Argonauta participation in the 5th MDJ international conference: “Contemporary challenges in working with young people from vulnerable groups”.

In early June 2025, we participated in the 5th international conference of the Youth Center Jarše (YCJ) entitled “Contemporary Challenges in Working with Vulnerable Youth“, which was held in Radenci, Slovenia. The conference brought together experts from countries around the world, with the aim of jointly reflecting and exchanging experiences on working with young people facing various forms of vulnerability.

The theme “NA GLAS!” (voice up!) put the voice of young people at the forefront. Young people from institutions for children and young people with special needs were equal participants, and openly shared their experiences related to accommodation systems, mental health challenges and their own needs for support. Their stories were a powerful reminder of the importance of involving young people in creating solutions that affect them.

The conference covered a wide range of topics – from mental health, emotional regulation and a trauma-informed approach, to innovative pedagogical methods such as experiential learning, mobile pedagogy and forest pedagogy. Special emphasis was placed on the use of digital tools in working with young people, in order to respond to the new challenges of modern society.

In addition to expert lectures and workshops, a Contact Making Seminar was held within the framework of the Erasmus+ program, which further strengthened international cooperation between organizations from different countries. During the seminar, new acquaintances were made and the possibilities of joint projects aimed at empowering young people from vulnerable groups were discussed.

Participating in this conference was an extremely inspiring experience. The Argonauta representative had the opportunity to exchange experiences with colleagues from other organizations, gain new knowledge about approaches and tools for working with young people, and open up space for potential future cooperation at the European level.

In the coming months, we also expect an official collection of papers from the conference, which will contain detailed presentations of workshops, lectures and examples of good practice. We look forward to continuing the cooperation and applying what we have learned in our daily work with young people!