 The organizers have the commitment to improve models of practice of youth work and demonstrate a society in transition, that youth work tools help young people in having an active and constructive role in the creation of a more just, democratic and plural society.
Therefore, the objectives proposed for the 2007 Conference are:
- To create, during the days the conference lasts, a space for an active exchange of experiences, ideas and work models about youth work in contested spaces.
- To clarify how a range of youth work models impact on work with young people in contested societies, and to use these findings to outline evaluation frames for measuring the impact of these models.
- To promote with a forward-looking approach, the strengthening of an international collaborative network between the participating persons and organizations with the aim of that the work developed over the conference can have a follow-up, after its holding
We already have mentioned the conference is the central event but it is part of a bigger project. As it was said in the original proposal, the final aim is to build the capacity of the youth work community to contribute to international best practice, particularly in preparing young people for life in a divided and contested society.
To get this, we the organizers, intend to:
- Create an international community of knowledge between professionals of youth work, policy makers and academics, addressed to the best practice model of youth work and conflict transformation.
- Develop an agreed framework internationally for an effective youth work practice, to deal with the legacy of conflict and the challenges of citizenship.
- Provide practical materials and theoretical frameworks for the practice and evaluation of the work.
- Support partnerships in the area of research, identifying similarities and differences in the approaches used in each country and future collaborations
- Understand the strong points and the limitations of the ICT to support the international network.
In this fourth seminar, participants will talk about their practice and work towards the development of clear models of practice. That is why, we have invited key individuals related to different conflict or post-conflict contexts.
These inputs will act as a stimulus for the wider discussion of issues facing practitioners. Therefore, participants will engage in a reflective process, examining existing models by means of testing, critiquing and refining them.
The conference will gather youth workers, policy makers, young people and academics from the Basque Country as well as professionals from different parts of the world.
We will examine together models of youth work in Europe, Middle East, Africa and America, the similarities and differences between these and what these models tell us about how me might measure and evaluate our practice.
|
