TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Aleksandr Post
The main objective of the "Digital Future" training course was to bring together youth work professionals to collaboratively enhance the digital transformation within the youth work sector. The project aimed for participants to teach each other the different digital tools and platforms utilized in their respective organizations, and collectively create new tools and strategies applicable to their work.
Specific objectives included:
- Applying digital transformation concepts to non-formal education in youth work.
- Exploring various alternatives for digitalization within the youth work field.
- Learning about and cataloging different types of digital tools, platforms, and spaces relevant to youth work.
- Exploring pathways towards a more ethical and democratic use of digital tools in youth work.
- Discovering and sharing existing structures and strategies for the digitalization of youth work, particularly those used directly with young people.
- Improving participants' digital knowledge and competencies as applied to youth work.
The project addressed the need for youth work professionals to adapt to the increasing importance of digital tools and platforms. It responded to the necessity for shared learning and collaborative development of strategies to effectively integrate digital transformation into non-formal education and youth work practices, including considerations of ethical use.
The training directly supported the goals of participating organizations by enhancing the digital competencies of their youth work professionals. It provided a platform for inter-organizational learning and the co-creation of new digital tools and strategies, thereby increasing the organizations' capacity for digital transformation in their youth work activities.
The target group consisted of 20 youth work professionals. Participants were required to be 18 years or older (no upper age limit), interested in the project topic (digital tools and transformation in youth work), and able to communicate in English.
The training course involved participants from 5 countries: Spain (Host), Bulgaria, Italy, Latvia, and Romania. Each country was represented by 4 participants.
This Training Course focused on digital transformation in youth work through a collaborative, peer-learning approach. The core activity involved youth work professionals teaching each other about digital tools and platforms they use. Participants collectively explored alternatives, cataloged tools, discussed ethical usage, and shared strategies for digitalization in youth work. The process included the co-creation of new digital tools and strategies applicable to non-formal education settings.
The project explicitly applied digital transformation concepts to non-formal education, using peer-teaching, exploration, discussion, and collaborative creation as key learning methods.
Participants achieved improved digital knowledge and competencies specifically applicable to youth work. They explored and cataloged various digital tools, platforms, and spaces relevant to the field. The training fostered an understanding of ethical and democratic considerations in using digital tools. Participants shared and learned about different structures and strategies for digitalizing youth work. Furthermore, the collaborative environment resulted in the creation of new digital tools and strategies developed by the participants themselves.
Success could be gauged by the participants' enhanced digital competencies, the range and quality of digital tools and strategies shared and cataloged during the course, the depth of exploration into ethical digital practices, and the successful co-creation of new tools and strategies applicable to youth work.
- Designing and managing the framework where participants could effectively teach and learn from each other about various digital tools and platforms used in their youth work.
- Facilitating sessions dedicated to exploring digital alternatives and systematically cataloging useful tools, platforms, and spaces for youth work.
- Leading discussions on the ethical and democratic use of digital tools, as well as sharing and analyzing different structures and strategies for digital transformation in youth work.
- Guiding the collaborative process where participants worked together to create new digital tools and strategies applicable to their field.
- Ensuring a productive learning environment, managing group dynamics among professionals, maintaining focus on objectives, and overseeing the overall flow of the training course based on non-formal education principles.
- Providing expertise on non-formal education methods, collaboration techniques, and digital pedagogy to support the peer-learning and co-creation activities.