From 5 to 8 May 2025 took place a seminar about “Addressing challenges of workers' organizations through Intergenerational dialogue: learning from the past, shaping the future”, organized by JOC Europe (Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne - Europe), in cooperation with EZA and funded by the European Union.
The seminar hosted 40 representatives of workers’ organizations from Germany, Spain, Austria, France, Italy and Belgium. They are leaders of their respective organizations on different levels – from base group to international level. Some of the people from different generations have experience in working together, others had never seen each other before.
The most important aspect of the JOC Europe seminar was the identification of common challenges in today’s workers' organizations, concretely the challenges for young people, and the use of intergenerational dialog to learn ways to overcome these challenges. This strengthened intergenerational solidarity and connection and paved the way for future intergenerational collaboration.
In times of societal challenges that put up generations against each other and at the same time can only be solved together, finding out the benefits of intergenerational dialogue and learning from each other’s experiences is a much-needed practice. While many young people don’t see the value of joining workers' organization due to a more and more individualistic society, older generations can give testimony of their experience, struggles, practices and achievements. At the same time, young people have a very different view of the world that can enrich older generation leaders. Dialogue instead of fighting strengthens a sense of belonging that is crucial for workers' organizations to thrive and social dialogue to be effective.
The following topics were discussed:
-A short view on the challenges and difficulties in the world of work today.
-Struggles of the participating organizations and the participants in their organizations with a special focus on organizing young people.
-Workshops on concrete challenges:
Gender equality: Exchange on how to empower women to take leadership roles – best practices from the past and present experiences.
Fundraising: Input from an expert on different strategies for fundraising, exchange of practices.
Organizing and outreach: Input on strategies for how to start organizing at a new place/new groups, exchange of practices.
Importance of international cooperation: Discussion on the need for greater exchange and European coordination.
Ways of analyzing the reality: Exchange about how different organizations invite people to share about their reality and how they analyze it so it can be used for action.
Working together between different generations: Identifying wishes and needs together, so intergenerational cooperation can work and be fruitful.
Organizing migrants: Examples of different organizations that concretely organize migrants.
Initiatives of social and solidarity economy: Exchange on the use of solidarity economy projects to tackle the needs of (young) workers and as a tool to organize them.
Financial education as part of leadership training: Expert input on how different elements of financial education can be part of leadership training.
The workers' characteristic: Exchange about the perspective and challenges of being part of working class and workers' movements.
Seminar Results and demands
Gender inequality, precarious work, mental health struggles, and unemployment were highlighted as persistent issues in Europe. Precarious jobs were reported as widespread, often leaving young people without job security, benefits, or protection. Gender-based discrimination remains present in workplaces, while the lack of adequate mental health support adds to the burden of young workers, particularly those in unstable jobs. Mental health issues among young workers have been chosen as the theme for the next year of work.
The training provided a space to share experiences, analyze root causes, and strengthen commitment to a collective action. Some results to be highlighted are:
Male and female participants are more aware of their role in empowering women to assume leadership roles. Further awareness raising activities are planned in different national organizations.
The importance of organizing migrants has been highlighted and will be a topic for future activities at the European level. Best practice examples have been collected.
Participants have grown awareness about the importance of intergenerational cooperation. Each national organization has defined the next steps to be taken in this regard.
Organizations have exchanged about their difficulties in fundraising and finding structural funding. The expert’s input and peer-exchange gave them concrete tools and strategies to apply.
Consequences for Daily Work
Each organization has elaborated its own plan of steps forward with the learnings from the seminar. The European coordinator will follow up these plans and be in direct contact about how tools will be used.
In terms of the European cooperation, the organizations have planned to exchange more and work together on the mental health situation of young workers. A seminar is planned for 2026.