Theoretical and empirical perspectives on the value of non-formal education

Due to its principles of voluntariness and openness and because of its diverse offer of subject-related educational opportunities, open youth work has a high potential to support young people in their development and self-education. These learning and educational opportunities are holistic and comprehensive and often go far beyond the acquisition of skills and competences. How can these educational processes be described empirically and what form of education can be spoken of here at all? These questions are addressed by the qualitative-reconstructive study "Educational Experiences in Non-formal Settings", which is conducted at the Centre for Childhood and Youth Research (CCY) at the University of Luxembourg. The study examines the subjective educational experiences of young people in open youth work from various perspectives: on the basis of participant observations in youth centres, in problem-centred interviews and group discussions with young people, as well as via a complementary quantitative survey of young people.