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Promoting social inclusion through digital youth work
Promoting social inclusion through digital youth work
Content
This activity supports young people, youth workers, and youth work managers in understanding how digital youth work can contribute to social inclusion.
The resource Young People, Social Inclusion and Digitalisation helps youth workers and youth work managers reflect on the challenges of exclusion in digital environments and develop inclusive approaches that ensure all young people can participate meaningfully in digital spaces.
By completing this activity, you will:
- Understand the links between digitisation and social inclusion.
- Identify risks of exclusion and inequality in digital youth work.
- Explore how digital youth work can foster inclusive participation.
- Reflect on your role in creating inclusive digital environments.
Get inspired
Digitalisation has the potential to both include and exclude. According to the resource Young People, Social Inclusion and Digitalisation, digital youth work must go beyond access and be actively designed for inclusion.
Key ideas include:
- Not all young people experience the digital world equally.
- Digital spaces must be intentionally inclusive and safe.
- Inclusion involves recognising intersecting identities and needs.
- Youth participation is key to inclusive digital practices.
Watch the following videos to understand better the digital divide and how to overcome gaps through digital inclusion. Key barriers to digital inclusion and participation explored in videos:
- Not having a suitable internet connection
- Not having suitable digital devices
- Digital tools and platforms lacking accessibility
- Lack of digital skills
- Web content isn't accessible enough
- Virtual communities and spaces aren't welcoming, inclusive and safe
Take action: activities for different roles.
Explore the following role-specific badges to access activities designed to enhance your digital youth work within the organisation. Navigate to a specific badge and complete activities as a youth worker and youth work manager. Involve young people in co-designing digital youth work solutions.
- Youth workers can facilitate the Digital Inclusion Whistleblower badge tasks and activities with young people to help them think through and express their digital inclusion experiences and needs.
- Youth workers can evaluate and adapt inclusive digital practices by completing the Digital Inclusion Facilitator badge tasks.
- Digital Inclusion Integrator badge for youth work managers to embed inclusion into digital strategies and policies.
Claim open badge recognition
Upon completing the activities, participants can claim digital badges demonstrating their efforts in promoting digital inclusion through youth work.
Who created this resource?
This activity is based on Young People, Social Inclusion and Digitalisation: Emerging Knowledge for Practice and Policy (Council of Europe & European Commission, 2021) and has been adapted by the Cities of Learning Network members supporting digital youth work developments:
- Awero, Lithuania (Project Lead)
- Breakthrough Foundation, Netherlands
- Curaçao Innovation & Technology Institute (CITI)
- TiPovej! Zavod - Institute for Creative Society, Slovenia
Next steps: Explore more learning opportunities about equity, accessibility, and diversity in digital youth work. Connect with inclusion-focused organisations and co-create digital projects that empower all young people.
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Draft
Promoting social inclusion through digital youth work
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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