DIGITALISE IT! Exchanges of Practices of digital storytelling in youth work Erasmus Project

Project Title

DIGITALISE IT! Exchanges of Practices of digital storytelling in youth work

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Inclusion – equity; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)

Project Summary

The project « Digitalise it » was a follow-up from a previous project in which Y-E-N and its partners discovered, tested and validated innovative and creative digital tools such as digital storytelling and talent approach.
The aim of this strategic partnership was therefore to experiment, share and confront practices on innovative, digital and creative methods and tools to foster youth empowerment and social inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities.

The objectives of the project were:
– To explore the benefits, challenges, and ethical considerations of digital tools when working with young people with fewer opportunities and in vulnerable situations;
– To promote the added value of digital tools in youth work;
– To develop digital competences of youth workers by training them on the use of digital storytelling and talent approach with young people with fewer opportunities;
– To create a safe space for young people with fewer opportunities to reflect on their own life story, train them to storytelling techniques and media literacy and empower them to show their potential;
– To inform young people with fewer opportunities about their rights, empower them to stand for these rights and get motivation for change;
– To build capacity of the participating organisations and provide networking and peer-learning opportunities between them.

This project had 3 different target groups:
– Participating organisations working with young people with fewer opportunities / in vulnerable situations;
– Youth workers and volunteers from the participating organisations;
– Young people with fewer opportunities / in vulnerable situations, beneficiaries of the participating organisations.

Project timeline:
1- Kick-off meeting (transnational meeting) – February 2018 – Strasbourg, France;
2- Capacity building: Training Course 1 (TC1) on Digital Storytelling for youth workers – April 2018 – Ostia-Rome, Italy;
3- Practice Phase in each partner organisation – April-July 2018;
4- Capacity building: Training Course 2 (TC2) on Digital Storytelling for young people with fewer opportunities – July 2018 – Strasbourg, France;
5- Practice Phase in each partner organisation – July-December 2018;
6- Mid-term meeting (transnational meeting) – December 2018 – Thessaloniki, Greece;
7- Capacity building: Study Visit 1 (SV1) – March 2019 – Rotterdam, The Netherlands;
8- Capacity building: Study Visit 2 (SV2) – May 2019 – Oviedo, Spain;
9- Practice Phase in each partner organisation – May-November 2019;
10- Evaluation meeting (transnational meeting) – November 2019 – Strasbourg, France.

The results of the project include:
– 1 Facebook group created to share practices on the topic (link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/439736053127415/);
– 10 digital storytelling videos created by the participants to TC1 and TC2 (link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3B7JOEYE1QA_4W4t3zBIPXHYsN-evMjJ);
– 2 vlogs published online, one on the TC2 and one the 2 Study Visits (link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3B7JOEYE1QA_4W4t3zBIPXHYsN-evMjJ);
– 4 video interviews created by the participants to SV1 (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL3B7JOEYE1QB2BeXsnf8Csfo9-1KyTenH&v=cMl81InTNUA);
– 1 podcast created by the participants to SV2 (link: https://youtu.be/D-QH7Fh2puE) ;
– 1 community event held in Affabulazione social and cultural centre in Ostia-Rome, Italy during TC1;
– 1 movie event held in Dordrecht, the Netherlands during SV1 (link : https://www.facebook.com/events/562915200881509/);
– 23 local workshops held in the 6 partner organisations’ countries reaching 160 young people in vulnerable situations;
– 6 press releases or webpages published about the project in each partner organisations’ country (links available here: http://youthexpressnetwork.org/tag/digitalise-it-en/);
– 1 toolkit « Digital storytelling in practice » published online (link: https://issuu.com/y-e-n/docs/toolkit_digitalise_it_-_final);

The project impacted directly 172 young people with fewer opportunities accross 6 different countries, and around 20 youth workers.
Each partner organisation will continue to work on the topic of the project, at local or European level.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 96718,98 Eur

Project Coordinator

RESEAU EXPRESS JEUNES EXCLUSION INTEGRATION & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Asociación Cultural YOUROPÍA
• The Exchangeables
• ASSOCIAZIONE CULTURALE AFFABULAZIONE
• SDRUZENIE AKTIVNO BALGARSKO OBSHTESTVO
• UNITED SOCIETIES OF BALKANS