Youth Work and its Interaction with Other Fields: Connecting Systems, Creating Value

In recent years, there has been growing recognition that youth work does not exist in isolation. As a practice rooted in nonformal education, empowerment, and relationship-building, youth work is uniquely positioned to interact meaningfully with a range of other sectors—education, mental health, culture, employment, social services, environmental sustainability, and beyond. These interactions are not supplementary—they are central to building supportive ecosystems that enable young people to thrive.

This shift is strongly reflected in European policy frameworks. The European Youth Work Agenda (EYWA), adopted in 2020, emphasises the need for youth work to be embedded in broader policy fields and recognised as a key actor in cross-sector collaboration. Similarly, the Council of Europe’s Recommendation on Youth Work (CM/Rec(2017)4) encourages greater visibility and strategic integration of youth work into national and local systems. Youth workers are increasingly seen not just as facilitators of local activities but as bridges—connecting young people with opportunities, services, and rights across society.

These developments respond to a clear need. In a complex and rapidly changing world, young people face interconnected challenges: mental health pressures, uncertain labour markets, social fragmentation, and a climate emergency. No single field or profession can address these issues alone. Cross-sector collaboration—when done well—leads to more holistic, effective, and inclusive responses. Youth work brings an added value to these collaborations through its participatory ethos, its close relationship with young people, and its ability to foster non-formal learning in accessible, creative ways.

But how can this integration work in practice without diluting the identity and purpose of youth work? The answer lies in respectful partnerships where each sector brings its strengths. In these partnerships, youth workers serve as cultural translators, advocates, and mediators—ensuring that young people’s voices are heard, and that systems are built around their needs, not just institutional frameworks. This is particularly important in contexts where young people are disengaged or marginalised from traditional services or from formal civic and political spaces where decisions about their lives are made. Youth work can help make these services—and these spaces—approachable, relatable, and relevant.

Aġenzija Żgħażagħ has been actively engaged in building and modelling these kinds of cross-sector connections in Malta. Our work with the arts and cultural sector offers a clear example. Through initiatives like the Malta Youth Film Festival, Artivisti mentoring programmes, and projects supporting young writers, musicians, and visual artists, we create spaces where youth work and artistic practice come together to support young people in developing their creative potential. In these projects, youth workers collaborate closely with creatives and cultural institutions to ensure that the process is not just about showcasing talent, but about the learning journey—enabling self-expression, participation, and critical thinking.

Beyond the arts, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ works with stakeholders in mental health, education, the environment, and children’s rights to reach young people through programmes that speak to their real experiences. For instance, the Mindful Mosaic initiative supports mental well-being in secondary schools by combining informal education with tools for emotional resilience. Our partnership with the Office of the Commissioner for Children promotes young people’s rights and participation through consultations and awareness campaigns. Meanwhile, our environmental engagement includes the SDG Champions initiative, delivered in collaboration with the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Public Cleanliness, which encourages young people to bridge the gap between their lived realities and a more sustainable future. We also collaborate with schools to strengthen soft skills and encourage interest in civic participation.

Across these areas, youth workers play a crucial role in designing and delivering the work. Their ability to build trust, work flexibly, and adapt to young people’s realities ensures that cross-sector projects remain youth-centred, rather than becoming top-down or institutional. Importantly, these collaborations also support the professional recognition of youth workers—as partners whose contribution is not simply instrumental, but strategic and transformative.

As reflected during the 4th European Youth Work Convention held in Malta this May, the importance of youth work’s interaction with other fields is now central to the European policy conversation. Discussions and workshops highlighted how such collaborations are essential for strengthening support systems for young people—particularly when grounded in the lived realities of youth and facilitated by practitioners who build trust and inclusion. Aġenzija Żgħażagħ’s contribution to the Convention, sharing its good practices in the field of the arts, was a clear example of how these cross-sectoral efforts can be both innovative and deeply rooted in youth work principles.

Moving forward, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ remains committed to this vision—working across systems to develop opportunities for young people, build bridges with other sectors, and ensure that youth work continues to play a strategic and transformative role in shaping more inclusive futures.