Our main objective was to end with a tool that could continue to be deployed and used after the project. In other words, sustainability was very important to us. From the moment we submitted our application, we had already made clear what form that tool would take: a website composed of different modules, each offering targeted information for the Netherlands and Flanders. The modules focused on the needs we identified and observed during the project—such as establishing a non-profit/foundation, volunteer policy, and organisational/administrative policy. Each module is designed to be accessible, clear, low-threshold, and relatable for our target audience, featuring podcasts, practical examples, and templates. The project had three main objectives: Capacity building of broad youth-work organizations and local youth initiatives; Promoting the participation of socially vulnerable young people in youth work and the wider civil society; Strengthening the recognition/acknowledgement of broad youth work among policymakers, the youth sector, and other stakeholders. These objectives are aligned with the Erasmus+ priorities on inclusion, quality of youth work, and active participation.
The application for the project “Broad Youth Work Organizations 2.0” was submitted to address structural needs within the broad youth work field in the Netherlands and Belgium. In particular, self-organizations, citizen initiatives, volunteer-led youth organizations, and youth organizations under religious institutions (such as mosques) faced challenges such as: Lack of continuity and professional structure; Difficult access to accurate and accessible information; Volunteers’ lack of time to delve into administration, accounting, policy, and funding matters; Shortage of low-threshold training tools and supporting materials; Insufficient recognition/acknowledgement of their work by policymakers and the formal youth sector; Low level of youth-work practice within those operations; Lack of a helicopter view and knowledge of other youth-work actors and of the youth sector overall. With this project, we wanted to respond to these identified needs and create a place where they could find information in a low-threshold way, with clear explanations. Our application was an answer to these structural gaps, with the aim of strengthening the youth sector. We specifically target disadvantaged young people, newcomers, and cultural minorities.