Digital Youth Work: The Background Dr. Niels Brüggen, Franziska Koschei | JFF – Institute for Media Research and Media Education
Regarding the use of digital media in youth work for educational purposes, several concepts and approaches exist. To learn how to integrate digital media effectively in International Youth Work, it makes sense to first obtain an overview. This chapter hopes to help clear up any ambiguity over the many terms and concepts that are used in the context of youth work with and through digital media, and to provide some useful background information. It also covers the fields of media education and smart youth work in the context of digital youth work.
Objectives of Digital Youth Work Note that digital youth work has the same objectives and is based on the same set of values as youth work per se (see Brüggen/Rösch 2022, p. 21.; European Commission 2018, p. 6.; YouthLink Scotland, no page no.). Youth work and international youth work are regulated by Book 8 (the Child and Youth Services Act) of Germany’s Social Code and operate according to the rules and regulations governing child and youth services. One of the key prin- ciples of child and youth services is that all young people have a right to assistance and support as they grow into adults and become independent, community-minded in- dividuals. Against this backdrop, the youth services field is responsible for supporting young people’s personal and social development and helping them avoid or re- duce disadvantages (see section 1 of Book Eight of the Social Code). 1 In other words, the overarching objective is to assist young people in their development. They are assisted in making their own choices, participating fully in society and embracing civic engagement. The support services in question are aligned with the interests of young people and are shaped and designed according to their input (see section 11 of Book Eight of the Social Code). Thanks to the use of technologies, digital youth work can help to improve access to support services and align them even more closely with young people’s needs. Digital youth work also pursues objectives that relate directly to young people’s needs as regards digital trans- formation. Specifically, it seeks to empower young peo- ple in the following areas:
» To engage actively and creatively with a digital society
» To assess the risks of digitalisation and in turn, become able to make well-informed choices
» To assume control over their digital identity
» To express their opinions using digital tools
» To explore new tools for networking, collaboration and community engagement.
(see YouthLink Scotland et al. 2019, no page no.).
Digital youth work and media education One of the objectives mentioned above – giving young people opportunities to participate effectively in a soci- ety marked by digitalisation – is a declared goal of digi- tal youth work and media education alike. Accordingly, many media education approaches that involve young people working with digital media can be seen as valid approaches for digital youth work, too. That said, digital youth work also extends into areas that reach beyond the traditional domain of media ed- ucation (see Brüggen/Rösch 2022, p. 21). Besides the teaching of media skills, other relevant aspects include digital infrastructure (that is, software applications for educators), organisational development, and contin- ued professional development for experts using digital tools. This is reflected in key European publications such as the Conclusions of the Council on Digital Youth Work (13935/19), the recommendations of the European Com-
1 Additional fundamental principles and tasks of youth work are detailed here: https://www.bmfsfj.de/resource/ blob/94106/40b8c4734ba05dad4639ca34908ca367/kinder-und-jugendhilfegesetz-sgb-viii-data.pdf. Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (2020).
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