THE NATIONAL YOUTH AGENCY: Comment - Fog in channel?

If we waited for the Government to involve youth work in what was going on, we'd still be learning about the retreat from Dunkirk.

Fortunately, many UK youth organisations have just got on with developing links with partner bodies in the wider Europe. Connect Youth International, the youth exchange arm of the British Council, has sought to facilitate these by acting as the national agency for various EU programmes. And different countries across the continent seem to be managing perfectly well in shaping their policies without our wisdom.

But what a shame. British youth work has innovative youth work practice and professional training to share. We also have some things to learn - the imaginative Finnish youth centres, the German approach to participation, the new Irish Youth Work Act. A whole suite of actions is being generated by the recent EU White Paper on youth, including youth information and counselling and young people's voluntary action. Our young people could benefit from fuller engagement in the European dimension of youth work. Our own new publication, Forum 21 (see p20) - created with partners in France and Germany - will help to plug a knowledge gap.