Social educators change lives
Throughout the world, social educators work alongside children, adolescents and adults in vulnerable, exposed and complex social and health situations. Social educators build trust in educational relationships, foster hope, restore dignity and open up new opportunities for those on the margins of society. The work we do is essential and professional.
Social education is a profession based on practice, research and reflection. It requires a formal path of training and education, continuous and lifelong development of training and implementation of fundamental skills. In all contexts where the social educator works, the results of the work and efforts are evident:
- Children and young people thrive more and have greater opportunities in education and life.
- Families and communities experience greater alliance and trust in services.
- Staff well-being and stability improve, and the professional quality rises.
We therefore call on political leaders, governments, institutions and decision makers around the world to recognize that people in vulnerable, exposed and complex life situations must be taken care of by qualified social educators. The presence of trained and recognized professionals must become a fundamental requirement for all those services that work with people and groups in a state of vulnerability and with complex social and health needs. We advise that these services are led and managed by social educators. Other professions can contribute, based on a specific professional assessment, these can integrate in an interprofessional way in the care work, but they cannot replace the contribution of social educators.
Today, May 19, 2025, at the AIEJI World Congress 2025 in Copenhagen, we gather to reaffirm a simple but urgent truth: Social educators change lives.
The knowledge, ethics, methods and values that define this profession are essential to ensure quality and respect for human rights in supporting people in situations of difficulty, need, and vulnerability.
We also invite all social educators to join us beyond borders. AIEJI is personally committed to working for the recognition of our profession, directing its interest to the good of the people we serve. We must make our voices heard to ensure that quality is not optional but expected. That training is not an advantage, but a necessity.
As social educators, we are committed to working together internationally to:
- Support the right to professional support for all people in vulnerable situations.
- Share knowledge and strengthen the global competence profile of our profession.
- Build alliances that ensure training, recognition and political support. The work of social educators is about more than just care - it is about creating real and lasting opportunities for change.
Social educators change lives.
Endorsed by delegates from around the world at the 21. AIEJI World Congress
Copenhagen, May 2025