On 10-12 September 2024, the Quality Label exploratory visit took place in the European Youth Education Centre Magdeburg (EBJM), Germany to assess the centre’s eligibility for the Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres.

 A formal request to acquire the Quality Label was made by the centre in May 2023, as the second German centre to aspiring to join the network.

The aim of the visit was to introduce the work of the youth centre to Council of Europe representatives from an operational perspective and to provide deeper insight into its mission, educational philosophy and strategic priorities.

The Centre impressed the expert group as a key player in international and European youth work in Eastern Germany, which was also underlined by the various institutional partners, including authorities from the city of Magdeburg and the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

 Representatives from the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the International Youth Service of the Federal Republic of Germany (IJAB) also participated in the discussions.

 The evaluation was carried out by a Quality Label expert team consisting of the Director of the National Youth Service of Luxembourg as the government representative of the CDEJ, a representative of the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ), an expert consultant on youth work with extensive knowledge of the Quality Label process, a rapporteur and a member of the Council of Europe Secretariat.

 Following a thorough assessment, the expert team will make its recommendation to the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ) that will make its final decision at the 73rd meeting on 21 October 2024, to award the European Youth Education Centre Magdeburg (EBJM) to label for an initial period of 3 years.