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How “Emotional Intelligence in Youth Work” anticipated the need for sustainable youth work systems and why it matters to WellSpaces today
A result of European cooperation in the youth field to support young people wellbeing
Intention
Long before words such as burnout, empathy fatigue, and psychological safety entered mainstream conversations in youth work, practitioners across Europe were already noticing something important: competence alone was not enough.
Young people were navigating increasingly complex transitions, uncertainty, social fragmentation, and emotional challenges. At the same time, youth workers themselves were expected to remain present, creative, and resilient, often without adequate attention being given to their own inner resources. The field was producing methods and projects, but very little language for what happened inside the people delivering them.
The publication Emotional Intelligence in Youth Work emerged from a simple yet profound question:
What if emotional intelligence is not an optional soft skill, but a fundamental condition for sustainable youth work?
Its intention was not merely to introduce a psychological concept. It sought to bridge personal development, youth work practice, and policy, arguing that wellbeing and emotional literacy are not private matters but dimensions of quality youth work systems.
What it contains
The publication presents emotional intelligence not as a fixed personality trait, but as a set of capacities that can be cultivated through awareness and practice. Drawing on the “three brains” approach and integrating emotional, cognitive, and bodily dimensions, it explores how young people and youth workers can navigate the challenges of contemporary life.
The document unfolds through several interconnected layers:
- understanding young people in times of transition;
- exploring emotional intelligence and its practical implications;
- proposing approaches and exercises for youth work;
- highlighting the importance of cultivating emotional intelligence among youth workers themselves;
- advocating for the integration of wellbeing and emotional literacy into youth policy.
Perhaps most importantly, the publication challenges a widespread assumption that wellbeing is merely about recovering from stress. Instead, it proposes that wellbeing emerges when thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations are aligned in everyday life.
In retrospect, this shift appears remarkably prescient.