Youth work has the power to help young people feel valued, build skills, find inspiration, and create a sense of belonging. Those of us involved in this work are committed to making life better for young people. But there’s still a lot to learn—and unlearn—both as individuals and within the system. Through years of experience, we’ve noticed several big challenges when it comes to making youth work truly inclusive of all bodies.

What’s missing in inclusive youth work

Lack of tools and inclusive activities

Talking about our bodies and personal experiences requires care, understanding, and flexibility. But many educational tools aren’t designed with this in mind. A lot of icebreaker activities assume that everyone can squat, jump, or move in certain ways—leaving out those who can’t or don’t feel comfortable doing so. Youth workers aren’t always trained to check in about physical needs, which means some young people are left out of the very spaces meant to support them.

Accessibility is about more than disability

Accessibility is often discussed in the context of disability, but the reality is that many different bodies face barriers. Uncomfortable seating, tight spaces, or a lack of elevators are just a few examples of how physical environments can exclude young people. True inclusion means creating spaces where everyone can sit, move, and participate comfortably, and these spaces dont become a barrier for joining activities.

The way we talk about bodies matters

Every youth worker carries personal biases and social conditioning about bodies, often without realizing it. In a culture that constantly judges bodies, it’s common to hear casual comments about weight, shape, or appearance – even when they aren’t meant to be harmful. But these comments can make young people feel bad about their bodies. Learning to use more neutral, inclusive language and being mindful of the impact of our words is an important step in creating safer spaces.

Where are the role models?

Youth work has the power to inspire, but what happens when the people leading the way haven’t embraced their bodies themselves? Many youth workers still struggle with internalized biases about their own and others’ bodies. If young people don’t see adults challenging harmful beauty standards and celebrating all bodies, they miss out on an opportunity to learn that their own bodies are worthy of respect and care.

Why talking about bodies is hard

Conversations about bodies come up in many different settings in youth work—whether it’s body image, bullying, harassment, media influence, or inclusion of fat, disabled, and queer bodies. But despite how important these discussions are, talking openly about many of the experiences of bodies is oftentimes still unusual.

This silence isn’t neutral – it exists because of deeply ingrained biases. It can make conversations about our bodily perspectives feel tense and uncomfortable, especially for young people who are still figuring out their own beliefs and values. Some of the biggest barriers to these conversations include:

• Not knowing about systemic issues: Many young people don’t realize how much body shame, body policing, and self-perception are shaped by society.
• Feeling insecure: Even in spaces that are meant to be safe, past experiences of exclusion or bias can make it hard for young people to fully open up.
• Doubting that change is possible: When harmful body standards feel overwhelming, young people might not believe that speaking up will make a difference.
• Not having the right words: Without the language to talk about body-related struggles, young people may struggle to express their experiences or challenge stigma.
• Fear of going against the norm: Questioning mainstream beauty standards and body norms can feel intimidating, especially for those who haven’t had practice challenging dominant narratives.

For many, these barriers overlap, making conversations about body liberation even more difficult.

The takeaway

The way we experience our bodies in youth affects our confidence, health, and sense of belonging for the rest of our lives. That’s why it’s so important to create spaces where people of all sizes, abilities, and identities feel safe and accepted. It starts with checking up on our own attitudes and beliefs, then learning about body shape and size discrimination to subsequently tailor experiences for the young people we work with.

How are you going to use this awareness in your work from now on?

Photo by RF._studio_

This article was created within an Erasmus+ funded project Microlearning for Body Liberation, contract No. 2024-1-LV02-KA210-YOU-000247374. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or The Agency For International Programs For Youth in Latvia (JSPA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.