Since 2003, the Network Meetings on Youth and Societies in Europe and around the Mediterranean (RJS) have served as a collaborative platform for scholars from diverse disciplines to exchange insights into the various aspects of youth. In 2024, marking its debut in Belgium, the event is scheduled from 29 - 31 January  at the auditoriums of the University of Louvain. The eleventh such meeting, it will focus on the theme of youth engagement, presenting a unique opportunity for discussion among researchers and other actors involved in addressing challenges related to youth and society.

The Network Meetings seek to understand how young people engage in politics, associations and unions, how geographical, historical and societal contexts of school, work and family influence their involvement, and what the connections are between different forms of youth engagement in today’s world. Additionally, the event aims to identify new modes of youth engagement and current forms of demobilisation or non-engagement amongst them.

The three-day event will feature workshops, conferences and round-table discussions led by experts and structured around five axes: 1) theoretical and methodological questions; 2) political engagement; 3) education; 4) family and communities; 5) employment.

While addressing the full scope of youth engagement, the event will also consider how youth engagement contributes to youth integration, including through a session by Altay Manço (IRFAM) entitled Bringing together the youth sector and the world of work for better integration of young migrants into employment? Findings in French-speaking Belgium. By examining education and associative involvement as essential components, the event aims to provide insights on creating inclusive environments that support the integration and active involvement of young migrants into society.