HOW WE SEE OUR WORK.....
… or what you gain from our work …

On the KNOWLEDGE LEVEL
Our activities:

• Up to date website and regular digital newsletter
• Online magazine
• Basic information
• Counselling for youth workers, decision makers from politics and administration etc.
• On demand support for Open Youth Work organisations with real problems
• On demand further education for youth workers
• Talks, workshops, expert papers on the topic of Open Youth Work

As a service agency we work transparently, to a high level of quality, individually and flexibly.
The benefit resulting from our "knowledge" activities means:

• Identifying knowledge gaps
• Generating knowledge
• Processing knowledge
• Making knowledge transparent
• Making knowledge accessible
• Acquiring knowledge

On the CO-OPERATION and NETWORKING LEVEL

Our activities:

• Transfer of know-how
• Transfer of resources
• Use of synergies
• Common projects
• Co-operation on definite topics
• Regional, national and international meetings of youth workers
• Regional and national meetings of youth workers and system partners
• Finding positions on youth relevant topics that go beyond the system and the youth work area

As a co-ordinating agency our competence lies in the co-ordination of people, the co-ordination of institutions and organisations, the co-ordination of projects and the co-ordination of topics.
The benefit resulting from our "co-operation and networking" activities means:

• Transfer of know-how: individual knowledge is processed and made available to other people. Individual successes are made visible.
• Transfer of resources
• Use of synergies
• "No need to reinvent the wheel“: Other people’s knowledge can be interpreted and integrated into one's own actions.
• Individual knowledge and acting is embedded in a "greater whole".

On the QUALITY DISCUSSION LEVEL

Our activities:

• Development of Open Youth Work as a field of action: To make a substantial contribution to the comprehensive but also individual quality of Open Youth Work and its services, actions and methods (concerns strategic planning, elaboration of concepts and the resource question).
• Collection, evaluation and putting at the disposal of Austrian good practice project conceptions
• Discussion on standards
• Discussion on the youth worker job description
• Needs analyses "What does Open Youth Work need?"
• Annual national expert conference

As a platform for quality discussion we see ourselves as a stage to discuss quality and to develop qualities. Our belief: Open Youth Work is creative, innovative and competent and, based on the needs of young people, it has the potential to further develop in a modern and forward-looking way.

On the POSITIONING LEVEL

Our activities:

• Making the services, use and effects of Open Youth Work visible (including the image of the youth worker)
• Making topics and needs of young people - the target group of Open Youth Work - visible
• Positioning and role of Open Youth Work: positioning of Open Youth Work in Austria as an important and high quality field in the work with young people in a leisure time context (nationally and internationally)
• Lobbying (nationally and internationally)
• Public relations in general
• Encouraging Open Youth Work organisations to the development of better methods, measures and activities
• Introducing topics resulting from the work with young people in Open Youth Work in youth politics discussions and taking a position

As a lobbying agency we attend to topics related to the field (not individual interests) and act in a reflective - not actionist - and comprehensive way, focussing on the benefit for young people. It is important to be inclusive: we want to take a position and sometimes differentiate but not exclude.
The benefit resulting from our "positioning" activities means:

• „Together we are stronger“
• Wide-spread acceptance and recognition of youth specific topics and youth work specific activities and measures
• Common successes are shared.
• Common attitudes strengthen and enable the advancement of the topic as a whole.