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Grow With Purpose: Strengthening Your Digital Practice
Grow With Purpose: Strengthening Your Digital Practice
Content
This learning playlist guides youth workers through a reflective and practical journey to understand, assess, and develop their digital competencies using a competence-based approach.
Through a series of six activities, participants explore key concepts such as what competences are, how attitudes and values shape digital youth work practice, and how to assess and grow through self-awareness and strategic planning.
The playlist supports youth workers in identifying their learning needs, mapping digital development priorities, and drafting a personal development plan, equipping them to lead their own learning and contribute to digital transformation in youth work.
All activities are based on the Digital Competences in Youth Work (DYW SNAC) framework and include videos, self-assessment tools, and structured reflection tasks.
Included activities and badges:
- Start with You: What Competence Means in Digital Youth Work
- The Inner Shift: Exploring Attitudes for Digital Youth Work
- Know What Matters: Values in Digital Youth Work
- Facing Change: Growing in Digital Youth Work
- Where Are You Now? Understanding Your Digital Competencies
- My Way: Planning Your Digital Competencies Development
Who is this playlist for?
This playlist is for youth workers who want to understand how to use competence models to guide their professional development in digital youth work. It’s suitable for those starting out as well as experienced practitioners looking to reflect, plan, and grow strategically.
Claim the ultimate playlist badge
Complete all activities and collect the six linked badges to unlock the final badge that recognises your full learning journey and commitment to digital competence development.
Who created this resource?
This playlist and its activities were developed by members of the Cities of Learning Network as part of the DIGITAL SYSTEMIC project - an Erasmus+ co-funded cooperation partnership focused on the systemic development of digital youth work.
The content draws on the Digital Competences in Youth Work (DYW SNAC) framework, the YOCOMO MOOC, and resources co-created by strategic partnerships and national agencies across Europe. It integrates insights from multiple European research studies and tools supporting competence-based learning and digital transformation in youth work.
The learning design follows the standardised approach used on the Digital Youth Work platform and Cities of Learning, combining structured reflection, practical tasks, and Open Badge recognition to support lifelong learning and professional development.
Activities to complete
Complete the following activities, earn badges and you will see your playlist progress updated
Content
Before you can grow, you need to understand where you stand.
Self-assessment using a competence model is a powerful way to reflect on your digital youth work practice, recognise your strengths, and identify areas for development.
In this activity, you’ll explore how to assess your digital competences based on real-life experiences. You’ll be introduced to tools like the DYW SNAC assessment framework and learn how self-assessment can support continuous learning, peer exchange, and professional development in digital youth work.
By completing this activity, you will:
- Understand the role of competence models in digital youth work development
- Practise a self-assessment based on your digital youth work practice
- Recognise your current strengths and learning needs
- Set one relevant and achievable digital competence development goal
Get inspired
Watch a video on how to conduct self-assessment of competencies to prepare for the digital competencies self-assessment.
Source: This video as part of the #YOCOMO – an #ETS online course on competence-based development for youth workers
Watch a webinar recording with Veronica Stefan, who was managing a long-term project of National Agencies called "Digital Youth Work". Veronica shares about digital competences and insights on digital youth work in Europe.
Source: This webinar recoring is part of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Digital Youth Work
More resources:
- Read: Report on Digital Competences and Capacities in Youth Work
- Explore: A long-term project of National Agencies called "Digital Youth Work"
Take action
Task 1: Explore a competence framework
Read through the DYW SNAC digital competencies for youth work framework. Identify the competence areas most relevant to your current digital youth work.
Highlight and annotate a printed copy or take digital notes, screenshots, or create a digital summary.
Task 2: Self-Assess one competence area
Click on the following link (https://bit.ly/DigCompYW) to access the digital competencies self-assessment on this platform (login will be required). Select a competence area (e.g. Digital facilitation) and assess your competencies using the DYW SNAC indicators. Base this on your actual practice.
Self-assessment tool in other languages:
- Dutch
- Lithuanian
- Slovene
- Papiamentu
Task 3: Set a learning goal
Based on your reflection, define one learning goal related to your digital youth work. Explain how this goal connects to your role or youth work practice. Share your goal in written, audio, or visual form.
Claim Open Badge recognition
Upon completing this activity, participants can earn a badge that recognises:
- Engagement in a competence-based self-assessment;
- Awareness of digital competencies, strengths and growth areas;
- Commitment to continued development in digital youth work.
Who created this resource?
This activity is based on a video “How to Conduct Self-Assessment of Competences” and webinar recoding “Competences and Insights on Digital Youth Work in Europe”, produced as part of the YOCOMO MOOC and the SNAC project on digital youth work. The Cities of Learning Network adapted the content to support reflection and competence-based learning in digital youth work.
Next Steps:
Use your learning goal to plan your next steps in digital competence development. Invite a peer or mentor to support your progress. Combine this activity with others in the playlist, such as My Digital Way: Planning Digital Competencies Development, to continue your growth journey.
Get activity badge
Digital Competencies Check Get this badge
This badge is awarded to youth workers who have used a competence model to assess their digital competences and set a meaningful development goal. It recognises a reflective, growth-oriented approach to digital youth work.
To earn this badge, youth workers needed to
- Explore and understand the digital competencies for youth work framework
- Self-assess a selected competence area based on real practice
- Define a relevant learning goal based on their reflection
Skills and experiences gained
This badge is aligned to the following Digital Competences in Youth Work (DYW SNAC) areas:
- Self-reflection and lifelong learning – engaging in active learning and self-evaluation
- Learning and creativity with digital tools – using digital tools to support competence development and learning
- Ethical and values-based digital youth work – acting with awareness and integrity in development processes
This badge shows the earner’s ability to self-assess digital competences and identify personal learning needs in digital youth work practice. Cities of Learning Network partners value badge earners’ reflections and issue this badge after reviewing the provided 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 "Digital Competencies Check" badge:
- Task 1: Explore a competence framework
- Evidence 1: Notes, highlights, or screenshots showing engagement with the DYW SNAC or other relevant digital competencies framework
- Task 2: Self-assess one competence area
- Evidence 2: Use the self-assessment tool to complete self-assessment in at least one competence area. Upload a digital screenshot and a brief reflection on the results - strengths, insights, development directions.
- Task 3: Set a learning goal
- Evidence 3: A written, audio, or visual description of one learning goal for digital competence development based on the self-assessment
Skills
Activities: 6
Started: 1
Completed playlist: 0
Time to complete: 6 hours
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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
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