Global youth work

Global Youth Work participants

From music and fashion to poverty and terrorism, young people’s lives are intimately connected to the complex and fast-changing world around them. This offers both exciting opportunities and difficult challenges to young people and those who work with them.

Global Youth Work (GYW) is informal education with young people that aims to encourage a critical understanding of the links between personal, local and global issues. It seeks young people’s active participation in bringing about change towards greater equity and justice.

  • Principles and practice: Global youth work is essentially good youth work. From this starting point ten key principles have been developed, as well as specific approaches and techniques. Find out more...
  • Global Youth Action: DEA, in partnership with five DECs and funded by the Big Lottery Fund, is managing a three-year global youth work project to support young people to explore and take action on the issues that matter to them. Find details of the project, case studies and reports here.
  • Training and Events: The DEA and its members run a number of GYW courses, from an annual accredited ‘Introduction to GYW’ course to locally tailored training events. We also organise peer-learning seminars in response to policy developments, current events and requests from members. See the events calendar for details.
  • Resources: A range of DEA publications support the delivery of Global Youth Work. Visit our publications section and search under 'Global youth work'. In addition, our Sustainable Development and Youth Work website illustrates the links between youth work and sustainable development and provides practical ideas, resources and information.
  • Policy and advocacy: DEA plays a key role in keeping members informed about policy developments and keeping policy makers informed about members’ work, issues and priorities. Visit the policy section of this website for policy briefings and information about current and future consultations.

Questions, comments, ideas, etc. on Global Youth Work are always welcome. Contact James Edleston, DEA's Youth Programme Manager on 020 7922 7936 or james.edleston@dea.org.uk.