Challenges and practical recommendations
alone. This is especially helpful for younger participants or those who are rather shy. It contributed to the pos- itive group dynamics, because participants summoned up more courage to talk to each other and to interact when they were in those teams, which in turn made for good communication. Overall, the different forms of participation used in the course of the exchange did not have a noticeably negative impact on group dynamics. Informal settings Discord provided an informal setting in the digital arena. It was a very conscious decision to allow the participants themselves to organise these sessions and for them not to be supported by team leaders. Sometimes the hybrid groups were given the opportunity to engage in informal analogue activities during some of the project phases, such as having breakfast or lunch or a close-out activity. Language and communication Because participants in the exchange spoke different lan- guages, English was chosen as the project language. To make it clear that all the official languages of those taking part were valued, they were incorporated into Language Animation games. Among others, the games Hallo, wie geht’s (Hello, how are you?) and Farbenjagd (Colour trail) were used. In the latter game, participants have to go in search of an object of a certain colour and hold it up to the camera. Afterwards, they write the name of the object in their own language and/or in English in the chat func- tion. Key words (e.g. colours) in all the languages spoken in the group were shown before the start of both games and repeated by the group (for a description of Hello, how are you?, see https://ijab.de/bestellservice/language-anima- tion-in-online-youth-meetings , p. 7–8). Especially in a group as big as this, the games provided a great opportunity to get comfortable with each other and practise using the chat function or unmuting the microphone. A conscious decision was taken to choose non-verbal cre- ative methods that enabled participants either to engage in the exchange without having to say very much or to speak in their own language. That way, when they were asked to record a rap song, they were able to write the text and then either sing or speak it in their own language.
Meeting the needs of each individual participant and not losing sight of anyone in the digital setting proved a big challenge. Difficult situations or tension in the group are difficult to pick up in a digital setting, which means you need a large number of facilitators. Hybrid groups were at an advantage, because the team leaders were in the same place as the participants and were able to inter- vene or respond immediately. When young people are taking part in a hybrid element, attention should there- fore be paid to ensuring that they also have the oppor- tunity to log in on their own while in a quiet, safe space, especially when they are rehearsing something or have to concentrate on a task.
It is recommended that support is not only provided dur- ing an exchange but also prepared beforehand.
An intense preparatory phase, reaching clear agree- ments and a clear division of roles are important for team leaders, too, to ensure the project runs smoothly. While external technical back-up did not prove to be es- sential, it was considered very useful. One further chal- lenge in that regard was dealing with data privacy issues. Especially when you have minors taking part, you should point out that their personal data will be handled with care. Also, you should get the signed consent forms back before the project starts so that great products can be published after it finishes. Further reading Articles on IJAB.de (German only): https://ijab.de/projekte/kommune-goes- international/aktuelle-beitraege-zu-kommune- goes-international/virtuelle-internationale- jugendbegegnungen-organisieren Guidelines (German only): https://ijab.de/bestellservice/arbeitshilfe-virtuelle- internationale-jugendbegegnungen-organisieren
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