10.3 Support to youth work
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The decentralization of government in Spain has made youth competences primarily a regional responsibility. Since the 1980s, regional youth institutes have been the main bodies developing support policies for youth work, which are carried out by both public and private organizations, such as municipal bodies and NGOs.
However, to ensure a unified approach, the Youth Strategy 2030 (Estrategia de Juventud 2030) was created to offer a common national strategy on youth policies and youth work that aligns with the efforts of autonomous regions and municipalities across Spain. This strategy ensures that, despite the decentralized framework, there is coordination and cohesion in youth work across the country, especially with the Ministry of Youth and Children (Ministerio de Juventud e Infancia), established in November 2023, leading these efforts.
Policy/legal framework
Action Plan 2022-2024 for the Youth Strategy 2030
The Action Plan 2022-2024 for the Youth Strategy 2030 (Plan de Acción 2022-2024 de la Estrategia de Juventud 2030) was designed to enhance coordination between youth departments and educational institutions such as schools and universities. Its aim is to facilitate job opportunities and training pathways for young people, which youth workers are instrumental in implementing.
Key objectives of the Action Plan 2022-2024 include promoting healthy habits, encouraging youth volunteering and committing to eradicating discrimination, while fostering equality. These tasks are primarily the responsibility of youth workers, who play a key role in their execution at both regional and local levels.
Youth workers are critical human resources in implementing these policies, and their training and professional development have been prioritized to ensure they can meet the demands of the evolving youth work landscape. Some of the shared functions of youth workers across regions include:
- Coordinating with national, regional and local organisations to design, implement and evaluate youth plans, youth leisure programmes, and information campaigns;
- Providing information and advice on activities, resources, services and programmes for young people;
- Facilitating youth engagement through associations and volunteer opportunities;
- Supporting local youth councils and associations;
- Designing educational leisure activities and awareness campaigns that promote key values such as equality and community involvement;
- Identifying and disseminating good practices in youth work.
Youth Guarantee Plus Plan (2021-2027)
The Youth Guarantee Plus Plan 2021-2027 for decent work for young people (Plan de Garantía Juvenil Plus 2021-2027 de trabajo digno para las personas jóvenes) replaced the previous Action Plan for Youth Employment (2019–2021) and is now the primary framework for youth employment policies in Spain.
With a budget of €4.95 billion, this plan aims to ensure that all young people in Spain are offered quality opportunities for employment, education, or training within a maximum of four months of registering as unemployed or inactive.
The Youth Guarantee Plus Plan is designed to address specific challenges faced by young people, including those who are underqualified, overqualified, or inactive. It includes 69 measures across six key areas, focusing on:
- Vocational training and the acquisition of digital and language skills to enhance employability.
- The creation of quality employment opportunities for youth in socially sustainable economic models.
- Targeted support for vulnerable youth groups, such as those from rural areas, with functional diversity, or those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Youth workers are integral to the implementation of this plan, providing career guidance, personalized coaching, and connecting young people with training and employment opportunities. These initiatives aim to:
- Increase employability by offering vocational training in key sectors such as digital skills and language proficiency.
- Promote equal opportunities by addressing the gender wage gap and ensuring access to quality employment for marginalized youth.
Funding
Action Plan 2022-2024 for the Youth Strategy 2030
The 2022-2024 Action Plan of the Youth Strategy 2030 has been allocated with a budget of 15,006,050,495.52 Euros, with more than 70% directed towards enhancing inclusive education, equitable training and lifelong learning.
This substantial investment is critical for supporting youth workers, who are key to implementing the plan's actions and ensuring the delivery of its goals at the regional and local levels.
Youth workers play an integral role in executing the plan’s objectives, particularly in fostering youth participation, providing guidance, and enhancing employability for young people across Spain.
Youth Guarantee Plus Plan (2021-2027)
The Youth Guarantee Plus Plan (2021-2027), part of the Juventud Avanza Strategic Plan, has received an investment of €4.95 billion. This funding supports initiatives aimed at enhancing youth employability, training, and entrepreneurship, facilitating a smooth transition from education to the labour market for young people. The plan’s focus is to tackle youth unemployment and ensure that all young people have access to quality offers of education, apprenticeships, or employment.
Erasmus+
With an indicative budget of more than €26 billion, Erasmus+ supports a wide range of projects in youth mobility, training, and the professional development of youth workers. Through this program, youth organizations and workers can access funding for mobility projects, training activities, and capacity-building initiatives aimed at improving youth skills and enhancing youth work practices.
Erasmus+ also supports youth workers specifically (mobility projects for youth workers) providing funding for projects that help them develop new skills, improve their knowledge of youth policy, and enhance their ability to support young people in their communities.
Available data on the most recent Erasmus+ calls provides some insights into funding for Spanish projects on youth work under this fund:
Call | Field | Topic | Nº of projects | Budget |
Erasmus+ 2023 | Youth | Quality and innovation of youth work | 152 | 6.7 million Euros |
Erasmus+ 2024 | Youth | Quality and innovation of youth work | 142 | 8.2 million Euros |
Source: Erasmus+ Projects Results Platform. Filtered by projects coordinated by Spanish organizations in the field of youth.
European Solidarity Corps Projects
Available data on the most recent European Solidarity Corps (ESC) calls provides some insights into funding for Spanish projects on youth work under this fund:
Call | Topic | Nº of projects | Budget |
ESC 2023 | Quality and innovation of youth work | 7 | 58,176.00 Euros |
ESC 2024 | Quality and innovation of youth work | 7 | 58,812.00 Euros |
Source: ESC Project Results Platform. Filtered by projects hosted by Spanish organizations.
Youth Dialogue
The Youth Dialogue initiative is another significant EU-funded program, aimed at promoting youth participation in the democratic process and facilitating discussions on the priorities and actions outlined in the EU Youth Strategy. It includes various dialogue that bring together young people, youth workers and policy-makers to formulate policy recommendations that can improve youth policies at national and EU levels.
Reinforced Youth Dialogue
The Reinforced Youth Guarantee is commitment by all members states to ensure that all young people under the age of 30 years receive a good quality offer of employment, continued education, apprenticeship and traineeship. All EU countries committed to the implementation of the Youth Guarantee in a Council Recommendation in October 2020.
This funding mechanism helps young people, particularly those at risk of exclusion, gain access to opportunities that improve their social and professional integration.
Cooperation
Cooperation between different organizations in the field of youth work varies depending on the regional legal framework. However, regional youth institutes typically collaborate with town halls, local youth associations and NGOs to design and implement programs that address the needs of young people in different regions.
In this context INJUVE, plays a vital role in fostering collaboration with a wide network of collaborations with different youth organizations and associations, ensuring that youth workers are central to the implementation of national youth policies.
A key body in this cooperation is the Youth Council of Spain (El Consejo de la Juventud de España, CJE), which promotes youth participation in political, cultural, social and economic matters in Spain.
The main objectives of the CJE are:
- Collaborating with social agents to achieve a global youth policy that can respond to the problems and concerns of the youth.
- Promoting participation and youth associations.
- Channelling the proposals of Spanish youth to the administration and society.
- Conducting studies and research that unveil the true nature of youth reality.
- Representing Spanish youth in the international youth organizations.
- Providing services and support for the youth organizations.
- Providing the instruments that respond to the demands of the youth for the development of their individual and collective objectives.
Furthermore, the INJUVE engages in two important dialogue platforms between youth and institutions:
- The Governing Council of INJUVE: composed of representatives from youth organizations across Spain. It plays an essential role in overseeing the activities of INJUVE, promoting youth participation, and monitoring youth policies. The Council provides a platform for collaboration between INJUVE and youth associations, ensuring that youth work reflects the needs and priorities of young people.
- Tripartite Commission for Youth Employment: Advises INJUVE on youth employment policies, involving social agents, trade unions, and employers. This body helps align youth employment programs with the needs of both young people and the labour market, ensuring that youth workers are integrated into public employment services and are supported in providing youth with practical, career-oriented advice.