9 www.digital-youth.eu The level of familiarity with digital tools for working with young people with physical disabilities was also found to be low. In the focus group in Greece, many of the participants had experience working with people with mental and physical disabilities (through face-toface or online consultations) but had never used any of these tools in the past. Training Needs Analysis of Youth Workers in Ireland Due to the difficulties and challenges identified among youth workers with youth engagement since the advent of COVID-19, youth workers find it necessary to start implementing digital tools that foster personalised learning, collaboration, and communication with young people. These tools will help youth workers reach out to young people directly through social media and digital media. This would facilitate outreach and engagement and promote personal responsibility. It would also serve to break down certain barriers that may exist within youth work. In the focus group conducted in Ireland, youth workers were satisfied with the large number of existing digital platforms and resources, as many of them had used the free online resources in their youth work. However, they also expressed an interest in learning more about these advanced digital technologies/tools that could be of good use in their future practices. In the Focus Group it was highlighted that 40% of the youth workers had previously heard of MOOCs, while the remaining 60% understood the concept once the acronym was explained to them. Also, many of the youth workers had previously used QR codes within their youth work through the use of interactive infographics. It was recorded that only two youth workers had used VR in their work with young people, while none had used AR. To reinforce these digital skills, many of the youth workers, expressed in the Focus Group that they had enrolled in different courses both online and offline, such as in areas of digital skills, digital transition, digital content creation and community development. Despite the push for digital youth work across the country, it was noted that, especially in rural areas, little funding or external support promotes the use of digital technologies on a regular basis within youth centres. In Ireland, many youth workers have not received extensive prior training in the use of ICT. This is due to a lack of access to ICT equipment, which has led many of them to learn by improvising, when necessary, with the use of digital technologies in their youth work practice. However, in this focus group, youth workers indicated that they feel willing to take advantage of training in these areas in order to feel confident and competent to use them on a daily basis with young people. Currently, there is a lack of staff to support digital adaptation in youth work.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzYwNDE=