Held every five years since 2010, the European Youth Work Convention is primarily designed for youth practitioners, but it also welcomes other critical contributors to the field, such as policymakers, researchers, and volunteers. This year’s event enhance the development of youth work by identifying new approaches to further support the field. This unique gathering served as a key platform for all these stakeholders to advance the European Youth Work Agenda and ensured that youth work was recognised as a vital sector in policy and practice. It was the most important and representative youth work event of its kind in Europe with global significance. The Convention gathered almost 500 participants to pave the way for youth work until 2030.  In October 2025, ministers responsible for youth from across Europe will convene in Malta to agree on strategies for implementing the recommendations of this Convention into practice.

Each convention usually addresses central themes, shared best practices, and fostered collaboration across the continent. This year, three main themes were discussed: 

1. Youth work core – focusing on the essential aspects and fundamental characteristics of youth work.

2. Youth work environment – emphasising the roles of youth workers and practitioners, as well as exploring various programs and initiatives.

3. Youth work systems – concentrating on policy and strategic frameworks at the European, national, and local levels.

The 2025 Convention played a crucial role in reinforcing the foundation of youth work, guiding policy development, and promoting a coherent and sustainable youth work agenda at all levels. The organisation of the European Youth Work Conventions has been also supported by the Youth Partnership, - a long-term co-operation programme between the European Commission and the Council of Europe – that fosters synergies between the priorities and programmes pursued by the two institutions in the youth field. The focus is on the triangle of youth research, youth policy and youth work, and the role of the Partnership is to strengthen the dialogue among them, involving young people and youth organisations. Several entities are also involved, such as the European Youth Forum, National Agencies of the European Commission's Erasmus+ programme, the SALTO Resource Centres, ERYICA, Eurodesk, the Council of Europe's governmental (CDEJ) and non-governmental (Advisory Council) partners, ministries responsible for youth issues in the Member States, and research bodies.