Smart youth work in youth centres Erasmus Project

Project Title

Smart youth work in youth centres

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers

Project Summary

The Council of the European Union adopted recommendations in the field of smart youth work in November 2017. The fact is that today we are confronted with a rapidly changing society, thus youth workers, working with young people, need additional knowledge to be able to be mentors to young people on their way to independence. With the project we addressed the challenges and opportunities offered by the digital age, we decided to develop a project idea into the project called Smart youth work in youth centres. With the project, we aimed to answer the questions considering challenges faced by youth policy, youth work and young people. Because the field of digitalization is not yet completely developed, we decided with the project partners from Estonia, Germany and Finland to define the tools, methods and competences we need to answer the challenges of smart youth work.

Since technological development provides new opportunities for developing the skills and competences of young people, we have decided to connect with relevant organizations from abroad and prepare a strategic partnership project that offers opportunities for networking and interaction, expressing opinions, experience, and consequently active citizenship of all involved. We are aware that only well-informed citizens and young people can be active. With this aim, we approach the project of digital youth work in a new field of work, with new methods for working with young people in youth centres. Furthermore, we are aware that digital tools, which are used by young people and youth centres already exist, but the project is taking a step further and strives to will develop the competencies of youth workers and young people on a systematic basis.

Thus, as part of the Smart Youth Work in Youth Centres project, funded by the Erasmus +: Youth in Action program, we carried out a study visit in order to view good practices in Finland. We also conducted international training for youth workers who are responsible for the development of programs in youth centres, where they will develop program content.

During the project, we created a document with tools, methods of work and competences in the area of smart youth work. The set of practices will enable the development of youth centres and more effective work in addressing the contemporary challenges of the digital age. Consequently, the role of youth centres in the field of digital youth work was strengthened. Through the project and project activities, we also considered a part of the European dimension of digital youth work.The project has long-term effects, as we have developed a model for recognizing the competencies of digital youth work and thus also finding the strengths and weaknesses of youth workers in researching and reflecting on the current importance of digital youth work. The impact of the project is broader, sectoral, we are currently in a situation that contains the content of youth work moving to the online environment.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 106544 Eur

Project Coordinator

ZAVOD MLADINSKA MREZA MAMA & Country: SI

Project Partners

• JUGENDKULTURARBEIT EV
• MTU EESTI AVATUD NOORTEKESKUSTE UHENDUS
• VIRTAIN KAUPUNKI