Introduction to the Special Section: Youth Work, Non-Formal Education and Youth Participation

This special issue of the Italian Journal of Sociology of Education deals with “Youth Work, Non-Formal Education and Youth Participation”. These three dimensions have become, over recent years, among the main drivers in youth policies (Bendit & Hahn-Bleibtreu, 2008; Chisholm, Kovacheva & Merico, 2011; Belton, 2014). This is largely evident at a European level. Specifically, the development of youth work is nowadays a priority for the European Commission and the Council of Europe, within a broader framework directed towards the recognition and validation of non-formal education, the promotion of youth participation, and the wider rethinking of youth policies (Milmeister & Williamson, 2006; Williamson, 2007; 2008; Denstad, 2009; Devlin, 2010)