Main focus of this strategic partnership is on increasing quality of youth work in Europe through supporting professional development and capacities of those who work with LGBT+* youth, as well as through supporting youth workers in developing and sharing effective methods in reaching out to diverse groups of young people, including marginalised young people, young people facing risk of social exclusion and young people outside education and employment. Within the framework of this project we will explore and educate professionals working with LGBT+ young people about the benefits of audiovisual literacy with special emphasis on digital storytelling. These methods and tools can be applied in a diverse context and with various target groups, but considering the current social issues in Europe, we would like to turn special attention to opportunities to use digital storytelling and audiovisual literacy in order to empower the most vulnerable groups of young people such as LGBT+ youth to support dialogue and appreciation of diversity in society, combat social injustice as well as to enhance entrepreneurial mindset and citizens activism. As follows, this project is much about empowerment of those who work with LGBT+ young people and young LGBT+ people themselves and via this to change public perception of LGBT+ community. We aim to empower first two target groups to start the change that is needed in their own life to become more successful and content, as well as to become change makers in their communities and societies. Moreover, the concept of the project is based on the idea that personal, community and social transformations are interdependent. One affects the next, and one can limit the other if not transformed. Our approaches to learning and activism looks at change, both creating and sustaining it, from an integral framework. Storytelling theory helps us to understand how personal, collective and social systems are intertwined and how working with personal stories can purposefully move toward radically new ways of being, new practices and structures and become a leverage to holistic social transformation. The impact of digital storytelling lies in its power to foster individual and collective transformation at the same time. Additionally, Audiovisual literacy builds in us the ability to think critically, become smart consumers and producers of information and act from the point of empathy. We expect that the proposed learning activities will help professionals and partner organisations working with youth to design and deliver more powerful activities to their target groups. This project builds upon the advantages of the digital era, meaning that digital tools and materials will be used and created in order to provide youth workers and educators with innovative educational solutions. Within the project digital educational resources will be developed and effective use of digital technologies and open pedagogies supported in the education, training and youth field will be implemented.
Main focus of this project was on increasing quality of youth work in Europe through supporting professional development and capacities of those who work with LGBT+* youth, as well as through supporting youth workers in developing and sharing effective methods in reaching out to diverse groups of young people.. Within the framework of this project we planned to explore and educate professionals working with LGBT+ young people about the benefits of audiovisual literacy with special emphasis on digital storytelling. These methods and tools can be applied in a diverse context and with various target groups. This project was very much focused on empowerment of those who work with LGBT+ young people and young LGBT+ people themselves and via this to change public perception of LGBT+ community. Additionally, Audiovisual literacy builds in us the ability to think critically, become smart consumers and producers of information and act from the point of empathy.
The reason we applied for the project was mainly the situation of LGBT+ persons in the EU. International surveys show that LGBT+ persons face obstacles to enjoying their fundamental rights.This was contributed by the fact that existing European teaching and training methodologies haven't been efficient to increase social and civic youth activism. There are difficulties to find methods of interventions in order to empower LGBT+ young people through embracing personal vulnerability and communication about it to a wider audience.And here we saw the huge potential and importance of digital storytelling and audiovisual literacy as an effective tool to be applied in youth work. Out intention was to address inadequate use of this methodology in youth work by aiming at the crucial aspect: awareness, knowledge and skill of youth workers. Digital Storytelling is a relatively new term which describes the practice of ordinary people who use digital tools to tell their story (digital narratives). Beside any individual usage, the Digital Storytelling method can be perfectly used for professional development, as a reflective practice, as a pedagogical strategy, a vehicle for education, community mobilisation, or advocacy.