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Storify Your Mission for Impact! Youth Worker as a Digital Communicator

2020-1-BG01-KA105-0783852020Youth mobilityfinalized
Countries: BG|ES|PT|CY|TR|RO|AM|HU|IT|HR|RS|EL|SK|MK · Grant: €17,954
ICT - new technologies - digital competencesNew innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training coursesInclusion - equity

Objectives

The “Storify Your Mission for Impact! Youth Worker as a Digital Communicator” project is developed in the framework of the Erasmus+ program, KA1: Learning mobility for individuals/ Youth mobility. The project duration is 6 months and participating partners from 14 countries – Bulgaria, Italy, Cyprus, Turkey, Hungary, Croatia, Greece, Armenia, The Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Portugal, Spain, and Slovakia. Aim of the project: Building the capacity of civil organizations, dealing with the problems of youths with a different profile, in the field of communication, through implementing new digital approaches in their daily practice and achieving a more effective and sustainable social interaction and change. This will be achieved by: 1. Intensive practical training for youth workers, to develop a complex of skills and increase the digital tool kit they need, in order to be effective digital communicators, especially those, specific to the civil sector; 2. Preparing the NGO teams for a digital transformation of youth work, through rethinking the organization’s digital communication behavior as a whole and quality promotion of the activities and results; 3. Implementing an innovative training program for digital competence development of youths from vulnerable groups and their preparation as digital communicators; 4. Creating an environment for exchange of experience, information and resources, good digital practices in youth work, demonstrating innovative tools and approaches for digital inclusion of youths with a different profile. The project’s idea is a response to the need of radical rethinking of the current communication formula and implementing the content creation and dissemination tool kit, in its entirety, in youth work, to achieve transmedia communication, available to various stakeholders and, most of all – with the aim of achieving impact and social change. Working with youths requires one to know them and recognize them, not only as digital users, but also as active participants in the communication process, potential creators and distributers of online content for sharing experience. The traditional formula for learning and passing on experience, for influencing, has changed completely – which is recognized by NGO teams, who are trying to adequately take part in this process, in order to be successful in working with the young digital generation. Civil organizations often can’t afford the permanent engagement of a professional (digital) communicator. Nonprofessionals then take on this role. Their lack of expertise, as well as skills to use the variety of digital opportunities, limits the influence and impact, and with that, it prevents the realization of the cause and mission. Instability of the organizations in the public space, as a factor of civil society, organizations being unrecognizable, lacking authority, stability and security, being vulnerable to negative and crisis communication, lacking supporters, etc. are among the negative effects. All of this, in turn, resonates on the sensitive groups the organizations work with. As a response to all these needs, the necessity to offer a systemized training, adapted to the specifics of the NGO sector, in accordance with the understanding for digital competences of the EU’s DigiComps 2.1., took shape. The need to clarify definitions and concepts, directly concerning the work of civil organizations’ teams (e.g. communication strategy, communication plan, dissemination plan, etc.), as well as to outline the steps for their effective realization, was added. The inclusion of participants from vulnerable groups in a digital communicator training is strategic, so they can become the new influencers and motivators, whom young people can trust. The intensive training program combines informal training, follows the journalistic standards and ethics, and combines modern concepts of experiencing, coaching and (digital) storytelling, techniques from improvisational theatre, to offer a unique training experience, which can lead to transformation of youths in risk groups. The training is practically oriented and the comprehensive new knowledge and skills will be integrated in the preparation of a campaign, aiming to promote the mission/activity/cause of the organization and achieve social change, reviewing the digital profile, messages and behavior of the organizations, so they can be more successful in their work. The youth workers can use the training program, additional resources and materials, with the target groups they work with, so they can carry on the mission of increasing media and digital literacy and multiply the effect of the project.

Project partners (14)