We aimed to strengthen the role of compassion in youth work and develop tools to support the well-being of youth workers and young people. Our goal was to identify, research, and implement compassion as a key competence in the youth sector, thereby contributing to greater resilience, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills among youth workers and young people. Through research, we sought to identify existing best practices and the needs of youth organizations in integrating compassionate approaches. Based on these findings, we aimed to develop a training model that enables youth workers to enhance (self)compassion and incorporate it into their work. We wanted to ensure the sustainability of the project by creating digital and interactive learning content, making it more accessible to young people, youth workers, and youth organizations even after the project's completion. The tools will also be used in the new Center for Youth in Ljubljana, which is envisioned to fully operate based on the principles of compassion. It was also an opportunity for transnational cooperation, knowledge exchange, and sharing experiences between youth organizations, contributing to the systemic strengthening of youth work at the European level.
We recognized the need to integrate compassion as a competence in youth work. Youth workers play a key role in supporting young people during their personal and social development and in empowering them on their path to independence. Their work is demanding and dynamic, as they must quickly adapt to changing circumstances in which young people grow up. They act as advisors, mentors, conversation partners, role models, confidants, and leaders, while also providing a safe space and programs. Since the well-being of young people is a priority, this can lead to high levels of stress, excessive workload, physical and emotional exhaustion among youth workers, and a lack of self-care. At the same time, young people themselves clearly express the need for mental health support, and youth work strives to respond effectively to their needs. We also identified the need for better connections between the youth sector and scientific research on compassion, as well as the provision of practical and applicable resources for working with young people. We designed the project as part of the solution, offering an opportunity to strengthen youth work through compassion while ensuring the well-being of both young people and youth workers.