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The Digitally Inclusive Youth Worker
The Digitally Inclusive Youth Worker
Content
This activity invites youth workers, youth work managers and young people to navigate some of the most significant challenges of our time—the digital divide, online misinformation, and the rapid pace of technological change.
By equipping yourself with new skills and forging key partnerships, you can help young people not only survive but thrive in the digital world. This is your chance to empower the next generation with the digital confidence they need to succeed.
The Challenge
In the Netherlands, about 4.5 million people struggle to fully participate in the digital world. While many assume this primarily affects older adults, a significant number of young people also lack essential digital skills. They might be great at social media, but often struggle with official digital tasks like applying for student financing, managing health insurance, or finding housing when they turn 18.
By completing this activity, you will:
- Equip yourself and your team with essential digital inclusion skills.
- Forge sustainable partnerships with local organizations.
- Help young people confidently tackle digital challenges.
- Contribute to a resilient and digitally literate community.
Get inspired
Ready to make a real difference in your community? Digital inclusion isn't just a buzzword; it's a way to help young people build a more secure and independent future. By connecting them with the right resources, you can empower them to navigate complex digital systems, recognize misinformation, and become confident citizens in a digital world. This is your chance to become a vital link in a city-wide network and help close the digital gap, one young person at a time. Watch this video of the library Rotterdam:
Libraries, like the Rotterdam Library, are stepping up to help, but they can't reach all young people alone. That's where you, as a youth worker, come in.
The Opportunity
Youth workers are crucial in bridging the gap between young people who need digital support and the resources available. By enhancing your own digital inclusion skills, you can:
- Identify young people who need help navigating the digital world.
- Refer them to valuable resources, like library courses on digital administration, recognising fake news, or improving information literacy.
- Collaborate with a wider network of experts and organisations to create a stronger support system for youth.
- Empower young people to become critical, confident, and independent digital citizens.
Take action: Activities for different roles
Explore the following role-specific badges to access activities designed to enhance your digital youth work within the organization. Each badge contains a series of clear, actionable tasks tailored to your role.
- Youth workers can earn the Digital Empowerment Guide badge to get hands-on experience and a practical guide for helping young people directly.
- Managers can earn the Future Ready Leader badge to develop and implement a strategic plan for digital inclusion across the organization.
- Young people can earn the Digital Pathfinder badge to build their own skills and gain confidence in a practical way.
Your Mission: Become a Digitally Inclusive Youth Worker
This activity will guide you through practical steps to help young people in your community thrive in the digital age.
Phase 1: Understanding the Landscape (Preparation)
1. Review the Context: Read through the provided transcript about the Rotterdam Library's Digital Inclusion program. Pay close attention to:
- The challenges young people face with digital skills.
- The services the library offers (workshops, device access, help desks).
- The library's need for collaboration with youth workers and other organisations, including well-being organizations and private companies.
2. Identify Local Resources and Experts: Research various organizations in your area that focus on digital skills or youth support. This includes not only libraries but also:
- Well-being and community centers: They often have programs that address digital literacy as part of broader social support.
- Schools and vocational training centers: These institutions may offer courses or resources focused on practical digital skills for future employment.
- Tech companies or startups: Some companies, especially those that offer refurbished devices or digital training, may have social responsibility programs that could be a great resource.
- Experts and foundations: Look for local experts or foundations dedicated to media literacy, cybersecurity, or digital well-being.
3. Assess Youth Needs: Reflect on the young people you work with. Have you noticed any struggles they have with digital tasks? Consider issues like applying for jobs online, understanding government letters, or managing personal finances digitally.
Phase 2: Taking Action (Implementation)
1. Initiate Contact: Reach out to a potential partner—whether it's the local library, a community center, or another relevant organisation. Schedule a meeting to discuss their digital inclusion efforts for youth and how you can collaborate. Be prepared to share insights on the specific digital challenges you've observed.
2. Plan a Collaborative Activity: Work with your partner(s) to plan a small, targeted activity for young people. This could be:
- A joint workshop on a specific digital skill (e.g., "Navigating Government Websites" or "Spotting Misinformation Online").
- A regular "digital help desk" session in your youth center, with support from a partner organization's staff.
- Organizing a visit for a group of young people to a relevant partner organization to explore their digital resources.
3. Implement and Support: Execute your planned activity. Actively support the young people involved, helping them engage with the content and address their specific digital questions.
Phase 3: Reflecting and Growing (Impact & Learning)
- Gather Feedback: After the activity, collect feedback from the participating young people. You could use simple questionnaires, informal interviews, or group discussions. Ask about what they learned, how it helped them, and what digital challenges they still face.
- Evaluate Impact: Reflect on the success of your collaboration and the impact on the young people. Did their digital confidence or skills improve? Did they access new resources? How might this impact their ability to participate digitally?
- Share Your Learnings: Share your experiences and findings with your colleagues and the partnering organizations. Discuss what went well, what challenges arose, and how future collaborations can be even more effective.
- Consider Next Steps: Based on your experience, what are the next steps for you as a digitally inclusive youth worker? Are there other skills you want to develop, or new partnerships you want to explore?
Who created this resource?
This approach to using Digital Inclusion in youth work is inspired by Library Rotterdam and adapted by the Dutch Cities of Learning Network.
Next steps:
Try this approach in your own youth work setting. Start by earning the badges in this activity. Then, explore more resources on digital inclusion at https://www.digitalyouthwork.net/.
Get activity badge
Borrador
Badge for Youth Workers:
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.
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