IDEA NL, the Antwerp Provincial Government, Open Society Foundation and Doedèskadènvzw organized the international conference: Connecting youth with society – sharing innovative approaches to youth inclusion – December 8th – 9th, 2011 – Antwerp. More than 230 participants were present and 35 workshops have been offered.
Background
As clashes between young people and authorities continue to dominate European headlines, it is clear that young people’s position within society is often a troubled one. While it is impossible
to deny that there have been several large scale responses from marginalised European youth in recent years, in reality most young people do not engage in this type of violence. Despite this, we have seen increasing stigmatisation and discrimination against specific groups of youth in Europe, often spearheaded by police forces that treat certain ethno-social groups of young people as de facto criminals. This exacerbates tensions, damages democratic values and breeds mistrust between youth and the authorities. The conference will focus on ways to break these cycles, examining how to engage and support the participation of marginalised youth in society.
Key issues that have been discussed
What is the value of youth participation in our society?
What works and what doesn’t? How can we ensure that young people are heard and
can participate fully in all spheres of society? How can youth exclusion be avoided? These questions have been explored especially in relation to building bridges between marginalised
young people and the authorities.
Target Group
The conference was meant for everyone who works with socially vulnerable children and youth. Employees, policy makers and politicians in the sectors education, culture, sports, youth, leisure, labour/economy, welfare, security, integration.
The primary focus was on professionals working for or with young people, as they are ideally placed to build relations between youth and the authorities. Individual young people have also been invited to bring their perspective to the discussions.
Accommodation
Venue for the conference: Huis van de Sport, Boomgaardstraat 22, 2600 Antwerpen-Berchem
Further information
The conference ran from 9am to 5pm on both days.
Sessions were offered in English and Dutch.
Links
Programme and workshops
Background article on the conference
Lifestreaming of the opening of the conference
Lifestreaming of some of the workshops
Lifestreaming of the conclusion and closing
Keynote speech Bruno Vanobbergen
Keynote speech Filip Coussee
Keynote speech Dr. Otto M.J. Adang
Discussion paper Tom de Leeuw
Guidance book recognition of learning in volunteering
Youth reporters about conference
Documents and presentations of workshops
The conference has been supported by Youth in Action.
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