What are the Outcomes of Digital Youth Work? Youth Work is Relevant and Responsive
• Youth work and youth policies are proactive and give due consideration to technological development and digitalisation, and they identify the positive and negative impacts of digitalisation on society, including on youth work practices and services • Youth work services are more accessible and relevant for young people, including reaching those who may be geographically and socially isolated • Youth workers have an agile and critical mindset towards digital technology, and have competences to deliver quality youth work • Increased collaboration and international global networks and networking
Digital and media skills Many publications on digital youth work, especially in- ternational ones, use the term “digital skills”. While their interpretation of the term reflects many aspects of the media competence model commonly used in Germany, they focus largely on training- and qualification-related aspects (e.g. the ability to use digital tools) rather than engage in a critical reflection of said tools (see Brüggen/ Rösch 2022, p. 17). This is mirrored in the requirements placed on experts, who are expected to be proficient enough in the use of digital media so they can use them to design activities for young people. Reflections on digi- tal transformation and what it may mean for young peo- ple’s lives are not given nearly as great an emphasis. That notwithstanding, the recommendations of the European Commission expert group on digitalisation and youth do make reference to this (European Commission 2018). Types of digital youth work Digital media can be applied in digital youth work in var- ious ways, as illustrated by the following diagram, which is an excerpt from the aforementioned guidelines for digital (child and) youth work of the European Commis- sion expert group: “As Kate (youth worker) tells us, no idea is too outrageous. She always tries to encourage us to think out of the box.” Shannon, Ireland
mission expert group on digitalisation and youth (Euro- pean Commission 2018) and the guidelines for digital (child and) youth work that were developed as part of a pan-European cooperation project (YouthLink Scotland et al. 2019). Smart youth work Smart youth work differs from digital youth work in that it has a specific focus on the development of software applications for child and youth work. Examples include digital tools that assist experts in documenting their work, or game-based media education apps in whose development experts were involved. One of the objec- tives of smart youth work is to create tailor-made pro- grammes that meet the needs of a range of child and youth work stakeholders. A key document in this regard is the Council of the European Union’s conclusions on smart youth work (2017/C 418/02), where it is explicitly stated that “development of smart youth work should be built upon the active engagement of young people them- selves, allowing them to best contribute their already ex- isting digital competences“. Young People are 2 • Engaged and empowered, active and creative in digital society • Developing digital, STEAM 3 and media literacy skills • Confident, resilient and optimistic for the future • Able to manage personal, social and formal relationships in the digital era • Considering the risks of digitalisation, making informed and reasoned decisions, and taking control of their digital identity
• Expressing their voice and demonstrating social commitment via digital means • Accessing new opportunities to network, collaborate and participate in society Examples of Digital Youth Work Practice 4
Fig. 1: How digital media can be used in Digital Youth Work. Source: https://www.digitalyouthwork.eu/wp-content/up- loads/2019/09/european-guidelines-for-digital-youth-work-web.pdf. 2 Based on Scotland’s Youth Work Outcomes, YouthLink Scotland 2016 3 Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEM is also commonly used) 4 www.digitalyouthwork.eu/good-practices has 36 short film examples
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