Digital Youth
3.1. Conceptualising digital youth work in the European Union
Member States and the Commission have discussed the importance of recognizing changes connected with the digital development in our societies having impact in the field of youth work and youth policy for many years, however more concrete steps have been taken just recently, most notably during the years 2017-2018.
Under the European Union Work Plan for Youth 2016-2018, the expert group on ‘Risks, opportunities and implications of digitalisation for youth, youth work and youth policy’ was set up. In 2017, the group provided policy recommendations, description of training needs and good practice examples in developing digital youth work across the EU (see full text of the publication). Representatives from 21 Member States of the European Union took part in the expert group; in addition, the European Youth Forum was invited as a permanent participant.
Working definition of digital youth work
This group was the first to offer a EU level working definition for the digital youth work, which is based on the Verke’s understanding of digital youth work (Verke is the Development Centre for Digital Youth Work in Finland) and consists of several important aspects:
– digital youth work means proactively using or addressing digital media and technology in youth work;
– digital youth work is not a youth work method – it can be included in any youth work setting (open youth work, youth information and counselling, youth clubs, detached youth work, etc.);
– digital youth work has the same goals as youth work in general, and using digital media and technology in youth work should always support these goals;
– digital youth work is underpinned by the same ethics, values and principles as youth work;
– digital youth work can happen in face-to-face situations as well as in online environments – or in a mixture of these two;
– digital media and technology can be either a tool, an activity or a content in youth work.
This multi-layered definition frames digital youth work explicitly as a part of the general – or usual – youth work and stresses the importance of the same ethics, values, principles and goals applying to both. This is especially important when considering how the value-set so usual in youth work translates into practice when in digital context- both using technological tools and online environments.
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For example, the Estonian Youth Work Act states that: The organisation of youth work proceeds from the following principles: 1) youth work is performed for the benefit of and together with young people by involving them in the decision making process; 2) upon creating the conditions for the acquisition of knowledge and skills the needs and interests of young people shall be proceeded from; 3) youth work is based on the participation and free will of young people; 4) youth work supports the initiative of young people; 5) youth work proceeds from the principle of equal treatment, tolerance and partnership. When looking at the practice of digital youth work, what would these principles mean in practice? |
Recommendations of the expert group
The expert group developed recommendations for the Member States and for the cooperation at EU level to ensure and enhance the development of digital youth work:
Common understanding of digital youth work
1. Member States should consider the working definition of digital youth work, of the expert group on digitalisation and youth, in their understanding and development of digital youth work.
2. As digital cultures and media are an intrinsic part of young people’s lives, every youth worker should understand the importance of digital youth work and be able to address digital issues in their work.
3. Youth work should embrace technological developments and support young people to develop the skills, competences and courage to actively shape digital Technologies and society.
Strategic development of digital youth work
4. Every Member State should have a plan for developing and resourcing digital youth work as an integral part of their youth policy. Young people and youth organisations should be consulted and engaged in the development and implementation of this plan.
5. Every Member State should provide strategic financial investment in digital youth work. Resources should be allocated to youth worker training, development of innovative digital youth work methodology, working time, infrastructure, and devices/technologies to be used with young people.
6. Digital youth work should be incorporated into youth worker training, national youth work occupational standards and youth worker competence standards.
7. Digitalisation and young people’s digital cultures should be taken into account when designing youth work policy at local, national or European level.
Youth participation and youth rights
8. It should be ensured that digital youth work incorporates an inclusive approach, recognising the barriers to participation in digital engagement. Youth work should make use of technology and pedagogical practices to increase access and break down barriers for all young people to participation in society.
9. Digital youth work shall respect the safety and privacy of all young people, and equip both youth workers and young people with the necessary competences to safeguard the rights of young people online.
Knowledge and evidence
10. Development of digital youth work should be evidence based. To ensure quality in digital youth work, systems should be developed for evaluating its impact, reach and effectiveness.
11. Continuous academic research on young people’s digital uses and cultures is needed to ensure youth work is meeting the needs of young people in the digital age. The research should be done both on national and on European level.
12. As digitalisation is a global phenomenon, it is imperative to facilitate knowledge exchange on digital youth work and young people’s digital cultures on International level. Initiatives should be supported at local, national and European level to share knowledge and practice. Cross-sectoral knowledge exchange should be encouraged to promote innovative thinking.
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The recommendations made by the expert group are structured into four focal areas:
Definitions, better knowledge and strategy for the development are important foundation for the next steps. Especially remarkable however, is the third area, that brings the issues of inclusive approach and equal opportunities together with the rights of young people online and their privacy into the discussion. Looking at the issue of rights, there are several aspects to pay attention to:
It is also interesting to reflect on the issue of youth rights in the context of different approaches to general rights, incoluding connected with e-services and e-governance. For example Estonian authorities developed a document Everyone’s rights in e-state. The e-State Charter in 2018. Both the National Audit Office and the Chancellor of Justice plan to use the criteria highlighted in the e-state charter for the assessment of the quality of public services and for making recommendations to the agencies. What would be new emerging aspects connected with the issue of youth rights in coming decade?
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