6 pm
End of day 2
entation. Participants worked in small groups to prepare joint performances, some of which they were able to re- hearse and/or record during offline sessions. When designing the programme, particular importance was attached to giving participants the opportunity to express themselves and participate in different ways, to facilitating group and individual settings and to pro- viding diverse audio-visual stimuli. Owing to the large number of participants, it was important to keep dividing them up into small groups so that they were able to get to know each other better and establish more trusting relationships for working together. Right at the start of the exchange, Language Animation activities helped to reduce language barriers, get to know the various lan- guages spoken by those taking part and get used to us- ing English as a lingua franca. It became apparent that the creative, sometimes non-verbal methods used in the workshops (dance, the- atre, drums, art, photography, rap) are excellently suit- ed to the digital setting and that they lead to interesting creative processes and produce great results. They also enabled participants to meet and get to know each other without having to communicate verbally. Group dynamics The majority of the young people taking part did not know each other before the start of the exchange. That meant they met a lot of unfamiliar people in a digital set- ting. Owing to the lack of activities on offer during the COVID-19 pandemic, the young people were however motivated from the very beginning to participate in the exchange – and this was reflected in the group dynam- ics. Energiser activities and above all Language Anima- tion sessions helped break the ice and get people talking to each other without fear of language barriers. An infor- mal exchange on Discord on the first evening helped the group to bond. A group of young participants organised these informal exchange themselves, so they represent- ed a safe space. Working in small groups enabled the young people to get to know each other better in more intimate settings. By the end of the exchange, the group had settled into small established workshop teams. It became apparent that a high facilitator-to-participant ratio is needed in order to promote and positively influ- ence group processes in a digital setting and to be able to respond to and intervene when problems arise. Clear communication channels therefore need to be available and familiar to all participants. Groups taking part in the hybrid format benefitted from the fact that they were able to support each other and thus reduce their inhibitions when it came to communi- cating. That was especially important for those activities that required working in small groups. Many found it eas- ier to go to a workshop together with a friend rather than
6-8 pm
Informal, optional get-together (Discord)
SUNDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2020 11 AM TO 6 (8) PM 11 am Start and warm-up (whole group) 11:20 am Round 2 of workshops: six simultaneous workshops (breakout sessions) 4 pm Final presentation of results of workshops (whole group) 5:30 pm Evaluation (whole group) 6 pm End of day 3 6-8 pm Informal, optional get-together Dream your Future was a digital/hybrid youth exchange. Most of the participants took part individually using their own (mobile) device and either logged in from home or from a youth centre. Some groups made use of the hy- brid format by alternating between logging in alone and as a group. Depending on the setting, PCs, laptops, cam- eras, headsets, projectors, loudspeakers and projection screens were needed to participate. One group met in a local youth centre in order to be able to take part in the exchange. Some of the young people were picked up at home in person by two assistants. They were then able to log on to a session as a group in the youth centre us- ing a camera and projector or to participate individually using a PC. This had several advantages for participants. First, the assistants were able to provide immediate help when technical or other difficulties arose. They were also able to answer questions and provide moral support. Participants were likewise able to support each other, for example if someone was no very keen on speaking English or was not willing to take part in the workshop without a friend accompanying them. Second, other ac- tivities could be suggested to the young people during breaks and in the evening, for instance eating breakfast together at the start of the exchange or a disco on the last evening. This made the kick-off session as a whole easier and increased both participants’ commitment to the project and the quality of support available. The exchange was conducted using the videoconferenc- ing software Zoom. Discord was used for informal ele- ments during which participants needed no support. It was a conscious decision that no group leaders were to be involved in these informal elements. The exchange comprised group, small group (breakout sessions) and individual work (offline), depending on which creative workshop the young people attended. The group phases were primarily used to do energiser activities, to break down language bar-
riers, to give participants the op- portunity to get to know each other and for the final pres-
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