Why Inclusion in Youth Work Matters More Than Ever

In today’s rapidly changing world, youth workers face a powerful challenge: ensuring that every young person feels included and not left behind.

Within this framework, inclusion is a transformative approach that reshapes youth work so all young people can participate, grow, and thrive.

Inclusion: More Than Just Being Present

In youth work, inclusion means making a conscious effort to guarantee equal opportunities for all young people, regardless of background, identity, or ability. It goes far beyond simply welcoming diversity. That’s why it is very important to understand the difference between Inclusion, Integration, Diversity and Accessibility, in the first place.

While integration typically asks individuals to fit in to existing structures, inclusion actively reshapes those structures so everyone can participate on equal terms (Booth & Ainscow, 2011). On the other hand, while diversity tells us who is in the room, inclusion tells us whether everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute. Even accessibility, essential as it is, remains only a starting point. A wheelchair ramp in a youth centre removes a barrier, but true inclusion happens only when programmes fully engage young people with mobility difficulties in meaningful ways.

Why Inclusion Is a Cornerstone of Youth Work

At the European level, current international frameworks make this clear. For example, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, n.d.) states that every child has the right to participate fully in society, and the European Youth Strategy (European Commission, 2019) reinforces this principle. Overall, Europe’s policy frameworks reinforce this mission. Programmes such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps explicitly prioritise inclusion, offering financial support, adapted mobility formats, and youth-led opportunities (European Commission, 2023). Inclusive youth work is therefore not optional; it is a rights-based obligation. Through these tools, youth workers can ensure no young person is left behind.

But inclusion also creates powerful developmental and social benefits. Research in non-formal education shows that feeling recognized boosts confidence, motivation, and engagement. As Illeris (2009) highlights, meaningful learning emerges from the interaction between cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions—making inclusive environments essential for young people to participate fully and develop holistically. At a community level, inclusion reduces prejudice, strengthens cohesion, and encourages active citizenship, key principles also highlighted by SALTO, the European network supporting youth workers and youth leaders through non-formal education activities and resources (SALTO, n.d.)

In other words, inclusion empowers young people not only to take part, but to shape the spaces they inhabit.

Putting Inclusion Into Practice: Three Levels of Action

Effective inclusion happens simultaneously on several levels:

Individual Level: Youth workers adapt facilitation to meet specific needs, for instance, offering written and oral instructions for young people with dyslexia or providing sensory-friendly spaces for neurodiverse participants.
Organisational Level: Youth organisations embed inclusive values into their policies, staff training, and recruitment practices. This creates long-term cultural change, not one-off adjustments.
Community Level: Inclusion expands beyond the youth centre through cooperation with schools, families, social services, and local communities. Such partnerships help shift broader attitudes and build supportive ecosystems.

How Youth Workers Make Inclusion Real

Inclusion is not a static goal, it is an everyday practice. Youth workers can foster it through:

Inclusive facilitation, using methods that appeal to multiple learning styles
Safe spaces, created by co-developing group rules
Co-creation, involving youth in planning and evaluating activities
Flexibility, adjusting activities as new needs emerge

At its core, inclusion is also an attitude. It requires empathy, patience, and the willingness to see differences not as challenges, but as opportunities for collective learning.

Inclusion in Action: 3 European projects as case studies

Across Europe, many initiatives show how inclusive youth work can transform lives, especially for young people with Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs).

Skilled Mom for the Future

Skilled Mom for the Future uses dance as a non-verbal expressive tool for young people with dyslexia. Studies show that creative movement enhances socio-emotional skills and confidence, offering alternative channels for communication and learning (IDEA Europa, 2023).

LEAD!

The LEAD! project created the MY SKILLS platform, offering personalised learning pathways for young people with SLDs. By focusing on strengths rather than deficits, the project demonstrates how digital tools can empower learners and build autonomy (OBESSU, 2022).

Sport as a Bridge to Inclusion

SASLED promotes inclusive sports activities and training for youth workers. Research suggests that physical activity improves executive functioning—often an area of difficulty for young people with SLDs, while strengthening teamwork and self-esteem (AID Italia, 2023).

References

Associazione Italiana Dislessia. (2023). Progetto Erasmus+ Sport: SASLED. https://www.aiditalia.org/progetto-erasmus-sport-sasled

Booth, T., & Ainscow, M. (2011). Index for inclusion: Developing learning and participation in schools. Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education. https://prsinstitute.org/downloads/related/education/IndexforInclusion.pdf

European Commission. (2019). EU youth strategy 2019–2027. https://youth.europa.eu/strategy_en

European Commission. (2023). Erasmus+ programme guide. https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/erasmus-programme-guide/introduction

European Commission. (2023). European Solidarity Corps guide. https://youth.europa.eu/sites/default/files/inline-files/european_solidarity_corps_guide_2023_en.pdf

IDEA Europa. (2023). Skilled Mom for the Future – Dance inclusion for young people with dyslexia. https://www.ideaeuropa.it/progetti-in-corso

Illeris, K. (2009). A comprehensive understanding of human learning. In K. Illeris (Ed.), Contemporary Theories of Learning (pp. 7–20). Routledge.

OBESSU. (2022). Achieving inclusive and learner-centred schools – LEAD! Project outcomes. https://www.obessu.org/resources/news/achieving-inclusive-and-learner-centred-schools-lead-project-outcomes/

SALTO Inclusion & Diversity. (n.d.). SALTO inclusion resource centre. https://www.salto-youth.net/rc/inclusion/

United Nations (n.d.). Convention on the Rights of the Child. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child