Nature and extent to which digital youth work is used largely depends on organisations and on individual youth worker meaning there is no unified approach how to use new media for making the most of it for achieving youth goals and addressing new youth needs rising from their low level of media literacy. Within partnership identified the most common uses of internet and social media-based tools in youth work relate to communication with young people; spreading information; supporting the self-arranged activities of young people; and media education to small extent. However, with fast developing technologies and new media forms that is not enough. Youth workers need to be able to adapt to rapid changes and new technologies, have positive mindset and necessary skillset how to employ them in youth work. Needs and corresponding target groups: 1. Youth work needs digitalization, so it does not become outdated and irrelevant for youth. Target group – youth workers and NGOs. 2. Youth workers, young volunteers and youth themselves needs media literacy and digital competences to fight new risks that appear associated with new ways of collecting, storing and handling data, including new types of crime, dangers to young people and increased isolation for digitally excluded. Target group – youth workers, volunteers and young people. Goal: Increase media literacy and digital competences of youth workers and young volunteers and integrate new media into practices of youth workers and 5 partner NGOs from PT, SK, HU, CZ and LT. Objectives: O1. Raise media literacy and digital competences of youth workers, volunteers and young people to tackle such issues as fake news and press freedom, media and politics/decision making, internet safety, hate speech, cyber-bullying and trolling. O2. Identify useful tools, channels and means of new media to promote and add value to existing youth work. O3. Create common approach of integrating new media tools into youth work activities and how to make the most of them for achieving NGOs goals. Activities: A1 - head start, preparation for M1 M1 - kick start meeting, signing agreements, establishing procedures, discussing trainings A2 - local analysis (community and NGOs), preparing for C1 C1 - increasing media literacy and critical thinking for new media challenges (bullying, privacy and security, etc.) A3 - dissemination of C1, local analysis (NGOs and youth workers), preparing for C2, KKK team will investigate how NGOs are using new media C2 - identifying tools and creating approach how to use new media A4 - dissemination of C2, integrating new media into NGOs and youth work M2 - checking how integration is going, fine tuning common approach, preparing for blended mobility C3 and virtual mobility A5 - local analysis (community and young people), preparing for C3, virtual mobility C3 - blended mobility of youth - guiding youth in digital world A6 - dissemination of C3, preparing for M3 M3 - discussing blended mobility, finalizing approach, evaluating it A7 - dissemination activities M4 - project closure Participants of short-term staff mobilities and blended mobility will be carefully selected by each partner NGO according to established criteria. Participants of follow-up activities will be youth workers, young volunteers and youth in local communities who find this project relevant and share common need of low media literacy and interest how to use new media to maximize its efficiency and use for its benefit to achieve desired goals. Intangible results: -Youth workers, volunteers will increase their media literacy and digital competences which will enable them to support young people to safely navigate growing up in digital world, address new type of threats arising from internet and technologies – online privacy, bullying, safety of information, delusional reality understanding, fake news, etc. -By being able to employ new media for benefits of youth work, raising its visibility and contributing to achieve its goals, youth work will be more recognized and have bigger interest among youth which translates into more young people reached, engaged and involved in youth work activities. -Youth work will be more attractive, relevant and up to date which will have impact and results on 2 levels: 1. More young people interested in youth work, motivated to get involved. 2. More volunteers and youth workers will join NGOs thanks to visibility, increased understanding of what youth work is and its attractiveness. -We will involve youth in project implementation, local trainings, virtual and blended mobility of young people which will contribute significantly to their media literacy, critical thinking and digital skills, ability to safely and efficiency use technologies, organizational experience, which on the long run have added value of increased employability.
Goal achieved: Increased media literacy and digital competences of youth workers and young volunteers and integrated new media into practices of youth workers and 5 partner NGOs from PT, SK, HU, CZ and LT. Achieved objectives: O1. Raised media literacy and digital competences of youth workers, volunteers and young people to tackle such issues as fake news and press freedom, media and politics/decision making, internet safety, hate speech, cyber-bullying and trolling. O2. Identified useful tools, channels and means of new media to promote and add value to existing youth work. O3. Created common approach of integrating new media tools into youth work activities and how to make the most of them for achieving NGOs goals.
Youth work as never before faces challenges due to technological breakthrough and significantly increased access to internet. No-one doubts new media has benefits and opportunities for youth work yet at same time it presents never seen threats. Youth workers are often uncertain about engaging young people via the internet and similarly hesitant about their skills to do so. Similarly, while most may acknowledge the need to incorporate new media to varying degrees into youth work practice, there is less clarity about how this might be achieved. NGOs face a threat to become outdated and not interesting for youth if they do not catch up with new technologies (internet and social media) and implement in their work as well as they already struggle to address media related issues for youth (as fake news, internet safety, hate speech, cyber-bullying, etc.) due that. Needs addressed: 1. Youth work needs digitalization, so it does not become outdated and irrelevant for youth. 2. Youth workers and youth need media literacy and digital competences to fight new risks that appear associated with new ways of collecting, storing and handling data, including new types of dangers to young people and increased isolation for digitally excluded.