Due to the societal situation of recent years, the Tartu Youth Work Centre has intensified its focus on smart youth work and digital topics. Since digital youth work has its nuances compared to traditional youth work, it is necessary to make conscious decisions when implementing it.
In 2020, Liisi Trumm, the head of the Lille Youth Center, investigated the digital youth work competencies of Tartu Youth Work Center's youth workers as part of her university seminar paper. The study was conducted using the digital competency model for youth workers developed by European Commission experts, according to which a youth worker needs to acquire and develop 34 different digital competencies, grouped into seven different categories, in their work.
Below, based on sub-competencies, we highlight some points to consider for better implementation of digital youth work.
Which e-activity conducted by you was accessible to all young people?
While involving young people with additional needs in youth work is challenging, it is even more complex in digital environments. The first step is to create opportunities to participate in youth work and access youth information, for example, by adding image descriptions on Instagram for young people with visual impairments or adding subtitles to videos for young people with hearing impairments. The next step, however, is to ensure that youth work activities genuinely reach the target group of young people and positively impact their lives.
Are you present in e-environments for young people with your name and face?
When starting as a youth worker, it is wise to consider how your real identity is reflected in the virtual world, because for young people, it is important for creating a sense of security and a trusting relationship to see that the image and reality are as similar as possible. On the other hand, a youth worker must ensure that their e-identity complies with the professional ethics of a youth worker and serves as a positive example for young people.
How aware are you of various internet dangers? When did you last post a comment or make a statement? Was it truly benevolent?
When a young person comes to the youth center, they implicitly pledge to behave according to the youth center's good practices. Additionally, youth workers have direct contact with young people. However, it is more difficult to monitor the norms that apply online, as they are not uniformly documented anywhere, making it challenging to address conflicts and mediate communication. While youth workers have the opportunity to monitor young people's behavior in the environments they create and "call them to order," it is natural that a youth worker's eyes cannot reach everywhere, and young people have the freedom to "move" from one environment to another and continue their discussions there. As a youth worker, your opportunity is to bring preventive activities into an e-format and inform young people about various online dangers through virtual discussions, videos, Instagram posts, etc.
Additionally, remember your e-identity mentioned in the previous point and ensure that your statements do not harm anyone.
Are you open enough to learn new applications for creating digital content?
Just as in open youth work, it is important in the virtual world to base activities on the interests and needs of young people. It is also possible to create art, play “board games” together, make music, conduct training sessions, etc., online. Although it sometimes seems that young people are more competent than youth workers in the digital world and already know and can do everything (and that's okay!), use this to your advantage. Find ways for young people to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to other young people (and to you). Simply be there for them and encourage them to try e-solutions they might not yet be so proficient in.
While we previously only opened up a few sub-competencies of the digital competence model, the seventh category of the model, namely reflection and self-analysis competence, needs to be fully highlighted.
For effective e-youth work, it is important for a youth worker to:
a) understand which of their own professional digital competencies need to be developed and improved;
b) use analytical methods to assess the effectiveness of digital youth work and thereby improve digital youth work services;
c) share their experiences and learn from other youth workers.
If you feel that your digital competencies need further improvement or you have good practices to share with other youth workers, then we welcome you to the Hack@Youth hackathon taking place on January 21-22 at Anne Youth Center.
Hack@Youth is a hackathon aimed at developing digital tools that facilitate youth work. The hackathon is organized by Tartu Youth Work Centre in cooperation with the University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science within the framework of the Erasmus+ project „Digital Tools for Youth Work“.
Representatives from various fields who wish to contribute to the development of digital tools for youth work are welcome to participate: both students and experts from the IT and youth work sectors.
Further information can be obtained from Mariliis Maremäe, Development Manager of Tartu Youth Work Centre, at the email address mariliis.maremae@raad.tartu.ee or from the hackathon's Facebook event.
