🚀 INEDNET at DJHT 2025: Strengthening Youth Work and Democracy

It was the largest youth welfare summit in Europe: the German Child and Youth Welfare Congress (DJHT) took place for the first time since the pandemic, from 12th to 16th May, in a face-to-face format at the Leipzig Messe (Trade Fair), and concluded with a record number of 30,000 visitors. On the opening day, international guests — including an INEDNET representative — were welcomed at Leipzig City Hall.

Around 300 events were held under the motto ‘Realizing Democracy through Participation’, including a large fair showcasing various German organizations. INEDNET was also present, represented by its president Harutyun Tsatryan, who introduced our approach of combining local participation with European networking.

As part of the international group Europe@DJHT, invited by Jugend für Europa (the National Agency for the Erasmus+ programme in Germany), Harutyun Tsatryan took part in the fair and presented INEDNET to international participants, engaging in discussions about youth work and democracy for the future of Armenian youth. During a panel of European practitioners, he shared insights from the Youth-UP project and highlighted INEDNET’s networking activities.

“DJHT@Europe 2025 was an amazing event. I was impressed by the scale of the congress and how well it was organized. My learning journey through the programme was shaped by my organisation’s needs, and I was actively seeking new partners and experienced colleagues to learn from — which I successfully did,” said Harutyun Tsatryan in his report to Jugend für Europa, the inviting organisation.

Beyond that, INEDNET established new connections and strengthened existing ones at the 20,000-square-metre exhibition space, which featured nearly 300 stands from youth work organisations, associations, networks, projects, local authorities, and other key actors in the field.

Many thanks to everyone who made this valuable and important exchange possible!