Do Competence Frameworks Know Justice in the Anthropocene?

In Europe, the education and training of youth workers is largely governed by competence frameworks. In a recently completed qualitative research project, we looked at competence development for youth work in the context of the European youth programmes. Through interviews and focus groups with youth workers, youth work trainers, and youth work training providers, we explored among others rationales for developing training offers, youth workers' own perceptions of training need, and how training offers and realities align with and differ from the needs of youth workers.

Knowing what justice means in the Anthropocene is certainly a key discourse for youth workers, who challenge their own practice and the priorities of their organisations and networks in response to the magnitude of change caused by humans. In our paper, we will explore to which extent – if any – the governing competence frameworks for youth workers have caught up to these discourses, and whether they guide, ignore, support or suppress them.