Non-formal education has been presented many times as an efficient tool for integration of people from different backgrounds. Relying on this reputation, high expectations are set for youth workers in today’s world in the field of integration.

In Estonia, this topic has come into special focus due to unprecedented situation – the arrival of a large number of Ukrainian war refugees during 2022. Estonia has received around 50,000 refugees since the start of the war in Ukraine. This absolute number may not be large compared to many countries in the world, but it should be understood in the context of the size of the country – this is equivalent to 3.75 percent of the Estonian population. Since many refugees are teenagers who are the target group for youth centres there is an urgent need to develop, implement and analyse the integration practices in non-formal education.

One small part of this developing pool of knowledge is my master thesis “Determinants of integration of young immigrants into non-formal education: perceptions of urban youth centre workers in Estonia, France and Brazil” (Erasmus Mundus Master’s in Advanced Development in Social Work (ADVANCES), Aalborg Universitet, 2023). In my presentation I share the outcomes from the several interviews with both professional and volunteer youth workers, establish hypotheses for further research and make suggestions for the further development of interventions aimed at integration of young immigrants.