Annually, on 15th July, we celebrate the World Youth Skills Day. Declared by the United Nations, the day highlights the importance of ensuring young people have opportunities to develop the skills they need for learning, work and life.
This year’s theme “Skills for a Shared Future” recognises that building a better future depends on young people having opportunities to develop and use their skills.
In youth work, young people learn through active participation, by working with others, taking on responsibility, contributing to their groups and communities, and reflecting on their experiences.
These youth work experiences help young people develop essential transversal skills, i.e. communication, teamwork, critical thinking, creativity. They also build the confidence to participate in society, pursue their goals, gain meaningful employment and make a positive contribution to the world around them.
Often, this learning can go unnoticed. Young people may not always recognise the skills they are developing through youth work or volunteering and can find it difficult to articulate and communicate these skills to others.
Skills Summary was developed to help address these challenges. It supports young people to identify, reflect on and communicate the transversal skills they develop through youth work, volunteering and other non-formal learning experiences. By making these skills visible, the Skills Summary helps young people get to know and understand their strengths and recognise the value and transferability of those strengths across all areas of life.