary presentations on stage, participants were able to explore the 37 stands to exchange their own views on youth work, make new contacts and learn about the work and projects of other practitioners.
New research project “PYL”: What does youth work mean for those who work with young people?
The PYL project team of the CCY used this platform to talk to numerous actors from the different institutions and to present the PYL study. A first explorative survey could also be conducted in this context.
In accordance with the research question of the project, which aims to record and systematise perspectives on youth work in Luxembourg, the participants were asked about their views on youth work, i.e. what youth work means to them.
A total of 30 short statements from staff members from 22 different services and organisations from the whole spectrum of youth work in Luxembourg were collected in this way.
Common denominator of youth work: accompanying young people on their way to autonomy and independence
The response was extremely positive; all the people approached showed interest in the study and were happy to share their understanding of youth work.
The well-founded and reflective answers made it clear that youth work in Luxembourg is multi-layered and multi-faceted and is interpreted differently depending on the area. Although the assumption that there is no uniform definition of youth work so far was confirmed, commonalities in views also emerged.
For example, it was unanimously emphasised that youth work, with its offer, its way of working and its attitude, wants to accompany, support and strengthen young people on their way to autonomy and independence.
