The European Dialogue supports youth workers and young people on their journey to be knowledgeable in various topics so that they can deliver high-quality youth work and other activities, and to be the tolerant educated individuals, who have a spirit of initiative, care about their environment, and actively contribute to positive developments in their communities or societies through online and offline participation tools. These people can then easily inspire and empower young people to be active citizens developing their own projects and initiatives. The ED puts an emphasis on digital youth work and responsible use and creation of media in this field. This mission and approach were behind the two activities implemented in 2022, which contributed to achievement of objectives set in the accreditation plan. Youth Exchange “Ideathon on Digital Citizenship” The 21st century has brought a huge boom in information and communication technologies. Digital tools have become an integral part of our daily lives - whether at work, at home or during leisure activities. Today's society can be called digital, and in addition to entertainment, we use technology and the Internet for all kinds of participation - from culture, through health care, education, business to politics. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has further multiplied the importance of participatory tools and extended their use to several other sectors. This goes hand in hand with the need to increase young people’s' digital literacy in order for them to be able to make effective and good use of the opportunities offered in the online space - especially methods and tools for participation in decision making - and be prepared for challenges. Then they can positively change society - when individuals or groups of people are able to successfully address and promote their ideas and thereby initiate and achieve change at a local, national, or international level. In today's digital age, it is easy to take the initiative, to campaign for positive change, and even get our ideas to the highest politicians or other authorities. However, it is important for young people to know how to do it right and how to become an active, responsible, and successful digital citizen. That's why ED came up with a youth exchange called “Ideathon on Digital Citizenship”. Its main objectives were to help participants to: - get to know what e-participation and e-governance means and what tools are available and most effective ones. - learn what rights and responsibilities European citizens have and how they can contribute to a better future of Europe. - discover what youth advocacy means and what young people can do for their communities. - find out why volunteering is important and which volunteering opportunities young people can use. - raise their awareness about the security threats young people may face in the online space. - improve young people's critical thinking skills and their ablitiy to identify the relevant medium and source. Training “Build Yourself First: Incubator of Personal Development” Youth workers often do not have it easy and have to face enormous pressure from several sides. On the one hand, they must perform excellently, mentor, motivate, and educate young people in different areas. On the other hand, they have to constantly educate themselves while being overwhelmed with administration, project, and team management. However, they also have families, they need to relax and have some time for themselves. Moreover, nowadays more and more people including youth suffer from depression and other mental problems. All the recent crises and challenges like economic crisis, war in Ukraine, political crisis including raising of extremist parties are very negatively affecting all of us. Youth workers need to know how to cope with these new situations and be able to help youngsters to overcome all the stress and fears. But how to combine all this and not burn out? European Dialogue finds this topic very important and decided to tailor the training for youth workers to help them be more self-caring and motivated to constantly work on their personal development. The aim of the training was to help youth workers to grow personally and professionally and become a great role model for young people they work with. Its main objectives were to help participants to: - learn how to make presentations and speeches in an engaging and interactive way. - find out how to manage time more effectively to enjoy it and not to burn out. - discover ways to take care of mental health and be able to help young people in this regard too. - improve skills in the field of self-assessment to reflect on own mistakes and get better. - get insights into the importance and elements of right online and offline communication. - gain new skills in negotiating, mediating. - discover new techniques on how to solve problems. - get guidance on how to make a successful personal development plan.