1
Start with You: What Competence Means in Digital Youth Work
Start with You: What Competence Means in Digital Youth Work
Content
Digital transformation is reshaping the role of youth workers. As digital technologies become integral to youth work, understanding the concept of competence is essential.
This activity introduces youth workers to the competence-based approach as a foundation for professional development, particularly in the field of digital youth work. You will explore how competences, understood as a dynamic combination of attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviours, apply to digital contexts and support your role in fostering inclusive, safe, and meaningful digital experiences for young people.
By completing this activity, you will:
- Define what a competence is and why it matters in digital youth work
- Understand the value and structure of competence frameworks, especially for digital competences
- Recognise the benefits and challenges of a competence-based approach in the youth work context
- Reflect on your development as a digital youth worker and lifelong learner
Get Inspired
Watch the video: What is a competence and a competence-based approach?
Source: This video as part of the #YOCOMO – an #ETS online course on competence-based development for youth workers!
Other resources:
Watch the following videos on digital competencies:
Source: This video is part of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Digital Youth Work
Other resources:
- Explore: Competence Framework for Digital Youth Work Practice, Skill IT digital pathways for youth work.
- Read: Policy recommendations, training needs and good practice examples for youth workers and decision-makers: expert group set up under the European Union Work Plan for Youth for 2016-2018.
Take action
Task 1: Define term "competence" in your own words. Write a short paragraph on paper or in your reflective journal about what competence means to you as a youth worker. Include an example from your practice that illustrates how you demonstrated digital competence in youth work.
You can post your personal definition and example in a shared online space with other youth workers.
Task 2: Identify learning digital competencies from life experiences
Think of three situations (formal or informal) where you developed important digital competences, for example, using digital tools to engage young people, ensuring online safety, or navigating digital ethics.
Reflect on what you learned and which attitudes, skills, or knowledge were involved.
Make a mind-map with your examples on a paper or use a digital mind-mapping tool (e.g. Miro, Canva, or MindMeister) to illustrate your digital learning journey.
Task 3: Reflect on the competence-based approach in digital youth work
How can a competence-based approach support your development as a digital youth worker?
What are the opportunities and limitations when applying this approach to digital youth work in your organisation or context?
Record a short audio note, video reflection, or written response and share it in a youth workers forum or group online.
Claim Open Badge recognition
Upon completing this activity, participants can earn badges that recognise:
- Understanding of the competence-based approach in youth work;
- Ability to reflect on digital learning experiences and learning from them;
- Commitment to developing digital competences for inclusive and impactful youth work.
Who Created This Resource?
This activity is based on the video “What is a competence and a competence-based approach?”, developed as part of the Digital Youth Work Strategic Cooperation (DYW SNAC, 2023), with reference to the Youthpass, the ETS Competence Model for Youth Workers, and the Digital Competences in Youth Work framework. The Cities of Learning Network members adapted these resources to support the youth workers development of digital competencies.
Next Steps
Use the insights and reflections gathered during this activity to begin identifying your current strengths and development needs in digital youth work. Continue to the next activity: The Inner Shift: Exploring Attitudes for Digital Youth Work, where you will engage with a structured self-assessment tool. You can also connect your progress to national frameworks and share your learning with peers in digital youth work communities of practice.
Get activity badge
Foundations of Competence-Based Digital Youth Work Get this badge
Awarded to youth workers who have explored the meaning of competence, reflected on their digital learning experiences, and engaged with the competence-based approach as a tool for professional growth in digital youth work.
To earn this badge, youth workers needed:
- Submit a personal definition of competence with an example from digital youth work
- Identify at least three real-life digital learning experiences and link them to competences
- Reflect on how a competence-based approach can support your digital youth work practice
Skills and experiences gained
This badge aligns with the Digital Competences in Youth Work (DYW SNAC) framework:
- Shared guidelines and peer learning – including self-reflection, engaging in shared understanding, and peer-supported learning
- Self-reflection and lifelong learning – developing awareness of one’s own learning process and planning professional growth
- Learning and creativity with digital tools – using digital tools to support reflection and creativity in learning
- Expressing competence and facilitating recognition – beginning to articulate competences using appropriate language and tools
This badge shows the earner’s understanding of competence and their ability to reflect on digital learning experiences using a structured, competence-based approach. Cities of Learning Network partners value badge earners’ reflections and issue this badge after reviewing the submitted evidence.
Tasks
Task no.1
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Complete at least two of the following tasks by providing evidence to earn the "Foundations of Competence-Based Digital Youth Work" badge:
- Task 1: Submit a personal definition of competence with an example from digital youth work
- Evidence 1: Upload a written or recorded personal definition of competence with a digital youth work example
- Task 2: Identify at least three real-life digital learning experiences and link them to competences
- Evidence 2: A completed analogue or digital competence map with at least three examples
- Task 3: Reflect on how a competence-based approach can support your digital youth work practice
- Evidence 3: A reflection on benefits and challenges of the competence-based approach in digital youth work (text, audio, or video)
Skills
#Availability of shared guidelines
#Using devices and digital tools
#Critically reflecting the impact of digital transformation
Organisers
Digital Youth Work Resource Hub
Awero not-for-profit organisation manages this platform and develops it together with leading educational organisations. The European Union's programme Erasmus+ granted co-funding for building the first version of this platform. Contact support@awero.org.
Platform
Change to another language:
