21
Digital Rights
Digital Rights
Content
Young people are online every day, meaning they actively exercise their digital rights while also being vulnerable to their violation. In this playlist, you will learn how to support and protect young people in the digital world.
Digital youth work plays a crucial role in promoting respect for these rights and raising awareness of the associated risks. We will look at the ethical frameworks and practical steps you can take to create a safe digital environment for and with young people. This forms the basis for trust in online relationships.
Key Focus Areas in this Playlist:
- Viewing digital rights as an opportunity within youth work (C3.1).
- Awareness-raising on young people’s digital rights and their risks (C3.2).
- Supporting digital safety and resilience (C3.3).
About the Digital Competence Check
This playlist is directly linked to Competence Area 3 of the Digital Competence Check Digital rights, which is based on the European DYW SNAC Model. The Check covers 5 areas, 14 specific competences, and 38 indicators, helping you to map your starting proficiency level. By following this playlist, you will specifically target and improve the skills identified as areas for development.
This playlist features activities from the platform, all directly connected to this competence area. It is up to you to decide which activities are the most interesting and relevant for your professional development.
Within each activity, you will find four different badges. One badge is specifically intended for the Youth Worker. There are also badges for the Youth Worker's Manager and for Young People, should you wish to involve them in your development. This joint growth path is essential and is rooted in the Digital Systemic Team approach. Evidence shows that digital youth work is best realised when these four roles (Youth Worker, Manager, Young Person) collaborate.
Activities to complete
Complete the following activities, earn badges and you will see your playlist progress updated
Content
This activity highlights how digital tools and youth work practices can create safe spaces for open dialogue, reduce polarisation, and build stronger communities grounded in shared values.
By completing this activity, you will:
- Understand the importance of dialogue in overcoming polarisation among (young) people.
- Explore the Hard Topics App and other free tools for fostering conversations between individuals with differing views.
- Reflect on how you can integrate dialogue methods into your personal, professional, or organisational context.
Get Inspired
Why dialogue? In a world where social polarisation is increasing, creating spaces for young people to share perspectives respectfully has never been more important. Dialogue builds trust, reduces fear, and encourages curiosity instead of conflict.
The Hard Topics App connects people with opposing views, turning disagreement into a chance for learning and aims to empower young people and youth workers through dialogue, training, and innovative tools.
Take action: activities for different roles
Explore the role-specific badges below to access tasks that guide reflection and practice in dialogue work:
- Young people can use the Hard Topics App and dialogue tools to reflect on their own perspectives, learn how to listen respectfully to different opinions, and practice constructive conversations in safe settings. By engaging with the tools, they can discover new ways to connect with peers across differences and strengthen their confidence in addressing “hard topics” in everyday life, school, or online spaces.
- Youth workers can integrate the Hard Topics resources into workshops, mentoring sessions, and group activities. They can use the app to structure meaningful conversations, apply dialogue methods in their daily practice, and create supportive environments where young people feel safe to share differing views. This helps reduce polarisation and empowers youth to build empathy and critical thinking skills.
- Youth organisations and managers can use the Hard Topics recommendations to develop long-term strategies for dialogue-based youth work. This includes embedding dialogue methods into programmes, policies, and organisational culture, supporting their staff with training, and building partnerships with other organisations in the Dialogue Network. By doing so, they strengthen their capacity to address polarisation systematically and promote shared values across communities.
Suggested follow up activities
- Host a Dialogue Café: Organise a safe and structured dialogue event where young people with different perspectives can meet and discuss “hard topics.” Use the Hard Topics App to guide conversations and ensure everyone has space to share and listen.
- Run a Dialogue Skills Exchange: Invite peers, youth workers, or community members to share practical methods for constructive dialogue — from active listening to non-violent communication. Match these skills with the needs identified in your group and practice them together.
- Organise a “Bridging Differences” Meetup: Bring together young people, educators, and community leaders to explore how dialogue can address polarisation in schools, communities, or online spaces. Use the Hard Topics toolkit as a framework, and invite guest speakers or facilitators experienced in mediation and dialogue.
- Join the Dialogue Network: A international community of individuals and organisations committed to dialogue, where you can join online meetings, share dialogue-related knowledge, skills, and tools, discover best practices in dialogue, showcase your work and connect with credible partners for your next project.
Claim Open Badge Recognition
After completing this activity, you can earn digital badges that recognise your progress in:
- Dialogue skills and the ability to engage respectfully across differences
- Awareness of tools and methods that reduce polarisation in youth settings
- Commitment to fostering inclusive, safe, and meaningful conversations
Who created this resource?
This activity is based on the Hard Topics project, co-developed by Socialna akademija (Slovenia), IniciativAngola (Austria), KatHAZ (Hungary), and Documenta (Croatia) as part of a European Erasmus+ initiative to strengthen dialogue and reduce social polarisation among young people. The project has created innovative tools such as the Hard Topics App, dialogue training methods, a handbook, and a blog to support youth workers, educators, and organisations in fostering constructive discussions on sensitive social and political issues.
The Digital Systemic partnership and the Cities of Learning Network use these resources to create this activity, aiming to promote inclusive dialogue, empower young people with critical conversation skills, and showcase quality European educational resources that respond to the challenges of polarisation in youth work.
Next steps: Deepen your learning by creating your own dialogue scenarios based on real-life challenges in your community or youth work practice. Try integrating the Hard Topics App into workshops or training programmes to spark meaningful conversations across different perspectives. You can also use this activity as inspiration to design your own dialogue-based tools or online resources that youth organisations worldwide could adapt to strengthen democratic participation and reduce polarisation.
Get activity badge
Dialogue Builder Get this badge
This badge is awarded to anyone — youth, youth workers, or managers — who actively engages in exploring dialogue as a tool for connection and inclusion via Hard Topic digital app. It highlights your commitment to respectful conversation and reducing polarisation in everyday life or work.
You have to finish 2 tasks to get the badge
Tasks
Task no.1
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Reflect on a key learning or “aha moment” from using the Hard Topics resources and share how it applies to your role or context.
Task no.2
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Identify one personal or professional action you can take to support dialogue in your community or workplace.
Task no.3
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Describe what respectful, inclusive dialogue means to you and why it matters in today’s world.
Skills
#Good Level. Helps young people to understand the difference between facts, mis/dis-information, and, in general, to critically analyse information.
#Excellent Level. Supportes young people to improve their behaviours in looking for trustworthy sources or running their own online research.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to develop counter-narratives to a case of fake news or disinformation.
#Excellent Level. Helps young people to critically analyse current communication challenges related to the information crisis and the use of synthetic media.
#Fair Level. Sensitise young people on situations when they are not fairly treated in the digitalised world.
#Good Level. Set with young people learning objectives on how to support their digital rights.
#Fair Level. Discusses with young people about the type of digital content they want to produce
#Good Level. Learns to integrate practice-based learning (non-formal learning) and youth participatory approaches in digital youth work practiceer personality.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Good Level. Understands digital youth work in a broad context of social effects and economic interests of digital transformation; applies solid ethical principles to both digital and traditional youth work.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to create their communities, based on pre-set learning objectives, while reflecting on the results.
#Fair Level. Askes young people to critically assess the practices of the youth work offering.
#Good Level. Sets with young people learning objectives for digital youth work.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Excellent Level. Empowers youth groups to use their critical thinking and imagination in order to discuss the ethical implications and find solutions to issues such as profiling, algorithmic filtering or algorithmic bias.
#Fair Level. Knows how to support young people to collectively, as a group, gather and reflect on online information (non-formal learning is social knowledge production).
ESCO
#develop a recycling program
ESCO
#checking recycling procedures
ESCO
#advising about pollution prevention
ETS-TR
#Consciously provides space for dialogue and interaction taking into account learners’ values and beliefs and offers space to reflect on them in the educational context
#Excellent Level. Creates different types of digital content and knows how to support others in similar processes (eg. podcasts; videos)
#Excellent Level. Empowers youth groups to use their critical thinking and imagination in order to discuss the ethical implications and find solutions to issues such as profiling, algorithmic filtering or algorithmic bias.
#Good Level. Knows how to organise educational and participatory activities connected to youth’s digital rights, and has been organised several with organisation.
#Good Level. Sets with young people learning objectives for digital youth work.
#Elementary Level. Uses basic digital tools and devices to run some digital youth work activities with young people, based on own intuition
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to create their communities, based on pre-set learning objectives, while reflecting on the results.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Constantly assess, together with young people and/or other youth workers on the quality of the digital work and reflects what has been learned; as an intentional process part of the digital youth work strategy.
#Good Level. Plans and implements multiple digital youth work activities, using a diversity of digital tools
#Excellent Level. Shares practices, as a member of a network, which meets regularly and aims at developing digital youth work.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Excellent Level. Empowers youth groups to use their critical thinking and imagination in order to discuss the ethical implications and find solutions to issues such as profiling, algorithmic filtering or algorithmic bias.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Creates different types of digital content and knows how to support others in similar processes (eg. podcasts; videos)
#Good Level. Sets with young people learning objectives for digital youth work.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to create their communities, based on pre-set learning objectives, while reflecting on the results.
#Excellent Level. Empowers youth groups to use their critical thinking and imagination in order to discuss the ethical implications and find solutions to issues such as profiling, algorithmic filtering or algorithmic bias.
#Excellent Level. Engages young people on equal footing in the planning, running and evaluation of digital activities; they are an integral part of the strategic approach to digital transformation.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Excellent Level. Shares practices, as a member of a network, which meets regularly and aims at developing digital youth work.
#Excellent Level. Empowers youth groups to use their critical thinking and imagination in order to discuss the ethical implications and find solutions to issues such as profiling, algorithmic filtering or algorithmic bias.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Creates different types of digital content and knows how to support others in similar processes (eg. podcasts; videos)
#Excellent Level. Understands the benefits and risks of gaming and XR, knows how to deal with them and how to guide young people to ethical platforms; when needed, refers young people to specialised support in case of excessive/inappropriate use.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Engages young people on equal footing in the planning, running and evaluation of digital activities; they are an integral part of the strategic approach to digital transformation.
#Good Level. Gathers a group of young people to engage in technological activities and agreed about their learning outcomes
#Good Level. Sets together with young people educational aims for their own digital content production
#Good Level. Sets with young people learning objectives for digital youth work.
#Excellent Level. Engages young people on equal footing in the planning, running and evaluation of digital activities; they are an integral part of the strategic approach to digital transformation.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to create their communities, based on pre-set learning objectives, while reflecting on the results.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Shares practices, as a member of a network, which meets regularly and aims at developing digital youth work.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Excellent Level. Understands the benefits and risks of gaming and XR, knows how to deal with them and how to guide young people to ethical platforms; when needed, refers young people to specialised support in case of excessive/inappropriate use.
#Excellent Level. Creates different types of digital content and knows how to support others in similar processes (eg. podcasts; videos)
#Good Level. Gathers a group of young people to engage in technological activities and agreed about their learning outcomes
#Excellent Level. Understands the benefits and risks of gaming and XR, knows how to deal with them and how to guide young people to ethical platforms; when needed, refers young people to specialised support in case of excessive/inappropriate use.
#Excellent Level. Creates different types of digital content and knows how to support others in similar processes (eg. podcasts; videos)
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Fair Level. Supports young people to learn social skills through participation in digital communities, such as discussion groups, life-style sites, vlogs or gaming.
#Good Level. Plans and implements multiple digital youth work activities, using a diversity of digital tools
#Good Level. Sets with young people learning objectives for digital youth work.
#Excellent Level. Runs digital youth work activities that are based on the guidelines of organisation, the ideas of young people, and on the principles set by the national and European organisations.
#Excellent Level. Engages young people on equal footing in the planning, running and evaluation of digital activities; they are an integral part of the strategic approach to digital transformation.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Excellent Level. Develops an ability to kick-off an innovative spirit in digital youth work activities; intentionally updates competences in the field, and is aware of trends but also policies in the field.
#Excellent Level. Shares practices, as a member of a network, which meets regularly and aims at developing digital youth work.
#Excellent Level. Guides a youth group to develop their own initiative on digital rights - using a project, an online study, or managing an exchange program.
#Excellent Level. Knows the key elements of main European digital regulations in the digital field and knows how to ethically apply them in youth work contexts.
#Excellent Level. Confident in using a diversity of digital tools and platforms to support youth work and deliver youth work services. (e.g. advanced technological equipment, digital cameras or software, AI tools)
#Excellent Level. Engages young people on equal footing in the planning, running and evaluation of digital activities; they are an integral part of the strategic approach to digital transformation.
#Excellent Level. Implements a process, designed with organisation, through which assess together with young people the individual and organisational priorities/needs connected to digital transformation.
#Excellent Level. Confident in using a diversity of digital tools and platforms to support youth work and deliver youth work services. (e.g. advanced technological equipment, digital cameras or software, AI tools)
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Good Level. Ensures that young people with fewer opportunities have participated in digital learning activities, such as thematic events, problem-solving, producing their own content, or vlogs.
#Excellent Level. Shares practices, as a member of a network, which meets regularly and aims at developing digital youth work.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Fair Level. Supports young people to learn social skills through participation in digital communities, such as discussion groups, life-style sites, vlogs or gaming.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Excellent Level. Shares practices, as a member of a network, which meets regularly and aims at developing digital youth work.
#Excellent Level. Empowers youth groups to use their critical thinking and imagination in order to discuss the ethical implications and find solutions to issues such as profiling, algorithmic filtering or algorithmic bias.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to create their communities, based on pre-set learning objectives, while reflecting on the results.
#Excellent Level. Engages young people on equal footing in the planning, running and evaluation of digital activities; they are an integral part of the strategic approach to digital transformation.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to create their communities, based on pre-set learning objectives, while reflecting on the results.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Excellent Level. Creates different types of digital content and knows how to support others in similar processes (eg. podcasts; videos)
#Excellent Level. Empowers youth groups to use their critical thinking and imagination in order to discuss the ethical implications and find solutions to issues such as profiling, algorithmic filtering or algorithmic bias.
#Fair Level. Supports young people to learn social skills through participation in digital communities, such as discussion groups, life-style sites, vlogs or gaming.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Empowers youth groups to use their critical thinking and imagination in order to discuss the ethical implications and find solutions to issues such as profiling, algorithmic filtering or algorithmic bias.
#Excellent Level. Supportes young people to improve their behaviours in looking for trustworthy sources or running their own online research.
#Excellent Level. Engages young people on equal footing in the planning, running and evaluation of digital activities; they are an integral part of the strategic approach to digital transformation.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to create their communities, based on pre-set learning objectives, while reflecting on the results.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people who independently carries out their content production
#Fair Level. Participates regularly in local, national and/or international e-meetings and e-seminars.
#Awareness-raising on young people’s digital rights and their risks
ESCO
#data privacy
#Good Level. Creates a safe context for digital use and suggested young people to protect themselves from potential cybersecurity threats.
#Fair Level. Knows how to support young people to collectively, as a group, gather and reflect on online information (non-formal learning is social knowledge production).
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to create their communities, based on pre-set learning objectives, while reflecting on the results.
#Good Level. Learns to integrate practice-based learning (non-formal learning) and youth participatory approaches in digital youth work practiceer personality.
#Fair Level. Discusses with young people about the type of digital content they want to produce
#Fair Level. Advises young people on their basic functional skills, such as critically navigating through a variety of websites and platforms.
#Excellent Level. Runs digital youth work activities that are based on the guidelines of organisation, the ideas of young people, and on the principles set by the national and European organisations.
#Good Level. Runs digital youth work activities based on the guidelines of organisation.
#Excellent Level. Develops an ability to kick-off an innovative spirit in digital youth work activities; intentionally updates competences in the field, and is aware of trends but also policies in the field.
#Good Level. Learns to integrate practice-based learning (non-formal learning) and youth participatory approaches in digital youth work practiceer personality.
#Fair Level. Knows how to easily find online information about young people, and uses in planning digital youth work.
#Good Level. Ensures that young people with fewer opportunities have participated in digital learning activities, such as thematic events, problem-solving, producing their own content, or vlogs.
#Fair Level. Supports young people to learn social skills through participation in digital communities, such as discussion groups, life-style sites, vlogs or gaming.
#Excellent Level. Confident in using a diversity of digital tools and platforms to support youth work and deliver youth work services. (e.g. advanced technological equipment, digital cameras or software, AI tools)
#Fair Level. Discusses with young people about the type of digital content they want to produce
#Fair Level. Exchanges views with young people about their online safety and security.
#Good Level. Understands digital youth work in a broad context of social effects and economic interests of digital transformation; applies solid ethical principles to both digital and traditional youth work.
#Elementary Level. Understands that youth workers and young people should learn together.
#Fair Level. Knows how to support young people to collectively, as a group, gather and reflect on online information (non-formal learning is social knowledge production).
#Good Level. Empowers young people to co-create digital content together with other youth workers/professionals
#Excellent Level. Understands the benefits and risks of gaming and XR, knows how to deal with them and how to guide young people to ethical platforms; when needed, refers young people to specialised support in case of excessive/inappropriate use.
#Good Level. Creates a safe context for digital use and suggested young people to protect themselves from potential cybersecurity threats.
#Excellent Level. Creates different types of digital content and knows how to support others in similar processes (eg. podcasts; videos)
#Excellent Level. Engages young people on equal footing in the planning, running and evaluation of digital activities; they are an integral part of the strategic approach to digital transformation.
#Good Level. Knows how to organise educational and participatory activities connected to youth’s digital rights, and has been organised several with organisation.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Fair Level. Supports young people to learn social skills through participation in digital communities, such as discussion groups, life-style sites, vlogs or gaming.
#Fair Level. Askes young people to critically assess the practices of the youth work offering.
#Excellent Level. Empowers youth groups to use their critical thinking and imagination in order to discuss the ethical implications and find solutions to issues such as profiling, algorithmic filtering or algorithmic bias.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to create their communities, based on pre-set learning objectives, while reflecting on the results.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people to assess their learnings after running their digital rights activities, and identify new ways of how to address them.
#Excellent Level. Empowers youth groups to use their critical thinking and imagination in order to discuss the ethical implications and find solutions to issues such as profiling, algorithmic filtering or algorithmic bias.
#Good Level. Sets together with young people educational aims for their own digital content production
#Excellent Level. Engages young people on equal footing in the planning, running and evaluation of digital activities; they are an integral part of the strategic approach to digital transformation.
#Good Level. Ensures that young people with fewer opportunities have participated in digital learning activities, such as thematic events, problem-solving, producing their own content, or vlogs.
#Good Level. Gathers a group of young people to engage in technological activities and agreed about their learning outcomes
#Good Level. Learns to integrate practice-based learning (non-formal learning) and youth participatory approaches in digital youth work practiceer personality.
#Excellent Level. Supports young people and other youth workers to set goals for meaningful digital youth work, assess them and reflect jointly on the outcomes.
#Good Level. Plans and implements multiple digital youth work activities, using a diversity of digital tools
#Fair Level. Knows how to support young people to collectively, as a group, gather and reflect on online information (non-formal learning is social knowledge production).
Activities: 20
Started: 51
Completed playlist: 50
Time to complete: 2 days 6 hours 15 minutes
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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.
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