Digital transformation in International Youth Work: Opportunities and challenges
The change process described in the above can have an influence on project design in International Youth Work. The following table compares the result- ing opportunities and challenges for extracurricular activities. 2
CHALLENGES
OPPORTUNITIES
Fewer obstacles to participation Using digital media enables certain obstacles to participation to be eliminated. They include limited time and financial resources, mobility limitations on account of a disability or travel restrictions, difficult political situation, restric- tions owing to residence status or lack of a visa. Digital meetings can also provide a safe space in which young people can get to know each other virtually in a familiar setting (e.g. at home). So- cial interactions can be difficult for some young people, especially if they take place in unfamiliar surroundings like a foreign country. Insights into individual lifestyles On the other hand, participating in an exchange from the comfort of one’s own home provides low-threshold insights into participants’ individ- ual lifeworlds. Without having to go anywhere, participants can gain an insight into the every- day life of the other young people taking part – or even of a national group – in real time, so without any great time lag. This can range from a live tour of someone’s apartment during an online session to a preproduced follow-me- around video in which participants record a day in their life on camera. Compared to on-site exchanges, online settings provide a “neutral” country-independent place and the opportunity to focus on new and diverse, culture-independ- ent differences and commonalities.
New obstacles to participation Using online tools can create new obstacles to participation and new forms of discrimination. The discrimination of young people who have no or only low-performing devices at their disposal is one example. Other aspects, such as an unsta- ble internet connection or lack of private space can mean that young people are unable to take part in projects with digital elements or that they (have to) eventually drop out. One solution is to choose a hybrid format in which young people can sit in the same room as other participants and the team leader (see the paragraph headed “Formats” on page 12). This ensures that all the participants have equal access to activities. More obstacles to intercultural exchanges Immersing yourself in other lifeworlds and, in particular, getting to know other cultures can be difficult in an online setting and so needs to be carefully structured. It may be useful to show videos or play audio recordings produced by participants in which they introduce their country/town/city. Joint online cooking events in which participants cook typical local dishes or watch a local film together can mitigate the challenges involved. Such events also provide an opportunity for informal exchanges between young people. Informal exchanges like these are particularly good at helping young people make friends in an online setting, which can often feel quite impersonal. IJAB details how Digital Language Animation can promote intercultural exchange in its handbook on Language Animation in Online Youth Meetings . 3
2 This section is based on an expert report published in 2021 entitled Veränderungen und Handlungsbedarfe angesichts des digitalen Wandels Internationaler Jugendarbeit, which uses current discourses to systematise opportunities and challenges for youth exchanges, workcamps and the challenges of the transformation process relating to International Youth Work (Brüggen et al. 2021). The results of an article that was also published in 2021 entitled Digitaler Wandel – Veränderungen und Handlungsbedarfe für die Internationale Jugendarbeit were likewise drawn on (Koschei/Brüggen 2021). 3 https://ijab.de/bestellservice/language-animation-in-online-youth-meetings. See also p. 18 re communication in online ex- changes.
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