Working with young people: the value
of youth work in the European Union
Country Report
Spain
This document has been prepared for the European Commission and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency. However, it reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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General report prepared by Allison Dunne, Daniela Ulicna, Ilona Murphy, Maria Golubeva and checked by Daniela Ulicna, Margaret James
Edited by European Commission, February 2014 Directorate-General for Education and Culture © European Union, 2014 NC-04-14-173-EN-N ISBN: 978-92-79-367-197-5 doi: 10.2766/7275
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Working with young people: The value of youth work in the EU
Country report: Spain
Author: Natalia Alvarez
This report presents the situation as of February 2013
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1 Introduction: tradition, definitions and concepts
KEY FACTS RESPONSE
Definition for youth work No Legal definition for youth work No Approximate length of youth work tradition Since the democratisation (Around 30 years ago) Approximate length of formal / professional youth work tradition No real tradition in formal youth work. However, social workers and social educators working for national, regional and (especially) local administrations deliver youth work. Overview of relative importance of youth work in supporting young people Increased Main sectors/fields of formal / professional / statutory youth work There is not a formal definition of youth work, so it is not applicable Main sectors / fields of non-formal / third sector led youth work Non-formal education and training, Culture, Sport, Volunteering, Social inclusion
1.1 Definitions The concept of youth work in Spain is wide, so it is not clearly limited and defined. The inexistence of a specific term for youth work or the lack of a translation of the concept into Spanish does not mean that youth work does not take place in the country. Interviewees gave a similar definition of what is youth work for them: the work that professionals from the public administration or the third sector do with young people. They also pointed out that youth work is the work done with young people especially in the field of non-formal education and based on non-formal learning. Its aim would be to ameliorate young peoples’ lives by encouraging their participation and integration in different spheres of society. Youth work in Spain, understood as working with and for young people, has a strong implantation in governments (national, regional and municipal) through public policies on youth for those between 15 and 30 years old. Governments support youth associations, organisations delivering youth services and social entities that work with young people. Interviewees felt that it would be positive to have a Spanish term or at least a formal definition of the concept, because without either of those it is difficult to develop and implement the right youth work policies, programmes or strategies. However, it was viewed as unlikely that a definition or a concept will emerge in Spain when youth policies are decreasing in importance because of the adverse economic context. Besides the economic crisis, finding a common definition is complicated in Spain because the Autonomous Communities have exclusive competence for youth and each can have its own definition or understanding of youth work. Although there is not an official definition of youth work in Spain, given the interviewees definition; in this report formal youth work will be the one delivered by professionals from the public administration at state, regional and local levels. Non- formal youth work will be represented by the third sector organisations, such as NGO’s or youth organisations which mainly work on a voluntary basis and can be financed
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both through private or public funding- from Spanish public administration or other international organisations-.
1.2 Tradition and development of youth work In Spain, the tradition of youth work started with the transition to democracy (about 30 years ago), as during Franco’s dictatorship (from 1939 to 1975) youth work was either directed to indoctrinate young people or youth work was linked to religion, delivered by Christian youth associations and the Church. The associations that did not fall under the dictatorship umbrella were clandestine. Therefore, it has been since the introduction of democracy that youth work started to become important1. Article 48 of the Spanish Constitution (1978) states that "The public authorities shall promote the conditions for free and effective participation of youth in their political, social, economic and cultural development”2 The Spanish Institute for Youth (Injuve) was created in 1977, at the beginning of the democratic administration. In 1985 was restructured to assume the type of organisation that it is today. Injuve is the youth organisation of the Spanish government. Having, therefore, a nationwide reach; and though the youth competencies are in most cases in hands of the regional administrations, some important youth policies are implemented by Injuve, like those that have an international dimension or that touch to more than one region. Within the activities in which the Spanish Institute for Youth works are also ■ Coordination and management of the youth information services. ■ Coordination and management of state and international competencies for youth mobility, training and leisure through the European Youth Card. Injuve is also the Spanish national agency for the Youth in Action Programme and is responsible of its promotion and implementation. ■ Managing and exchange of international voluntary activities through the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations. In 1983, the Spanish Youth Council was created by law in order to encourage the participation of youth in political, social, economic and cultural life. The Spanish Youth Council includes representatives from all the Youth Councils of the Autonomous Communities and youth organisations. The International Year of Youth (1985) was considered by Spanish literature3 and the interviewees as a key year in the development of youth policies and youth work in Spain. The International Year of Youth enabled an integral view of in the future of youth work during the upcoming years; both to plan the work of public administrations as well as NGOs and youth associations. In Spain, Youth is a competence of the Autonomous Communities. The process of transfer of the competence of youth to the Autonomous Communities (AC) from the Spanish State started in Catalonia in 1980 and ended in 1989 with the transfer to Asturias, Galicia, Valencia, Madrid and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Both the process of transfers to the regions and the process of democratic institutionalisation of youth policies in the Central Government were parallel events4.
1 See: http://www.cje.org/es/. Date accessed: 22th November 2012. 2 Tribunal Constitucional, Constitución Española,
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From this moment, Autonomous Communities were given exclusive responsibility for youth and they have developed their youth policy in line with their political priorities. At the same time, municipalities also have their own competences in developing youth policies and most of them have a specific department for youth. The rise of youth policies and youth work took place during the 1990s. Interviewees explained that from 2000, youth work has stabilised and in the last year and a half it has experienced constraints because of the economic crisis; especially formal youth work, but also informal youth work, because NGOs and youth associations mainly depend on public budgets to develop their activities. Currently, there is a greater emphasis on youth work actions leading to increased employment opportunities than on creativity, culture or youth participation and active citizenship. Some groups are targeted more because those sectors are more organised, such as disabled youth or young women. Other areas have changed their focus. In health, for instance, youth work used to be focused on eating disorders, HIV and unwanted pregnancy prevention. Now the primarily focus is non-desired pregnancies. In social inclusion the trend is to focus on remedial intervention and not on prevention. From formal youth work, the focus is also on the new information technologies and how to communicate to all young people and not only to those ones that belong to associations or NGOs5. The EU was viewed by all interviewees as a key driver in the development of youth work in Spain, especially in relation to the mobility initiatives. Given the negative economic situation in Spain, most of the interviewees stated that their hope is that the EU continues to value and give importance to youth work, because this can be the only way to move forward given the current budget cuts at national, regional and local levels. One interviewee stated that it is fundamental that the “EU obligates further steps at the national level to move forward”. There are some differences between rural and urban areas. In rural areas, demographics and the increasing elderly population has led to limited youth activities, most of them concern youth and childhood leisure. In urban areas, the activities developed by youth councils are mainly extracurricular educational and leisure, there is also a focus on information and consultancy on employment and sports but activities related with international youth exchanges are limited or non-existent. Moreover, budgets tend to be very small compared to the size of population they have to cover. Besides, associations tend to be run by private budgets and are organised within social networks in order to develop cultural and exchange activities6.
1.3 The current situation: the delivery of formal and non-formal youth work As explained above, in this report, formal youth work is the one delivered by professionals from the public administration at state, regional and local levels. Non- formal youth work is represented by the third sector organisations, such as NGO’s or youth organisations which mainly work on a voluntary basis and can be financed both through private or public funding- from Spanish public administration or other international organisations-. The organisation responsible for the development of formal youth work actions at the national level is the Spanish Institute for Youth (Injuve). It coordinates the Autonomous Communities and communicates with them, as they are the ones that
5 Source: Interviews 6 Council of Europe (2006), Socio-Economic Scope of Youth Work in Europe.
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develop and implement youth work policies and programmes7. Youth work is also delivered at the local level, through departments of youth. In Spain there are Youth Information Services that provide information and handle direct inquiries, coordinated by Injuve. There is also the Eurodesk network of multipliers, managed state-wide by Injuve and is a service supported by the European Commission. In 2012 there are 3431 centres across Spain8, dependent on the Autonomous Communities and municipalities. An example of their work would be unofficial training, professional opportunities information , preparing a Curriculum Vitae, explaining labour rights, encouraging a healthy lifestyle and prevention in the areas of nutrition, mental health, drug addiction, sexuality, AIDS, etc. There are many NGOs and youth organisations responsible for the delivery of non-formal youth work. In relation to the delivery of youth work services; public youth services concentrate on awareness raising and publicity campaigns, individual provision of information, advice and guidance, as well as establishing online information and advice centres. The third sector is organised around youth associations where young people are the leaders and managers of their own projects, but there are also NGO’s or youth clubs that provide group activities and individual advice and support. However, as stated by some of the interviewees, the difference between them is not always clear. There are qualified youth workers in the third sector and there are volunteers collaborating with administration services. It is also common that third sector organisations deliver activities in partnership with the state/regional and municipal sector. Public administration subcontracts services from the third sector associations or NGOs, because they believe they have a fresh and younger discourse that can reach youth accurately. But administrations also develop youth work directly. For instance, Injuve manages several programmes in which civil servants themselves are youth workers. Although there is not a youth worker profession established as such, interviewees agreed that formal youth work is delivered by “youth technicians” at the regional and local level and in youth information centres. They are mainly people with a university degree in social education. Non formal youth work is mainly delivered by leisure time organisations, youth associations or social educational youth NGOs.
2 Legislative context and governance
KEY FACTS RESPONSE Legislative framework for youth work No Level of regulation for youth work Not clear Body(ies) with a responsibility for governing youth work Injuve, CJE and Comunidades Autόnomas
7 European Commission (2012) National Youth Report Spain: First cooperation cycle of the EU Strategy 2010-2012.
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2.1 Legal background There is no specific law regulating youth work in Spain at the national level and currently there are no plans to create one, as the responsibility for youth falls to the Autonomous Communities. However, although no specific law exists, the article 48 of the Spanish Constitution states that “the public authorities shall promote the conditions for free and effective participation of youth in their political, social, economic and cultural development”. This has been put in practice through the creation of the Spanish Institute for Youth, which started a firm commitment of public powers to develop youth policies and youth work that were almost inexistent before the setting of democracy. The creation of the Youth Council of Spain in 1983, formed by all the Youth Councils of the Autonomous Communities and youth organisations has also encouraged the participation of youth in political, social, economic and cultural life9. Competences regarding youth are transferred to Autonomous Communities and some of them have Youth Acts, such as Castile-Leon, Madrid, Catalonia, Galicia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Murcia, Navarre or Rioja. Estatutos de Autonomía are the basic institutional norm of each Autonomous Communities and observing these statutes can give and idea of the legal importance of youth and youth work in the Autonomous Communities. Catalonia’s statute is the only one that provides an extensive description of the contents comprised under youth policy and it includes agreements with international entities. Madrid’s statute quotes “policies for integral promotion of youth” and Andalusia “services for youth”. Other Autonomous Communities quote “youth policies” in their statutes, namely Cantabria, Basque Country and Navarre; while others only talk about “youth”, such as Valencia or they reproduce the article 148 of the Spanish constitution (Aragon or Extremadura). Some of them do not mention youth at all in their statues, such as Galicia or Rioja10.
2.2 Governance At national level, the Youth Institute (Injuve) coordinates and promotes policies, but it does not govern youth policy. The Injuve collaborates with various ministries, with youth organisations of the regions or municipalities and youth associations. Injuve and the Youth Organisations of the Autonomous Communities sign annual agreements to promote equal opportunities for youth since the early 90’s. However, the implementation of these agreements is a regional responsibility. At the local level, Injuve signs annual agreements for the implementation of local actions with the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), an association of the main municipalities of Spain. The bodies governing youth work in Spain are the Autonomous Communities. That is why great differences between the different Autonomous Communities can be found. In terms of funding, there is no national system of reporting. Injuve has a budget displayed on the annual national Spanish budget, but this does not specify how much is spent on youth work. The other sources of funding are the EU, the Autonomous Communities and the municipalities. The EU channels its projects through the Injuve, the Autonomous Communities and municipalities. The Interdepartmental Youth Plan (2005-2008) allocated € 2,341,000 to different actions related to youth work (52% to training and 39% to employment and housing). However, there has not been a new Youth Plan since then, so it is difficult to estimate the expenses on youth work. It is
9 See: http://www.cje.org/es/ 10 Comas Arnau, D. (2007), Las políticas de juventud en la España democrática INJUVE.
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also important to say that in Spain, activities related to youth work can be also found within different ministries, such as the ministry of labour, through programmes of job insertion and training.
3 Policy and programme framework
KEY FACTS RESPONSE General level of political commitment to the issue of youth Weak work Dedicated policy / strategy on youth work No Programmes on the development of youth work Yes, mainly EU-funded Net impact of economic crisis on funding for youth work Youth work is mainly EU- funded; the crisis has reduced the funds in all administrative levels and third sector organisations
3.1 Policy commitment Since 1993 there has been an inter-sectorial strategy in Spain. Furthermore, inter- ministerial youth plans have been developed in each legislative term. Despite this, there has not been a national youth strategy in the last parliamentary term (2008- 2011)11 nor is the current government working on a new Youth Plan. The White Paper on Youth Policy in Spain 2020 has been in process since 2009. The intention was “to establish a comprehensive, nationwide strategy to respond to the needs, problems and demands of young people, proposing and also giving a youth dimension to the different sectorial policies, establishing the role of each of the stakeholders involved in public policies that affect youth”12. However, one of the interviewees clarified that the draft was finalised, but now the process is paralysed. Therefore, youth work does not seem to be a policy priority in Spain and it is not present on national or regional policy discussions.
3.2 Policies and programmes to develop youth work As already mentioned, there is no specific policy on youth work in Spain. However, different programmes have been undertaken by Injuve since the 1980s onwards; first by Injuve alone, and as the regional powers grew and took grip of youth, in collaboration with them. Diverse actions with a variety of approaches have been undertaken, in fields of youth work such as volunteering, mobility, leisure, training, employability, information, international cooperation for development or creativity and culture. In Spain, there have also been measures implemented in relation to the recognition of “career profiles existing in the youth field through the system of professional qualifications”13.Now the accreditation of professional skills gained through work experience, volunteering or non-formal learning will be integrated (is now under
11 European Commission (2012), National Youth Report Spain: First cooperation cycle of the EU Strategy 2010-2012.
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progress) within the education system, in the three degrees of vocational training: Advanced Technician in Socio-Cultural and Touristic stimulation, Advanced Technician in Socio-Cultural and Touristic training and stimulation or Technician on Natural Environment and Leisure Guide. In 2011, three new professional qualifications have been developed by the Ministry of Education: Management and coordination of educational leisure activities for children and young people, Stimulation of educational leisure activities for children and young people and Youth Information14. Interviewees explained that the economic crisis has reduced funding and this affects both formal and non-formal youth work, because the third sector mainly depends on public funding to carry out their activities. However, due to the economic crisis the number of volunteers may increase given the social perception of increasing social exclusion.
4 Youth workers: training, status, population and profile
KEY FACTS RESPONSE Minimum qualifications standards for youth workers No Youth worker as a recognised profession / occupation No Availability of formal, dedicated qualifications for youth workers No Education background of the majority of youth workers Social workers, social educators, sociocultural animators Number of youth workers No data available Trend in the overall number of youth workers It has increased until now, but with the economic crisis the number could decrease
4.1 Training and qualifications There are no minimum qualification standards for youth work in Spain and youth work still does not exist as an academic subject in formal education. Therefore, youth workers in Spain are trained via other professions. Interviewees mentioned that they are mainly social workers, social educators, sociocultural animators and civil servants working with young people, informally known as “youth technicians”. Social workers and social educators are in both cases higher education degrees; both last 3-year and combine theory with practice. These degrees lead to management positions in local youth services to work specially with disadvantaged youth. Furthermore, a university degree on voluntary work and cooperation is available. The main way for qualification on specialised youth work is postgraduate studies. Vocational training schools offer 2-year courses for the title of higher technician for social services and socio-cultural animators, as well as the following courses: Management and coordination of educational leisure activities for children and young people; Stimulation of educational leisure activities for children and young people and Youth Informer15. Finally, at volunteer level, voluntary youth associations offer training
14 Ibid 15 European Commission (2012), National Youth Report Spain: First cooperation cycle of the EU Strategy 2010-2012.
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for volunteers which may be coordinated by regional adult education centres which result in certificates. These courses do not require a university degree16. The request of a specific certification depends on the employer. In public administration a university degree is normally required. In the third sector, one of the youth workers interviewed mentioned that it depends on the organisation or association youth workers belong to; some of them require the leisure time activity leader or leisure time director certificate. There is also an emphasis on the experience working in the sector, so for instance, there may be someone that has a pure science background in their studies, but if they have experience, then they are the right people to work in the organisation.
4.2 Status of youth worker profession Youth work is not an officially recognised occupation in Spain. Some aspects of youth work are carried out by a broader professional group (social workers, social educators or cultural animators). It seems that the lack of youth work as a recognised occupation has to do with the weak political compromise to prioritise youth work and therefore the lack of intention to create a professional occupational status for it. Most interviewees expressed the need to create the profile of “youth technician” or “youth worker” in the Spanish qualifications system, because this would allow recognition of those working with young people in the labour market. One of the interviewees stated that “the lack of retribution and recognition negatively affects the performance of these professionals”.
4.3 Youth worker population According to Eurostat17 the percentage of young people in relation to total population is 26.3 per cent. The percentage of young people participating in youth organisations is lower: 8.3 per cent and there are no data regarding the ratio of youth workers or volunteers. Spain differs from other EU countries in relation to the provision of youth work. While in all other EU member states the third sector provides at least the 65% of the activities, in Spain is the public sector the one that provides up to 60% of youth work activities: “23% are extracurricular youth education, 52% recreation, 1% open youth work/clubs, 8% participation, 12% sports, 20% prevention of social exclusion, 1% international youth work”18. Interviewees agree that in the formal sector, the number of youth workers has increased since 2000, although more recently these numbers are starting to decrease as a result of the economic crisis. In the third sector, the same trend can be observed, with the exception of the disabled sector that is still increasing because it is very institutionalised and supported. Nevertheless, given the budget constraints, one of the interviewees stated that the public sector may subcontract more in the third sector because of their lower costs, which could increase the number of youth workers in that sector. According to the interviewees, voluntary work has remained the same or even increased.
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4.4 Profile of youth workers As described above, youth work is not an academic subject in formal education. Therefore, youth workers in Spain are trained via other professions, such as social workers, social educators, social-cultural leaders or teachers. The percentage of women in youth work is higher than that of men, so youth work is mainly a female profession19. In comparison with the support provided by other professionals, one interviewee explained that whilst other professionals specialised more on specific themes, the youth worker has a more general knowledge and has a greater communication capacity. Moreover, youth workers put emphasis on the young person as the owner of his or her learning process, what increases the interest of the young person. Non- formal education allows more freedom because the curriculum is not closed as it is in formal education. Regarding the type of contract that youth workers have, there are significant differences between city councils and associations. In city councils, youth workers are mainly full-time workers and there are no volunteers except for students doing internships. In youth associations, youth workers tend to be part-time workers and the number of volunteers also tends to be higher20. Interviewees identified key challenges facing youth workers; the lack of recognition and visibility and therefore, the absence of being regulated as a professional sector. It seems fundamental to give more importance to youth policies so that youth workers are constantly needed, supported and recognised. One of the interviewees explained that if there are cuts in youth programmes, some civil servants working with young people may not lose their job, but they may have to work in a different department and the total number of youth workers would decrease.
5 The role and value of youth work
5.1 Education and training In Spain, out of school clubs play a role in helping young people to gain abilities and competences, as well as make them aware of specific themes, such as the environment or health. The provision and support of at risk-students includes many organisations that provide prevention and remedy services; one of the interviewees called this type of service “educational support” and they focus on ameliorating students at risks’ personal habits, their environment or family situation. There has been collaboration between formal education and youth work. One of the youth workers interviewed explained that to get funds from public administrations, organisations need to prove that they are connected to schools. Thus, they do activities in schools or the school brings their students to their association centres to deliver non-formal education. Although there is no formal recognition of youth work in Spain, one of the interviewees emphasised that even if these activities are not recognised in the system of qualifications; students develop a range of skills and competences (leadership or teamwork) that will result on their personal and social enrichment. This will also increase their employability. See below for some good practice examples:
19 Ibid. p.71 20 Ibid
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■ Fundación Tormes-EB21 delivers environmental education through different projects for young people. One of those projects is the “Environmental week”. It offers young people (14-18 years old) from a Spanish municipality (Salamanca), the opportunity of travelling during 7 days to a Spanish natural park for free to increase their awareness, think about the problems in those parks and enjoy by learning22. ■ ALTER23 is a programme of social and educational integration for young people developed by the Balearic Autonomous government and some municipalities of the region. The programme targets students in Secondary Schools, aged between 14 and 16 years. The aim is to provide training to those who frequently reject conventional education institutions, offering a more practical and functional training related to professional and working world.
5.2 Employment and entrepreneurship Interviewees have stated that the current priority is to increase employment opportunities for young people, given the high youth unemployment in the country. Youth workers interviewed have expressed that youth work increases and enhances employability and by being youth workers they also gain skills that are very important in the work setting (social and communication skills, for example). ■ At the moment the Spanish Institute for Youth (Injuve) promotes a programme to encourage entrepreneurship: “Microcredits for the young”24. The programme is developed by MICROBANK and is directed to young entrepreneurs up to 35 years old. The aim is to facilitate the implementation of business projects. Autonomous Communities are the ones that manage the programme in their territories25. -Injuve is also the member of the European Youth Card Association for Spain, promoting, coordinating and managing the enhancement of mobility, active leisure, training, and many other opportunities for youth. Also with youth work content, and helping the employability. ■ Confederation of Youth Centres Don Bosco Spain has implemented a programme26 of training and employment assistance for youth in the next Autonomous Communities: Andalusia, Catalonia, Castile-Leon, Valencia, Galicia, Madrid and Castile-La Mancha. The programme is based on information activities and professional training aimed at young people 14
21 See: http://www.fundaciontormes-eb.org/ [Accessed 30 November 2012] 22 De Tapia, R. and Salvado, M. (2006), Los jóvenes ante el compromiso ambiental. Experiencias prácticas 2001-05, Revista de Estudios de Juventud, 74, pp. 149-167.
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to 16 years who are not well integrated in school and are at risk of dropping out or social exclusion. The programme consists of occupational workshops, technical courses, job search, educational support, training in companies, orientation activities towards self-employment and a personal follow-up.
5.3 Health and well-being Despite the fact that health does not appear to be a priority at the moment, there have been strong campaigns in the media, in schools and in the Youth Information Centres and associations towards the prevention of teenage pregnancies, sexual transmitted diseases (especially AIDS), drugs consumption prevention, eating disorders or the importance of diet and exercise. Priorities depend on the needs of the moment, so eating disorders were a priority in the early 2000s, while now the main focus is the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. The Spanish Plan against Drugs has also been a very important instrument, as it funds many activities to prevent and tackle drugs misuse amongst young people. Some specific examples are: ■ The Spanish Youth Council is currently carrying out the campaign “Round seduction”27 to prevent AIDS transmission by providing materials to be distributed in all regional youth council centres and amongst young people: 6000 masculine preservatives, 500 feminine preservatives, 500 lubricants, 500 bookmarks, 1000 brochures, 70 posters, 30 guides. ■ The Confederation of Youth Centres Don Bosco Spain carries out preventive activities28 in sexuality, addiction and eating disorders. The aim is prevention through increased awareness and information for young people to confront these issues. These prevention activities are developed in Andalusia, Aragon, Catalonia, Castile-Leon, Murcia, Valencia, Basque Country, Cantabria, Rioja, Navarre, Galicia, Madrid and Castile-La Mancha. ■ ALCAZUL29 is a programme aimed at preventing drug misuse amongst young people in the Autonomous Community of Castile-La Mancha. It targets young people aged 14-18 and it was developed in collaboration with municipalities with a communitarian methodology. The main objectives are to inform, increase healthy activities, increase the interpersonal relations that have a positive impact on the participants and develop pro-social attitudes, as well as encourage active citizenship. The instruments to achieve these objectives are an informative magazine, workshops, participation in social interest programmes (volunteering, for example), and organising leisure time activities for them (culture, adventure, nature or sports). An evaluation30 of the programme was carried out31.
27 See: http://www.seduccionredonda.org/ date accessed: 30th of November 2012. 28 Confederación Don Bosco (2011), Memoria de actividades 2011. available at: 14 ■ The Federation of Family Planning (FPFE)32 is a non-governmental organisation that has carried out the programme: “Attention to the sexual and reproductive health of young people” since 1991. This programme targets young people under 29 years old and it has been developed in four youth centres situated in Castile-la Mancha, Catalonia, Galicia and Madrid. It aims to inform and promote the defence and the free exercise of sexual and reproductive rights. In the youth centres, personal counselling (in person, by phone or online) is provided. It is a free, confidential, anonymous, without prior appointment and no time limit service. In all interventions, the objective is not only to resolve specific difficulties or doubts of the users, but to promote that users make their own decisions about their sexuality and encouraging a positive and satisfying experience of sexuality. The centres also provide information through their website, social networks, in schools, or organising awareness campaigns. 5.4 Participation The Spanish Youth Council promotes the participation of young people by directly supporting youth associations and NGO’s or other organisations that provide youth services. One interviewee stated that “the only people that work to involve young people are organised civil society, the youth organisations/associations”. As the Autonomous Communities have responsibility for youth, one of the interviewees working at the regional level emphasised the importance of influencing the individual factors that affect the participation and involvement of young people and to reduce inequalities in the profile of young people that participate, so trying to involve everyone and not only those that are aware of the opportunities. There could be more support for youth associations, organisations, spaces and social networks which channel the participation of young people. Injuve is currently representing Spain in the multilateral project YOUTHPART, in which a group of countries (Germany, Austria, Finland and Great Britain) as well as other actors from European civil society work together in the field of youth participation through internet and other media. ■ The project "Youth Parliament"33 is an example of an initiative to increase young people’s active participation in public affairs and policy decision in municipalities. The project has been developed by Seville’s Deputation34 since 2004 given the lack of interest of young people in politics and the absence of participation. The programme is targeted at students aged 12- 16 and it promotes participation of young people with municipal policies to raise the issues that affect them and give suggestions for improvement. The sessions with the politicians of their municipalities take place each academic year, with around 20 students taking part each year. 32 See: http://www.fpfe.org/que-hacemos/atencion-directa/ 33 Argos. Proyectos Educativos (2006), Parlamento Joven: un espacio de participación juvenil en los ayuntamientos, Revista de Estudios de Juventud, 74, pp. 185-202. available at: 15 5.5 Voluntary activities / volunteering The voluntary sector in Spain is relatively low compared with other Member States, in fact only 10%-19% of adults carry out voluntary activities35. Despite the fact that the voluntary sector is poorly developed in Spain, young people and young adults (15-30 years) tend to be very active in volunteering, especially students who “form the largest group of volunteers (34%), followed by employed individuals (31%) and retired citizens (12%)”36. Although volunteering is carried out mostly by non-public associations or organisations; public administrations are the ones that make the biggest contribution in encouraging volunteering by advertising campaigns and by delivering information in the Youth Information Services37. Injuve is a member of Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations and it carries out a work of coordination, information and management in the field of youth volunteering abroad through the Alliance of Voluntary Service Organisations. Through this organisation Injuve exchanges places for volunteers giving hundreds of opportunities in international work camps every year, since 1987, for Spanish youngsters (18-30) to go abroad to develop voluntary activities, enrich their human capital, language abilities and employability, all of which are youth work content. Volunteering has been considered by one of the youth workers interviewed as intrinsic to youth work. Many organisations would not exist in Spain without the work of volunteers and youth work normally encourages volunteering. By volunteering, young people gain life and work skills and competences. Some interviewees mentioned that volunteering could increase because of a need of more solidarity given the current economic crisis and the consequent increment of poverty and social exclusion. One specific example of volunteering and its promotion are the volunteers of the organisation “Menudos corazones”, that have been awarded the “State Awards to Social Volunteering 2012”, organised by the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality. Volunteers have received the award for their involvement in a programme of accompaniment and playgroups for children and young people with heart problems that are hospitalised"38. 5.6 Social inclusion Injuve actively participates and contributes to social inclusion among youth by funding and through institutional support of entities dedicated to social inclusion of youth groups in risk of social exclusion: Fundación Secretariado Gitano (Roma Foundation Secretariat), Red Araña (a network of associations dedicated to the employability of youth) and Fundación Tomillo (a foundation that helps youth in risk of social exclusion with vocational training, counselling and working opportunities).Below we can find two examples that have been developed to achieve the social inclusion of those people participating: 35 GHK (2010), Volunteering in the European Union, p7. available at: 16 ■ Red Conecta (Network Connect)39 is a social project shared by a network of NGOs, to promote social inclusion of all people using new technologies as a tool. It is especially directed to young people from 13 to 30 years old, unemployed women, long-term unemployed and people with social integration difficulties. The initiative consists on carrying out workshops and a course to enable Digital Literacy for groups at risk of social exclusion. ■ The Programme + 18 of Andalusia Autonomous Community40, tries to facilitate the social inclusion of young people that have been living in centres for child protection. It is directed to those that are turning 18 and want to leave those centres. Their participation is voluntary and the initiative consists on helping and orienting them towards their autonomous life. The programme emphasises 4 pillars: – Maturation and personal and social development. – Vocational guidance and training for employment. – Achievement of basic resources, especially housing. – Access to employment. This will promote occupational training and job placement for youth who have been supervised or supervised by the Junta de Andalucía. 5.7 Youth and the world Youth work enables young people to take part in exchanges and other non-formal education activities with people from other parts of the world. The EU programme “Youth in Action” has enabled and facilitated youth mobility in Spain. As mentioned, the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations, allows young people to develop youth work or other types of volunteering in a range of some 50 countries, mostly in Europe, but also in north and central Africa; in north and Central America and in Asia. There are also other international cooperation programmes in Spain. Most of the international youth organisations or NGOs have international exchange programmes where their members can participate. An example would be Global Nature Foundation, which organises international exchanges, trying to promote responsibility towards the environment by strengthening basic knowledge about different environmental issues while increasing interpersonal relationships through the proper use of leisure time41. 5.8 Creativity and culture The Spanish Institute for Youth organises “Young Creation Injuve Awards”42 every year to encourage the creativity of young artists, helping their work to reach out and helping them to get into some professional fields. The fields of the contest are: visual arts, comic and illustration, design, musical interpretation, contemporary music composition and Marques de Bradomin Written Plays. 39 See: http://www.redconecta.net/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 date accessed: 1st of December 2012. 40 See: http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/igualdadybienestarsocial/export/Infancia_Familia/HTML/acogim ientoresidencial.html date accessed: 1st of December 2012. 41 Fundación Global Nature, Activicurso, 17 6 Outcomes and impact of youth work 6.1 Target and reach 6.1.1 Target groups Youth work and especially formal youth work, is mainly universal in Spain, so directed to all young people and not to specific groups. However, while prevention campaigns and activities are mainly universal, assistance tends to focus on specific groups or individual needs. Some groups that have been targeted are minors facing poverty or social exclusion, disabled, immigrants or early school leavers. One of the interviewees emphasised the importance of the local needs to establish the groups targeted by youth work. According to the interviewees, in Spain young people are considered those between 15 and 30 years old, so universal programmes tend to be directed to those, although some programmes target younger people (from 12 years old). According to the literature43, the main group of youngsters represented in youth work activities are young people aged from 15-19 years (50%), then those between 20 and 24 years (20%), those 13-14 years (18%) and lastly those between 25 and 30 years (12%). Females tend to participate more (53%) in comparison to males (47%)44. One of the interviewees mentioned that at the local level, youth work is mainly directed to those under 19 years old. Another interviewee stated that in general, and especially at the national level, it seems that when youth policies had been targeted young people under 25, whereas now they are directed to a broader group (under 30). 6.1.2 Reach The number of young people reached by youth work cannot be estimated in Spain. There is a lack of literature and data available on the number of young people reached by youth work. Interviewees highlighted that important proportions of young people are not reached by youth work. One of the interviewees estimated that more than 40% of young people are not reached, because they do not receive the message or because they are not receptive enough. Those that are not reached have been described by the interviewee as mainly those that are out of the educational system or belong to ethnic minorities, the poor or the social excluded. Interviewees have seen the work done by the third sector as fundamental in this sense, because while public administrations face more boundaries to approach young people, youth organisations have fewer physical boundaries. It has also been considered fundamental to improve communication through the internet and social networks to reach and communicate with young people. 6.2 Outcomes and impact Overall, the intention of youth work in Spain is to reach vulnerable groups to strengthen the possibilities of Spanish youth in general, enhancing their human capital, enriching the social cohesion and future opportunities for employability. Early school leavers are the main target and youth work can help them return to 43 European Union- Council of Europe Partnership (2006), Socio-Economic Scope of Youth Work in Europe, final report, p75. available at: 18 educational paths. Migration does not seem to be a consolidated area of action. However, there is support to young immigrant’s associations and there has been work carried out to raise awareness among general population on the importance of integrating and non-discriminating immigrants. An example of the influence of youth work on immigrants has been a specific programme to target young immigrant girls in the prevention of teenage pregnancies. “23% of the foreign nationals have had an unwanted pregnancy compared with 10% of the Spanish nationals”45. Young people with disabilities are a very important target group in Spain, but especially because disability organisations are very strong in Spain, namely Down Spain and ONCE. Youth institutes also carry out campaigns to raise awareness on the importance of integration and non-discrimination of young people with disabilities. There is no evidence available on the outcomes or impact of youth work. However, interviewees recalled two publications that are fundamental to understand the role of youth work and the state of youth in Spain: ■ Injuve youth in Spain report, published every four years since 1985. The last one has been published in 2008. It is expected that the next one will be presented in early 2013. ■ Santa Maria Foundation: Sociological report on Spanish Youth, The last one has been published in 2010 and youth reports have been published since 1982. 6.3 SWOT Table 6.1 Summary of key strengths and weaknesses of the youth work sector in Spain STRENGTHS OPPORTUNITIES ■ Youth work in Spain is strongly linked ■ The economic crisis should be seen as to public policies in fields that are in an opportunity to innovate and to the foundations of society, showing optimise resources (Muñoz 2012) high standards of social cohesion and ■ The development of Social networking of youth inclusion. and the use of information and ■ Youth workers have a holistic approach communication technologies are useful when approaching young people. tools to communicate with young ■ Youth work adapts to the needs of the people, increase their awareness of moment. For instance, youth workers youth work activities and encourage are being trained on social networks their participation. and information technologies to ■ The importance of youth work at EU communicate with young people. level can help to develop and support ■ Youth workers are in most cases highly this sector in Spain. qualified. Most of them hold a university degree and they have experience gained through volunteering. Many have experience in mobility, having worked or studied abroad. 45 Injuve (2008), Informe 2008 Juventud en España. available at: 19 WEAKNESSES THREATS ■ The lack of formal conceptualisation of what ■ The crisis has a significant impact on youth; youth work means in Spain. the reduction of social welfare policies has ■ Little visibility and recognition of youth work led to a significant decrease for and youth workers. programmes of youth work. ■ Lack of political compromise, reflected in ■ It is likely that there will be more cuts in the the lack of a formal concept and regulation near future. of youth work. ■ Lack of involvement and recognition from ■ The lack of resources impedes reaching civil society. those that are more difficult to reach. 7 Conclusions and recommendations Youth work does not have a long tradition in Spain. The key issues related to the current state of play in Spain are: ■ The lack of a formal definition and a general understanding of what youth work comprises of. ■ The absence of a professional qualification to accredit youth workers. ■ Youth is a regional responsibility and differences between the different Spanish regions (Autonomous Communities) can be found. ■ There appears to be a lack of political commitment. ■ The current economic crisis and the consequent budget cuts negatively impact youth work activities. ■ Third sector youth associations and NGOs mainly depend on public funding. Recommendations to national authorities: ■ Define what youth work comprises and start to work with the EU parameters from there ■ Plan a long term strategy together with civil society (associations) towards 2020 and develop it at local and autonomous communities’ level. ■ Show a strong political and economic support. ■ Develop research to measure outcomes and evaluate work done in the area of youth work. ■ Strengthen the cooperation between autonomous communities, the central administration and municipalities. Recommendations to youth associations and NGOs: ■ There is need to develop networking and stronger coordination between associations. Inter-associative projects should be carried out to make an optimal use of the strengths of each partner. ■ Given their dependence on Spanish public funding and because of the public budget cuts, they should try to search for other sources of funding to continue developing their activities and even increasing them. ■ Make an effort to increase education and training in the sector to improve the quality of its services. Recommendations to the EU: ■ The EU considers youth as a priority and it should carry on with their good work in the field. 20 ■ The EU should make sure that their programmes target those at risk of social exclusion and not only those that are well informed of the opportunities. 21 8 Sources 8.1 Interviewees Catalonia National Youth Council (CNJC). Date of interview: 6th of October 2012. Spanish National Youth Council (CJE). Date of interview: 20th of November 2012. Confederation of Youth Centres Don Bosco Spain. Date of interview: 21st of November 2012. Independent expert. Date of interview: 22nd of November 2012. Spanish Institute for Youth (INJUVE), Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality. Date of interview: 26th of November 2012. 8.2 Bibliography Argos. Proyectos Educativos (2006), Parlamento Joven: un espacio de participación juvenil en los ayuntamientos, Revista de Estudios de Juventud, 74, pp. 185-202. 22 Dispunation de Sevilla, Parlemento Joven, 23 Injuve (2012a), Practica 11: Red de centros de información juvenil de. In: 20 buenas prácticas en políticas públicas de juventud. Madrid: Injuve. Injuve (2012b), Guide of INJUVE Public Services. Madrid: Injuve. Menu do corazones, Estimulación y juego educativo, 24 European Commission – Directorate-General for Education and Culture Working with young people: the value of youth work in the EU © European Union, 2014 NC-04-14-173-EN-N ISBN: 978-92-79-367-197-5 doi: 10.2766/7275