On 21-24 September, the Quality Label for Youth Centres Educational Forum was organised in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia. This year, the event was hosted by Eco Centre Raduvaločki, a long-standing member of the Quality Labelled network.

More than 30 members of the pedagogical teams from 14 Quality Labelled centres and other candidate centres attended the Forum, which aimed to explore the role of youth centres in promoting critical thinking among young people through youth work and non-formal education.

 The aim of this Forum was to support the Quality Labelled Youth Centres, and those aspiring to receive the Quality Label, in raising the quality of the educational programmes and services they offer to young people in their communities; to make their pedagogical offer more relevant for the current realities and future challenges of youth; and to provide a platform for sharing best practices and exchanging approaches, tools and methods.

 Over four working days, youth workers explored a variety of aspects of critical thinking through theoretical input and practical exercises with Leen Bisschop (ExploRatio Research centre, Odisee University of Applied Sciences, Belgium), through thematic sessions led by trainers, and by learning about the specific local and political context of the action of Eco Center Raduvaločki. Participants also spent time to exchange their experiences and best practices linked to the topic of critical thinking – (joint) projects, tools, and initiatives.

This activity was organised by the Council of Europe Youth Department as part of the Quality Label for Youth Centres Programme.