Author: wpadmin

Press Release: PR3 Focus Group in Cyprus

Digital Youth 

PR3 – CY Focus Group 

 

The Digital Youth project is pleased to announce the successful completion of the Focus Group for the PR3 National Policy and Practice Recommendations Report in Nicosia, Cyprus. The Focus Group took place in two sessions held on the 15th of September 2023 and on the 24th of October 2023. The first session was incorporated in the PR2 – Trainings and Implementations, with the participation of twenty (20) youth workers, whereas the second session took place in the form of a 1:1 with a stakeholder with a Municipal Councillor who is actively engaged in the field of youth work in his municipality and beyond. During the focus group participants discussed the challenges for both youth work and digital youth work and brainstormed on the means to mitigate these challenges. The session ended with the participants sharing their own experiences and witnessed best practices in overcoming the challenges of digital youth work.

The PR3 Focus Group was organised by CARDET and KOKEN in the framework of Digital Youth project, a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union Grant Agreement Number: K2021-1-CY02-KA220-YOU-000029051.

 

The content of this publication represents the view of the author(s) only and his/her/their responsibilities.

Press Release: PR2 Trainings – Implementation in Cyprus

Digital Youth 

PR2: CY Trainings – Implementation

 

The Digital Youth project is pleased to announce the successful completion of the Trainings – Implementation for the PR2 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The Trainings – Implementation was conducted in two different sessions – one of them being face-to-face whilst the other took place online. The face-to-face session took place on the 15th of September 2023 with the participation of twenty (20) youth workers and it involved an overview of the project, an introduction to the eLearning Platform and a discussion on best practices on digital you work. The second session took place online, at participants own time and pace and it involved a twelve hour (12h) online engagement via the eLearning Platform. During the face-to-face session the facilitator remained neutral as to their personal opinion(s) whilst leaving the floor open for discussion among the participants and the provision of their recommendations. The session ended with the participants sharing their experiences, perspectives and witnessed best practices in digital youth work.

The PR2 Trainings – Implementations were organised by CARDET and KOKEN in the framework of Digital Youth project, a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union Grant Agreement Number: K2021-1-CY02-KA220-YOU-000029051.

The content of this publication represents the view of the author(s) only and his/her/their responsibilities.

 

Press Release: Digital Youth eLearning Platform

Digital Youth 

eLearning Platform

The consortium of the Digital Youth project is pleased to announce the successful completion of its second project result, which involved the development of an eLearning Environment. We actively worked on creating a free, engaging and interactive eLearning Environment that serves as the home for a number of tools and resources. Most importantly, the eLearning Platform hosts the Digital Youth eLearning Course which is comprised by three (3) blended learning modules – aiming at enhancing the skills and competencies of youth workers and of adults working within the youth work field. This eLearning Platform also hosts a wealth of additional resources to support youth workers and trainers in their digital youth work, including articles, publications, handbooks, podcasts, videos and digital tools. You can access the eLearning Platform here. Our platform has also been tested by experienced youth workers across all partner countries in order to shape it further according to their needs. The feedback collected has been adapted in order to optimise the experience of its users.

The eLearning Environment was produced by the entirety of the  consortium, with the leadership and guidance of CARDET, in the framework of Digital Youth project, a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union Grant Agreement Number: K2021-1-CY02-KA220-YOU-000029051.

 

The content of this publication represents the view of the author(s) only and his/her/their responsibilities.

Newsletter 2

Digital Youth: Preparing Youth Workers for a Digital World

The Digital Youth project focuses on preparing youth workers to engage in digital youth work by providing them with the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies. In particular, the specific objectives of the project are to:

  • Promote the importance of Digital Youth Work in the partner countries (Greece, Cyprus, Ireland and Spain) and Europe
  • Build the competencies of youth workers to use digital tools in youth work
  • Develop quality resources for digital youth work
  • Improve the overall quality of youth work conducted in the participating countries

 

A Glimpse of our Experience so Far 

Our journey began with a commitment to understanding the evolving landscape of youth work in the digital age. The insights we gained enabled us to identify gaps and needs in the realm of youth work related to digital skills, knowledge and competencies, and create based on them, the Digital Youth Handbook. You can access the Handbook here.  As we marched forward on our mission to empower youth workers and trainers, we developed three insightful blended learning modules tailored to address their unique needs. In particular, these modules were designed to aid youth workers and trainers in laying the foundation for digital youth work, diving deep into real-world applications and best practices and learning how to measure and maximise their impact.

Furthermore, As we continue to evolve, we are currently working on a comprehensive report to document lessons learned, as well as showcase good examples and practices in the field of digital youth work. This report will also include policy and practice recommendations to strengthen further and enrich digital youth work.

 

Stay Updated with Digital Youth Project News

We invite you to stay updated with all the latest developments, resources, and news from the Digital Youth Project by visiting our news section here. You can also join our page on Facebook here to find more tips and useful resources on Digital Youth Work!

 

The Digital Youth Partners

we actively worked on creating a free, engaging and interactive eLearning Environment that serves as the home for our blended learning modules. This platform also hosts a wealth of additional resources to support youth workers and trainers in their digital youth work, including articles, publications, handbooks, podcasts, videos and digital tools. You can access the eLearning Platform here. Our platform has also been tested by experienced youth workers across all partner countries in order to shape it further according to their needs.

Newsletter 1

What is the Digital Youth project about?

The Digital Youth project aims to prepare youth workers to engage in digital youth work by providing them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies to thrive in today’s digital world. In particular, the specific objectives of the project are to:

  • Promote the importance of Digital Youth Work in the Digital Youth partner countries (Greece, Cyprus, Ireland and Spain) and in Europe
  • Build the competencies of youth workers to use digital tools in youth work
  • Develop quality resources for digital youth work
  • Improve the overall quality of youth work conducted in the participating partner countries

 

What have we done so far?

To date, the Digital Youth partners have organised focus group interviews involving youth workers, trainers, and volunteers from the partner countries of the Digital Youth project. The primary objective of these focus groups was to identify and assess the gaps and needs within the field of youth work concerning digital youth work. Specifically, we aimed to understand the participants’ existing knowledge, skills, and competencies related to digital youth work in order to ultimately inform the development of appropriate interventions and resources in this field. The information received was further analysed and led to the creation of the Digital Youth Handbook. The Youth Worker’s Handbook focuses on the following topics:

  • Digital Skills
  • Overview of the Digital Competences Framework
  • Digital Tools and Platforms
  • Creating Digital Resources
  • Competences, Validation and Recognition

The content of the Handbook was also tested in all partner countries by experienced youth workers and received positive feedback. You can access the Handbook here.

What are we working on now?

A set of three blended learning modules has been created to cater to the requirements of youth workers, trainers, and volunteers engaged in the field of youth work. These modules have been specifically designed to meet the diverse learning needs of individuals involved in youth-related activities. The modules encompass a combination of online and offline learning approaches, ensuring a well-rounded learning experience that accommodates different learning styles and preferences. They aim to enhance the knowledge, skills, and competencies of participants, empowering them to excel in their roles and contribute effectively to youth development.

The three Blended Learning Modules address the following themes:

  • Introduction to the Digital Youth Work
  • Digital Youth Work in practice
  • Digital Youth Work Validation and Impact

Currently, the Digital Youth team is working on the development of the e-learning portal that will host the blended learning modules, as well as other useful resources for youth workers, volunteers and trainers. To stay up-to-date on the progress of the Digital Youth project, take a look at our news here.

Why not also join our project Facebook page here, to find useful tips and resources on Digital Youth Work!

Press Release: Digital Youth Transnational Partners Meeting in Athens

On July 18th 2022, partners of the Digital Youth project met in KMOP premises in Athens, Greece for the project’s first face-to-face meeting. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the results of the focus groups with youth workers and youth trainers and the next steps of the project. The consortium discussed the development of the handbook for youth workers, as well as the e-learning platform and the recommendations report which will be produced in the project to promote and improve digital youth work across Europe.

Digital Youth aims to empower and support youth workers to develop their digital skills and knowledge, in order for them to be able to effectively engage in digital youth work. To achieve the best results, the project regularly incorporates youth workers and young people in the development of the materials.

For more information on the project, please visit: www.digital-youth.eu

Press Release: PR1 Digital Youth Focus Groups with Youth Workers

The Digital Youth project partners have conducted focus group interviews with youth workers and youth trainers in Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, and Spain. The focus groups took place in May and June 2022 and aimed to map the gaps and needs in the field of youth in relation to digital youth work, in terms of their knowledge, skills, and competences.

In particular, the focus groups aim to:

  1. Assess the current state of digital skills knowledge in youth workers
  2. Identify gaps in digital skills and competencies of youth workers
  3. Identify what youth workers need in digital skills
  4. Identify digital devices and apps/software youth workers use daily.

The focus groups have gathered very valuable information from the target group of the project, which will be furtherly analysed and will lead to the creation of the Digital Youth Training Package. The package will include an Interactive Handbook for youth workers and online learning modules, as well as other useful resources for youth workers and youth trainers.

For more information on the project, please visit: www.digital-youth.eu

Press Release: PR1 Irish Focus Group Report Summary

On May 20th, 2022, The Rural Hub organised a focus group with nine youth workers from local youth organisations. All participants present were specialists in the youth sector and held experience in the fields of coaching, mentoring, child protection, digital media, accessibility, and outdoor recreation. The focus group was conducted to identify the current state of digital competencies amongst Irish youth workers. This sought to map the needs and interests of youth workers to develop impactful learning modules in the field of digital youth work.

From the results of the focus group, it was found that digital technologies play a prominent role in the youth work sector in the 21st century. It is evident that the young people of today are heavily immersed in the digital revolution and therefore need support and guidance from youth workers. In order to facilitate this, youth workers agreed that they need to be fully equipped to deal with the challenges an current reality of technology in today’s world. All participants felt that digital tools should enhance youth work practice rather than replace traditional methods. Therefore a greater focus must be placed on the importance of digital youth work for both young people and youth workers alike. On a national and regional level, this is an important part of modern-day techniques to council, contact and support youth. The digitalisation of youth work practices can proactively address digital media and technology to promote responsible ethics, values, and principles within the use of digital technologies. In order to implement the digital transformation of youth work, it is important for youth workers to consider digital collaboration, digital needs, updating existing policies and guidelines, digital access, and safe and accessible digital environments. It was found that it is vital to support youth workers to look broadly at the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to ensure youth engagement through digital tools, platforms, and resources. Therefore, training programmes are needed to connect digital and youth work competencies to develop engaging learning environments throughout the cycle of youth work.

Press Release: PR1 Cypriot Focus Group Report Summary

Digital skills comprise one of the eight key competencies for lifelong learning. Digitally skilled youth workers will competently promote and ensure successful civic participation of young individuals. On May 15th 2022, the Cyprus Youth Clubs Organisation (KOKEN) conducted a focus group to gather qualitative data for the development of the DigitalYouth Training Package: an interactive handbook for youth workers. The following is a short description of the Cyprus report prepared and submitted by KOKEN in partial fulfillment of the aims of the DigitalYouth project coordinated by CARDET, Cyprus.

Focus group: A description of the sample

A total of five individuals participated in the focus group discussion. Sixty per cent were female, mostly youth workers (60%), the remaining being a president of the board of a non-governmental organisation in the youth work sector, and one educational psychologist. The age of the focus group ranged between 24-45 years old with over 10 years of experience in youth work.

Overview and Current status

Participants acknowledged the importance of acquiring digital skills and expressed the need to be trained. They discussed how the social media (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and online communication platforms (e.g. Skype, ZOOM) had significantly contributed to connecting with young individuals-especially during the COVID-19 crisis and lockdowns. They noted that overall, they have been attending non-formal educational trainings, seminars, workshops, activities, webinars, job shadowing and study visits both for professional and personal development. An overall consensus was also noted regarding the benefits of a freely accessible to youth workers’ platform containing an exchange of best practices, webinars training sessions and digital tools. An acknowledgement of learning basic internet, IT skills and Microsoft Office was also brought forward. Additionally, participants stated that they have been using online communication platforms (MS Teams, Zoom, Skype), social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram) for communication and training purposes, Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel), Coreldraw, Photoshop and WordPress during their work days. A lack of familiarity with MOOC, DigComp, DigCompEdu, Youth Work Portfolio of the CoE as well as with digital tools for use with individuals with physical disabilities was mentioned throughout the discussion.

Key Findings 

Although participants took a positive stance regarding digital competency, they raised their concerns about the time consumed on training and adaptability and highlighted possible resistance to change from fellow youth workers. Notwithstanding, participating individuals were keen to adapt to changes and attend how to use effectively digital tools trainings, trainings on using online applications for employees, online courses and modules. Basic IT knowledge and skills, and MS Office were also regarded as a necessity in the workplace and the importance of trainings on successfully using online communication platforms and social media was also highlighted during the focus group discussion. Trainings on how to apply age restriction on websites and security and safety trainings were also deemed important and useful

Recommendations

Based on the above findings, KOKEN recommends the following:

  1. User-friendly & easily accessible tools.
  2. A step-by-step guidance for each digital tool.
  3. Basic Internet skills modules.
  4. Microsoft Office.
  5. Digital tools for individuals with physical difficulties.
  6. How to effectively use communication platforms.
  7. How to effectively use QR codes at work.
  8. Security & safety guidance on using online communication platforms, social media and the internet.
  9. MOOC introduction, ‘how to use’ guidance and benefits.

Press Release: PR1 Spanish Focus Group Report Summary

In June 2022, Asociación Caminos conducted a focus group with 4 youth workers and 1 facilitator. The youth workers worked with young people in different fields, for example, as a trainer in courses, as a counsellor, as a supervisor etc. The participants were all from the region of Andalusia in Spain.

The participants highlighted that one of the biggest challenges at the moment is the transformation of youth work into digital youth work and the use of digital tools, the need to combat the lack of motivation of the youth population, largely caused by the high unemployment rates in the south of Spain and the consequent emigration to other European countries.

All participants think digital youth work has potential and allows for a deeper cooperation between young people and youth workers, they do see the main challenges in the lack of digital skills and competences to handle the new dynamics brought on by digital youth work.

In regards to digital work in general, the participants support an improvement of digital work in organisation, stating that a lot of organisations are already upgrading rapidly, doing a good job in adapting. They also stated the importance of developing tools to reduce overstimulation and excessive hours with digital devices.

All participants voiced their satisfaction with the digital tools they use at work, although they also reported a certain degree intoxication and sometimes not knowing how to switch off.

When asked how they would implement digital tools with a young person who has physical disabilities, they stated it depends on the kind of disability. Reaching a person who is blind is not the same as reaching a person who is deaf or has a degree of autism. It is important to know the audience they are working with to address these issues and find solutions for effective and motivating activities.

The participants named multiple objectives and recommendations which the Digital Youth Handbook should cover:

  • Avoiding a digital generational gap
  • Inclusive, equitable and quality education and opportunities
  • Raising awareness on physical connections
  • Improving online counselling
  • Support for digital literacy
  • Improving participation and interest
  • Using social media in an effective way
  • Training on important digital tools.
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