We developed the Competence Model for Youth Workers to Work Internationally within the context of ‘European youth policies and programmes’. The competence model refers to the international dimension of these activities and the interaction in learning mobility projects.

It was challenging to decide what aspects to focus on in this competence model, especially considering its international dimension. For instance, should intercultural learning be a competence area in its own right or should we include it as an element that plays a part in all competence areas? Similarly, international youth work brings by default an international dimension to all competence areas.

In our model, international youth work has the following characteristics:

• • Work is done together with international colleagues, often using a foreign language as a lingua franca,
  • in a value-driven context, e.g. European programmes promote participation, inclusion, democracy, human rights, etc.,
  • mainly in a residential setting, because living and working together 24 hours a day influences non-formal and informal processes,
  • and with a link to the wider political context (European or global).