Representatives from youth centres in Ukraine have taken part in study visits to counterparts in Finland and Ireland that hold the Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres. The exchanges, which took place in October, were an opportunity for Ukrainian youth workers to present their experiences, strategies and practices of youth work during the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, as well as to learn from Irish and Finnish peers about their work with young people in various fields.
Environmental youth work was the focus of the visit of representatives from seven youth centres in Ukraine's Donetsk, Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Volyn and Zhytomyr regions to the Marttinen Youth Centre in Virrat (Finland) where they have explored the educational approaches, methodology and resources of the Finnish counterparts.
Representatives of eight youth centres from the Rivne, Zhytomyr, Lviv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Sumy, Volyn and Chernivtsi regions in Ukraine took part in a study visit to the Kerry Diocesan Youth Service (KDYS) Youth centre in Killarney (Ireland). They discussed with their hosts approaches to outreach and trauma-informed youth work, as well as to the ongoing work with young people and families with children from Ukraine.
The two study visits were co-organised by the youth centres in Finland, Ireland and Ukraine, the Council of Europe project "Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase III" and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.
The Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres as a standard setting instrument was established in 2008. The Label is awarded to youth centres that meet a set of quality criteria assessing their offer to young people and the youth sector. To be awarded the Label, the centres should have a mandate from public authorities, have working and accommodation facilities on one campus, be willing to engage in international co-operation, and share and promote the values of the Council of Europe.
Support for peer exchange and international co-operation with youth centres that have been awarded the Council of Europe Quality Label is one of the actions outlined in the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine "Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction" 2023-2026.
