Introduction

Welcome to the Digital Youth – a learning environment that will be evolving and developing together with the issues it covers.

The idea that led to developing this learning environment was kicked off in 2017 as part of a process aimed at developing new study programme for Youth Work in Tartu University Narva College. Thinking about the competencies future youth workers will need, one theme repeated itself in different forms through many issues – digital technologies bringing change in the lives of young people, youth work practice, youth research. Therefore, it was evident that any programme aiming at equipping youth workers with knowledge, skills and competencies needs to pay thorough attention to The Digital and the impacts it brings in the lives of young people and in working for and with youth.

With the help of the Estonian Youth Agency of the Archimedes Foundation and ERASMUS+ a project was created to support mapping the issues and areas and to develop specific subjects united under the name “Digital Youth” for the new Youth Work study programme. The project started with an international Expert Seminar “Digital Youth: digital age – young people – working with and for youth” held in Narva 19.-21. June 2017, where the ideas and discussions informed and inspired the learning materials created here.

The authors would like to thank for the support and inspiration all the participants of the Expert Seminar in Narva, Ms Reet Kost, Head of the Youth Agency, Ms Kristina Kallas, Director of Narva College and Mr Kristjan Klauks, our project manager.