On Tuesday, 14 October 2025, the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana hosted the final conference of the European project Blockchain – Blockchained Youth Work, which brought together around 40 Slovenian and international participants, including key decision-makers and experts from the youth sector.

The central theme of the event was the future of validating the learning outcomes of youth work – how knowledge and skills acquired in non-formal learning processes can become more recognisable, measurable, and valued in a broader social context. The project is based on the use of blockchain technology, which, as a secure and transparent system, enables the digital validation and recording of the competences of youth workers and participants in non-formal educational practical experiences.

The event was opened by Prof. Dr Tomaž Deželan, who presented the development and operation of the online platform based on blockchain technology and its usefulness for improving the quality of youth work and professionalising the sector. This was followed by presentations of the key results of the project, including 28 quality standards that will form the basis for future training and evaluation of non-formal programmes. Guests also actively participated in an interactive World Café workshop, where they developed ideas for the further development of competence validation.

The concluding part featured a round table discussion with stakeholders, who discussed the role of national actors in supporting the validation of learning outcomes in youth work and the importance of joint efforts to raise awareness of the competences acquired in non-formal settings.