Malta’s capital will be transformed into a hub for youth empowerment when it hosts two Commonwealth events during Youth Work Week.
Malta’s capital will be transformed into a hub for youth empowerment when it hosts two Commonwealth events during Youth Work Week.
The third Commonwealth Conference on Youth Work takes place from 6-9 November in Valetta under the theme ‘Crosscurrents – steering a course for youth work as a growth profession in the Commonwealth and in Europe’.
The three-day conference will bring together youth workers, academics and policymakers to strengthen youth work as a profession and advocate for its greater recognition in the development agenda.
The conference will be preceded by a meeting of the Commonwealth Youth Ministerial Taskforce, when ministers will discuss ways to gather resources and funding for empowering young people.
Both events will promote strategies to raise the standard of youth work, helping young people realise their full potential and maximising their contribution to development.
Layne Robinson, the Commonwealth’s Head of Social Policy Development described the contribution of youth workers as invaluable. “This conference is significant because it brings together youth workers, researchers and policymakers from Europe and the Commonwealth for the first time to share ideas and discuss best practice. It will provide an opportunity to decide on practical actions that can strengthen the professional practice of youth work in our member countries,” he said.
Delegates will discuss tailored legislative and policy actions to upscale youth work as a profession across the 53-member bloc, contributing to the mandate on youth empowerment agreed by Commonwealth leaders in April 2018.
The meeting will also provide an opportunity for Commonwealth officials to engage with their European counterparts to discuss ideas and explore new forms of cooperation around youth work.
The events are hosted by the Government of Malta’s Youth Agency (Aġenzija Żgħażagħ) in partnership with the Commonwealth.
