Europe@DJHT (english)

The Child and Youth Welfare Association (AGJ) organises a DJHT every three to four years, with the first such event taking place in 1964. Attendance is free of charge. DJHT is the biggest meet-up of its kind in the child and youth welfare community and related fields of activity across Europe. Around 30,000 experts and other interested individuals from all over Germany and Europe attend this three-day event to exchange opinions and experiences, and to strengthen networks. The agenda features a wide range of events by researchers and practitioners representing many different perspectives, making the DJHT an ideal place for experts to learn and develop. Moreover, the DJHT provides an in-depth insight into current theoretical and practical debates in the child and youth welfare community and related fields of activity (such as health, school, law, employment, etc.). The audience is just as diverse attracting social workers, scouts, day-care teachers, outreach workers, youth welfare office directors, high-ranking Ministry representatives, policymakers, and researchers. DJHT is a fixture in the calendar for all experts, whether volunteers or full-time employees, who work with and for young people and their families. It makes a valuable contribution towards assisting children and young people in growing up successfully, while also helping the Child and Youth Welfare Community to develop and evolve.

DJHT comprises two complementary components, a conference and an exhibition space, each with their own multi-faceted, diverse, informative, and creative agendas.

A large number of organisations and institutions working in child and youth welfare, as well as other related fields of activity, do not just attend the DJHT, they also play an active role in shaping its agenda. Around 200 organisations and institutions participate as exhibitors, giving the many visitors and experts an in-depth insight into their valuable work. They contribute to and make use of the exhibition as a space for personal interaction that is ideal for networking, getting to know potential new staff, engaging in a dialogue among professionals, learning from each other’s experiences, and producing new ideas.

The agenda of the conference comprises around 200 events on a broad variety of themes, allowing professionals to acquire essential knowledge and benefit from valuable input. Participants can attend informative presentations and inspiring workshops and learn about compelling case studies and innovative concepts. They can also hear about new insights, methods, approaches, and debates at play in the research community and among practitioners. Our participants are warmly invited to join in on the debate and share their experience and expertise.

In recent years, the DJHT has been extended to include a European dimension, called Europe@DJHT, to appeal to a broader and more international expert audience and encourage a more international debate on current issues and trends in the child and youth welfare field. The European programme is fully integrated in the DJHT conference and exhibition. It incorporates around 30 European or international events within the conference programme and other complementary activities around the exhibition and evening programme. Europe@DJHT is organised in cooperation between the Child and Youth Welfare Association (AGJ) and JUGEND für Europa, the National Agency for the EU programmes Erasmus+ Youth, Erasmus+ Sport, and European Solidarity Corps in Germany.

The 18th edition of the DJHT is taking place from 13 to 15 May 2025 in Leipzig and bears the title ’It’s about the big picture: making democracy happen by participating’ (Weil es ums Ganze geht: Demokratie durch Teilhabe verwirklichen!). The crises of recent years and the present are calling into question many things that are taken for granted, exposing social conflicts or even fuelling them. Almost everything is being renegotiated in our societies. This has a direct impact on the lives of children and young people, on the structures for education and daycare, and on participation in society and democracy. DJHT offers a platform to discuss precisely this:

What demands does the current situation place on structures, professionals, and work content? Where does child and youth welfare stand, where does it want to go – and what does it have to offer?

For European participants, Europe@DJHT offers the opportunity to take part in and contribute to the discussions on those burning topics, combined with the unique possibility to dive into and gain deep insights into the German Child and Youth Welfare system and community.