DigitalYouth_TransnationalReport_EN

10 www.digital-youth.eu Ireland also intends to focus on more sustainable approaches in youth work, also advocating for the environment. Youth workers saw it important to prioritise this among young people. It is of great importance to mention funding in youth work, as this is also a vital priority. In Ireland there is a lack of financial support that does not offer young people the degree of support they really need. Also, there is a need to increase the employment of more youth workers in the rural areas of the country. Training Needs Analysis of Youth Workers in Spain Following the Focus Group conducted in Spain, it has been identified that it is important to first define what is really meant by youth work, as this will help to identify the type of professionals and competences that will be needed when working with young people. The best way to achieve an impact on youth groups is the presence of trainers and face-toface workshops. But, considering the importance of digital tools for a daily working life, it is important to offer young people new digital tools and to keep them up to date with digital skills and habits. There is also a need to improve digital work for youth workers, and to develop tools to reduce overstimulation and excessive hours with digital devices among young people. Digital tools are important and necessary, but tools are also needed to help them know how to switch off and stop the degree of intoxication with digital devices. In the Focus Group carried out in Spain, youth workers were asked how they would apply digital tools to a young person with a physical disability, and they all affirmed that it depends on the disability, as it is not the same to reach a blind person as a deaf person or a person with a certain degree of autism. It is of great importance to first get to know the audience we are working with better in order to address all these issues and to be able to find solutions for effective and motivating activities. Recommendations and Conclusions Many of the partner countries that conducted the Focus Group in their own countries highlighted the importance of face-to-face contact in teaching and learning for young people, as after the pandemic, all countries were affected and lost that direct connection in their activities. The research indicates that technology now offers youth workers the opportunity to reclaim more personalised education with young people. Previously, when talking about education, one immediately thought of the physical classroom, but today, when talking about education, one inevitably thinks of the Internet and social media.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzYwNDE=