About RPD

Research and Practice in Dialogue – International Youthwork (RPD) is an international network that promotes the interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral exchange between research and practice in the fields of International Youthwork and Child and Youth Travel since 1989. It is supported and monitored by transfer e.V., a non-profit organization in the field of child and youth welfare based in Cologne, Germany. The activities of RPD are funded by the Federal ministry for Family affairs, Senior citizens, Woman and Youth (BMFSFJ).

 

The study results, practice research, and pedagogical concepts implemented within this framework provide impulses that significantly impact the contents, concepts, and structures of the respective fields of work.

RPD aims to

  • support the professional development of International Youthwork and Child and Youth Travel,
  • promote the dialogue between participants from research and practice,
  • address current and needs-based topics of the fields of work,
  • serve as a point of encounter between research and practice: Generating knowledge and possibilities to transferring said knowledge into practice.

During the Strategy Meeting held in September 2021, a strategic document was developed to summarize the positioning and direction of the network.

Our approach: Network and dialogue

Dialogue between research and practice: We promote cross-agency and equal exchange between research and practice.

 


Cooperative projects: We initiate collaborations between different participants from research and practice and project formats.

 


Research and evaluation: We coordinate research projects, practice support, and evaluation of activities to further the development of the field of International Youth Work and Child and Youth Travel.

 


Innovative concepts: We develop concepts for practical application based on achieved research findings.

 


Our project and conceptional related focus points are

  • the identification and analysis of traits and impacts of the fields of work,
  • the involvement of new target groups in the formats of the fields of work by developing innovative concepts and
  • the development of cross-disciplinary approaches: Collaborations between Youth Work, universities, similar institutions of education, and vocational education.

 


RPD is coordinated by

 

transfer e.V.

Buchheimer Straße 64

51063 Köln

Funded by