From 15 to 19 September, youth workers from various Council of Europe member states engaged in discussions around young refugees’ journeys to adulthood.

These important conversations and exchanges of experience took place during a study session jointly organised by the Council of Europe Youth Department and the Voices of Young Refugees in Europe (VYRE).

The study session aimed to strengthen participants' competences in supporting young refugees in their transition to adulthood through youth work and human rights education.

The five-day programme was based on non-formal education methodologies and was designed to achieve the following objectives:

• To create a space for sharing experiences, local contexts, and challenges faced by young refugees in their transition to adulthood.
• To explore how Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)4, “Supporting Young Refugees in Transition to Adulthood,” and the practical guide “Turning 18 with Confidence” can support youth work with young refugees.
• To develop intercultural awareness and a deeper understanding of the key principles of human rights education in youth work with young refugees.
• To foster cooperation among organisations and participants, and to collect examples of good practices relevant to the transition to adulthood of young refugees.

Through sharing of their local contexts and contributions of guest speakers – Amy Stapleton, the co-author of the practical guide “Turning 18 with Confidence”, Syrine Rekhis from VOICIFY and Viktoria Karpatszki from the Division on Migration and Refugees, participants were able to gain a broad spectrum of perspectives on supporting young refugees in the transition into adulthood.

This study session, organised within the framework of the Youth for Democracy programme, contributed to the implementation of the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021–2025).