News - Jean Monnet Chair on Youth Work and Non-Formal Education in Europe

Over the course of the Jean Monnet Chair on Youth Work and Non-Formal Education in Europe, Professor Thimmel and his team will take an active part in various events to analyze and shape the contemporary discourses on education and youth work in Europe.

Excursion to Brussels on 14.06.2022
How is youth policy shaped at European level?

2022 is the European Year of Youth: The European Union wants to devote more attention to the concerns of young people by promoting projects, actions and public relations work. A group of students from the Bachelor's degree programme in Social Work learned what this exactly means on an excursion to Brussels. This was led by Prof. Dr. Andreas Thimmel and Rita Bergstein (Coordinator Education Management Youth for Europe) and accompanied by research assistants from the Nonformal Education research department. As part of the excursion, a visit to the European Parliament and a meeting with Dorothee Ammermann, consultant for European youth and education policy of the Association of Protestant Youth in Germany e.V., took place to discuss the European institutions and their policies for young people in the EU.

International Congress: "Social Work and Social Action: What are the challenges for co-designing a welfare state? / Le travail social et l'action sociale : Quels défis pour la Co-construction de l'Etat social? " - 30.06.-01.07.2022 in Tangier

The international congress is organised by the National Institute for Social Action  
and the Maroccan Centre for Research and Studies in Social Sciences  
organised.

Cross The Line 28.03.2022 - 01.04.2022
International training for actors of European Youth Work

Cross The Line aims to create a bridge between non-formal education and formal education. The project is a cooperation between four universities in different countries. The TH Köln is also involved in this project and offers 4 students the opportunity to participate in this training in Belgium through the Jean Monnet Chair. The aim of this project is to inform the students from the different countries about European Youth Work and to encourage them to work as future youth workers.

Practice-oriented training of the IBG e.V. for students:
International Competence

"IBG offers in the multi-month programme 'Competence International' practice-oriented knowledge on leading and coordinating international teams and global learning. The training series is open to all interested persons between the ages of 18 and 30. English language skills (B1) are required for participation and interest in international youth work and voluntary services is recommended." Application deadline: 31.03.2022

Network Meeting 25.08.2021 - 26.08.2021

The network sees itself as a German-speaking discussion platform for European topics in the fields of action of Youth Work. The network meeting follows on from the meetings in August 2019 and 2020. The focus of this network meeting, which will take place online, is the exchange of teaching on European Youth Work at universities. Among others, four actors in higher education teaching will share their results of ongoing and/or completed research projects with the group.

IB Project "BRIDGE" - Breaching Reservation and Improving Dialogue through Generational Exchange

An online meeting between Prof. Dr. Thimmel and the IB team from Frankfurt am Main took place on 6 August 2021. This project aims to facilitate an international and intergenerational dialogue within the social work community. In his presentation, Prof. Dr. Thimmel illustrated his view from research. "The aim of the project BRIDGE, (Breaching Reservation and Improving Dialogue through Generational Exchange) is to promote intergenerational dialogue in international youth and youth social work for professionals" (BRIDGE 2021).

3. European Youth Work Convention
07.-10. December 2020

The Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth invited Prof. Dr. Andreas Thimmel to be take part in the Third European Youth Work Convention. The Convention is the central platform for discussing the latest developments in youth work practice and youth policy in Europe. Different stakeholders will come together on this occasion to kick off the implementation of the European Youth Work Agenda.

European Symposium on the Development of Critical Youth Citizenship
Spring 2021

The symposium will provide a dynamic exchange between around 80 professionals from the field of youth work who consider it valuable to explore the concept of critical youth citizenship further and collaboratively investigate it's scope for application. The symposium aims to initiate a constructive discourse, generate momentum and provide a platform to reconfirm the willingness to support the political in youth work.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Thimmel
Younes Alla, B.A.

The Annual Youth Research Conference 2020 in Tampere
05.-06. November 2020

This year, the Youth Research Conference celebrated the 75th Anniversary of Youth Work Education at Tampere University. The conference focused on current developments and upcoming changes of youth and youth work.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Thimmel | Plenary Speech and Commentary Panel

Online-Network Meeting "Youth Work and Europe - Teachers of European Youth Work in Higher Education"
19.-21. August 2020

The network meeting focused on the presentation and discussion of selected European publications and reflections on their relevance for the context of higher education (teaching and research) as well as their connection to national debates. Furthermore, information on current projects within the Erasmus+ Youth in Action programme, the European Solidarity Corps and the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union were shared.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Thimmel | Preparation and Speech

Online-Conference "International Educational Exchange between East and West - from international understanding towards international reflexivity"
| 13.-15. May 2020

The Conference organized by the Chair on Diversity Education and International Educational Research of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg will consider processes of education and socialization in the international educational exchange in institutional and nonformal settings from the perspective of educational sciences. Regionally, the conference will focus on the international educational exchange between Germany, Russia and Belarus.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Thimmel | Speech and Panel Discussion

Conference on the Development of European and International Youth Policy and Youth Work 2020
24./25. March 2020

The central conference of the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth for institutions of European and international youth work funded by the "Kinder- und Jugendplan des Bundes" could not take place as planned, as for the current situation. Instead, webinars were held to discuss the German, European and international political and professional development. Prof. Dr. Andreas Thimmel presented the outcomes of the Access Study in one of the working groups.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Thimmel | Presentation

International Conference "Europe for All?!?" - Rethinking (International) Volunteering | 11./12. March 2020 | Jugendakademie Walberberg

On the 11. an 12. of March 2020 the International Conference "Europe for All?!?" took place at the Youth Academy Walberberg. The conference provided a platform to share insights won by the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership project "Europe for All" and to discuss the results and outcomes of the scientific accompaniment. This partnership was scientific accomnanied by the Research Center Nonformal Education.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Thimmel | Panel Discussion,
Viktoria Wierschem, B.A. | Workshop

Colloquium of Youth Work Research and Theory "What is Youth Work?" | 10./11. February 2020 | Jugendhof Vlotho

It was the aim of the colloquium to engange networking among the scientific youth workers, to shape the contemporary discourse, to discuss the current (scientific and theoratical) situation of youth work, to reflect on youth work in a critical and constructive way and to support its development.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Thimmel | Speech

Round Table Initiative of Professionals 2020 | 16./17. January 2020 | Bonn

The Focus of this event was placed on the support of professionalists. Key note speeches and barcamp sessions were dedicatedto this topic.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Thimmel | Keynote Speech, Younes Alla, B.A.