On 6-7 May 2025 youth centres from across Europe gathered in Luxembourg for the European Platform Meeting for Quality Label Youth Centres and friends*, a flagship event promoting co-operation and knowledge exchange among youth centres committed to advancing human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
This year’s gathering held special significance as it took place under the Luxembourgish Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, making the event a key priority of its term. With around 80 participants from across Europe and the presence of H.R.H. the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the meeting celebrated outstanding youth work and highlighted the essential role of youth-friendly, democratic spaces in strengthening social cohesion and peace on the continent.
The Ukrainian delegation of representatives of the youth centres presented youth work realities in time of the war of aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine to H.R.H. the Grand Duke of Luxembourg; met and exchange with Claude Radoux, Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Luxembourg.
The 2025 Platform Meeting provided space for strategic reflection on the future of youth centres and youth policy in Europe. Discussions focused on the importance of developing quality spaces with and for young people and showcased successful initiatives from various centres.
Oleh Malets, Chief Executive Officer, Network TVORY!, and Roman Tsudnyi, Head of the Development Department of the TVORY! Network (Lviv, Ukraine), presented plan of activities within the status "Lviv - European Youth Capital 2025".
Yana Romaniuk, Acting Director, Municipal institution ‘Volyn Regional Youth Centre’ (Lutsk, Ukraine), presented the trauma-informed youth work experience and the Сouncil of Europe visual tool "Зірки. Stars. Les Étoiles." for the education and training of young people and professional communities.
Kateryna Bezhynar, youth worker of the youth centre “Space of Ideas”, CSO Kremenchuk informative-elucidative centre ‘European Club’, (Kremenchuk, Ukraine), presented youth work with internally displaced young people and host community, underlined the importance of the centre’s work in the basement in time of the war.
Since 2008, the Quality Label of the Council of Europe has been awarded to youth centres that fulfil standards of youth work and international co-operation. The 2025 European Platform Meeting is co-organised by the Council of Europe Youth Department and the Luxembourg National Youth Service (SNJ).
More information about the Platform meeting available on the dedicated web page.
Participation of representatives from the youth centres from Ukraine supported within the Council of Europe project “Youth for Democracy in Ukraine: Phase IV”. The Project was launched within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026. News, resources on co-operation youth centres from Ukraine with the Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres network can be found here.
*Each labelled centre has been invited to bring a “friend”, or a key stakeholder, such as a representative from local, regional or national authority, youth organisation, a board member or a partner centre, who would be interested in strengthening the capacity and growing the network.
