Access – sozialraumorientierte Jugendarbeit 4.0

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected young people, leading to disorientation, fear for the future, loss of trust, and increasing loneliness. Social cohesion suffered, giving rise to frustration and disengagement, while digital media often replaced personal communication, with little attention paid to the accuracy of online information. Disadvantaged youth were hit hardest, as their needs were overlooked by traditional youth services that failed to consider their realities. To address these issues, the project focused on empowering this vulnerable group by creating accessible social spaces tailored to their needs. Collaborative efforts among project partners resulted in impactful education and participation opportunities, emphasizing sustainability, digitalization, and social integration. Guided by the EU Youth Strategy’s pillars of encounter, empowerment, and participation, "Access" aimed to transform youth work and ensure lasting engagement for disadvantaged young people.

With the implementation of the "Access" project, we aimed to promote the participation, engagement, and empowerment of disadvantaged young people who were often unreachable through traditional youth policy measures. Our goal was to create educational and participatory opportunities tailored to the needs of these young individuals and reflective of their living realities. A particular focus was placed on strengthening inclusion and sustainability, as well as integrating digital approaches into youth work. Supported by the EU Youth Strategy, especially its goals of participation, encounter, and empowerment, the project sought to improve and make youth work more effective in the long term. Additionally, the initiative aimed to strengthen social cohesion and develop new intervention models that are specifically tailored to disadvantaged youth and transferable to broader contexts.

Led by BGZ, the partners combined developing and testing solutions for social space-oriented youth work with stakeholder involvement and institutional capacity building. The focus was on educational and participatory offerings for disadvantaged young people, which were developed in local working groups in Berlin, Vienna, and Valencia. These offerings were tested in several pilot runs with young people, during which feedback was documented and integrated back into the development process. Actively involved young people had the opportunity to act as experts or opinion leaders to convey the developed offerings to their peers. At the same time, ongoing training and consultations for youth workers were conducted, accompanied by stakeholder collaboration and continuous dialogue among the actors in Berlin, Vienna, and Valencia. The insights from this dialogue process and the resulting recommendations for political decision-makers were compiled in a White Paper. Dissemination measures ensured that the project and its outcomes were made available to a broader audience. By involving numerous relevant decision-makers and multipliers, the project successfully demonstrated how non-formal education can contribute to addressing societal challenges while enhancing the quality, innovation, and future orientation of youth work across the EU.

The central outcome of "Access" is a transferable model for social space-oriented youth work with a focus on disadvantaged young people. It includes: Educational programs with three case studies on (1) inclusive youth work, (2) global collaboration and sustainability, and (3) the digital dimension. A strategy paper and guide for capacity building in youth work institutions. A White Paper containing conclusions and recommendations for policymakers. The results enhance the skills of young people and youth workers, promote sustainable partnerships, and provide practical models for social space-oriented youth work. The approaches are adaptable across Europe and contribute to democratic participation and resilience.