European Network of Cultural Youth Work
did start with the signing of the constitutional act
in Targo Mures, Romania, Monday 23.6.2003
A long row of European organisations, using the arts in youth work, are planning the establishing of "European Network of Cultural Youth Work" as an official, legal European organisation with the objectives mentioned below.
The new organisation will use the abbreviation ECYnet and have the webpage www.ecynet.org.
  A) Platform for workers & projects  
  B) Share ideas, opinions, methods  
  C) To hear best practices  
  D) Create new ideas and methods and to develop them further  
  E) To make lobbying on European level  

Cultural youth work is a excellent tool for working with disadvantaged young people and at the conference "Cultural Youth Work as a Measure in Combat against Social Exclusion" hosted by Helsinki Youth Department (FI) in November 1999 the idea of ECU-Net was proposed.
Parallel to this Arttrain has been active in building up an informal network of youth organisations using the arts.
At a networking meeting in Denmark in June 2002, supported by Danish Youth Program Office, Arttrain met with Helsinki Youth Department and organisations from 7other countries and agreed on a working plan