The third Commonwealth Conference on Youth Work

The third Commonwealth Conference on Youth Work will take place in Malta on 6-8 November 2018 during Youth Work Week. The conference is being hosted by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ (The Government of Malta’s Youth Agency) in partnership with the Commonwealth.

The conference’s theme is ‘Crosscurrents – steering a course for youth work as a growth profession in the Commonwealth and in Europe’.  It will explore ways to strengthen youth work as a profession and advocate for its greater recognition on the development agenda.  It will also promote dialogue on youth work between Commonwealth and European countries.  Find out more

The three-day conference will bring together youth workers, academics, donors, government ministries and departments holding youth portfolios from the 53 Commonwealth countries. They will discuss and decide on policies to raise the standard of youth work, to enhance education and training for youth workers, and to devise innovative responses to emerging youth issues related to employability, skills and leadership.

Malta is hosting this conference because it recognises youth work as a profession and has enacted legislation to this effect. The conference will provide Commonwealth countries the opportunity to learn from Malta’s experience. The event will also be a platform for the Commonwealth to share ideas and achievements with European counterparts.

Objectives of the Conference:

• to promote discussion, debate and exchange between practitioners, ministers and other stakeholders;
• to provide opportunities for the Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Workers and others to engage with senior government officials in developing strategies to raise the quality of youth work in Commonwealth member countries and Europe;
• to build youth work partnerships between Europe and the Commonwealth where possible and appropriate.

About the Commonwealth Conference on Youth Work:

The first two Commonwealth Conferences on Youth Work took place in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2013 and 2016.  The conference has emerged as the foremost youth work forum in the Commonwealth. The third conference will bring together youth work stakeholders – in practice, academia and in government - to offer perspectives on supporting youth work as a distinct professional category.

In line with the Commonwealth Charter, youth work is defined as “all forms of rights-based youth engagement approaches that build personal awareness and support the social, political and economic empowerment of young people, delivered through non-formal learning within a matrix of care”.

Hashtag: #CCYW2018