youth work in a digital age - policy, practice, and theory
TRANSCRIPT
Youth Work in a Digital AgeDana CohlmeyerPhD ResearcherUniversity of [email protected] @DigYouthWork
Structure Introduction
A Scottish Context
Putting it into Practice
Task: Exploring Digital Youth Work
Introduction
My background Youth work/CLD experience (10 years) Masters dissertation: Youth Work 2.0: towards a
Manifesto for Digital Youth Work Literature review Findings: Manifesto for Digital Youth Work arguing
for youth work aimed at developing digital abilities of young people within a digital society
PhD thesis: Contemporary Youth Work, Digital Possibilities: investigating the influence of technology on the nature and purpose of youth work
What is digital youth work? online youth work
internet outreach
online dialogue
cyber-support
virtual interaction services
web-based youth work
cyber youth work
virtual interaction services
virtual youth work
digital street work
computer-mediated youth work
What is digital youth work? Engages young people using conventional youth work
ideals Incorporates digital environments (social networking
sites, secure communities, etc.) and/or digital devices Wholly online versus face-to-face blended interventions
Requires practitioners to have understanding/experience of: Youth work ideals/youth issues digital issues young people face Their personal relationship towards/within a digital society
Supports young people in developing their offline and/or online agency(Developed/adapted using: Cohlmeyer, D. (2012) Youth Work 2.0: towards a digital youth work
manifesto. Unpublished dissertation (MSc), University of Edinburgh.
PhD ResearchResearch question: How is technology influencing the nature and purpose of youth work?Sub-questions explore: Commonalities/differences with face-to-face youth work Youth workers/young people’s views on digital youth
work How these sit alongside conventional youth work models How these sit alongside experiential/informal learning
theories
Research methodology Case study using an ethnographic approach
exploring digital youth work within LGBT Youth Scotland
Methods include Individual semi-structured interviews (9 staff, 8
volunteers) Small-group semi-structured interviews (17 young
people aged 14-23) Forensic reconstruction of organisational digital
footprint Observations Document analysis
Initial findings Language: Cyber-Support (2004); National Internet
Outreach (2010); Online Youth Work (2013); Digital Youth Work (2014)
Management: began thinking of DYW conceptually (2010); discussed in Youth Work Strategy as ‘cross-cutting’ (2015)
Relationships: young people have little concern about practitioners seeing personal stuff on SNS profiles; construct of digital environments influences nature of disclosures
New knowledge: potential v. reality of nature of interventions (supporting digital development v. digital versions of face-to-face interventions)
A Scottish Context
Government National Youth Work Strategy 2014-2019
No explicit discussions of digital issues Scotland’s Digital Future: a strategy for
Scotland (2011) (last reviewed 2013) ever-greater push for digital delivery of public
services Curriculum for Excellence (lifelong learning
strategy) Heavily influences funding and opportunities development
within youth work/CLD sector
GovernmentDigital Scotland ambitions: people have access to the best of digital technology and are
capable and confident in its use at home, at work and on the move
businesses have the skills and confidence to exploit digital technologies
economic environment encourages digital innovation and supports the creation, growth and development of businesses
seen as an attractive place for inward investment in digital technologies.
YouthLink Scotland Digitally Agile National Practices (2014): focus on
practice, policy, professional guidelines, resources, inclusion, evaluation, digital literacy, learning and development, and co-production
2014 Scottish Youth Work Week Conference theme: Youth Work and Digital Participation
Digitally Agile CLD – Are we? (DACLD) (2012): national survey of CLD sector
Digitally Agile website: http://www.digitallyagilecld.org
DACLD – key findings Main development driver: Personal use driving
professional use out of self-interest and motivation 3 main barriers: lack of relevant training, financial
barriers, and inadequate policies to support use Further barriers: not being seen as priority, and
pace of change in relation to new being being too rapid to keep up
Identified opportunities: development of e-learning and signposting, blended learning, connecting communities globally, engaging local initiatives
Youth work traditionsTradition
Characteristics
Functional
•Socialising young people to conform to preconceived norms as form of remediation•Predefined programmes over fixed time periods/often includes learning and accreditation
Liberal •Emphasis on association and socialising leading to personal development, achievement of individual/group goals•Less formal, more participative programme often developed in partnership between workers and young people
Critical •Participants seen as ‘capable social actors and citizens’ (p. 15)•Active process of participation based on social engagement; curriculum negotiated and arises from dialogue exploring power, equality, and/or social justice
(Developed from: Coburn, A. & Wallace, D. (2011) Youth Work in Communities and Schools. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press Ltd. Pp 13-17.)
Putting it into Practice
Digital youth work possibilitiesTradition
Conventional Practice in Digital Environments
Digital Development Practice
Functional
Online 1-2-1 support around substance misuse, mental/sexual health
Improve digital literacy, etc. to ensure participants understand rights and responsibilities in digital environments
Liberal Create virtual communities (e.g. Minecraft) whereby young people come together under common interest
Explore concepts such as digital citizenship and/or participation using a more open structure to develop opportunities
Critical Digital literacy, citizenship, and participation opportunities taken to the next level whereby young people are supported into creative social transformation•Example: LGBTYS Download project – trained Youth Activists manage Facebook page/provide peer mentoring to raise issues
Youth work principles/implicationsPrinciples Digital ImplicationsEngagement is voluntary
Is presence and interaction of adults w/yp online interfering in their private lives? No, if choice to engage is made voluntarily by yp
Starts from where yp are at
Responsible to yp’s risks/opportunities needs rather than adhering to pre-set digital curriculum
Encourages yp to go beyond where they started
YP may not fully grasp risks/opportunities; workers encourage positive choices
Seeks to build yp’s resourcefulness, resiliency, and resolve
Is such behaviour better addressed by digital or convention interventions? Why not both? Worker uses experience and own digital literacy skills/knowledge to make judgement
(Continued on next slide)
(continued)Principles Digital ImplicationsIs associational (working with yp within peer networks)
Technology plays key role in how yp engage with their peers; Workers encourage positive behaviours
Addresses yp as such and not through adult-imposed categories or labels
Concepts of privacy/appropriateness shift from generation to generation; workers must understand same in digital environments
Draws upon relationship of trust
Boundaries easily blurred and must be well-managed
Open to new approaches and ways of engaging yp
Provides chance to complement existing youth work practices and build new models of work
(adapted from: Davies, T. & Cranston, P. (2008) Youth Work & Social Networking: Final Research Report. Leicester: National Youth Agency. http://blog.practicalparticipation.co.up/wpcontent/uploads/2009/08/fullYouth-Work-&-Social-Networking-Final-Report.pdf. [Accessed 19th October 2011].
Challenges• Being where they want us to be• Providing online support for offline issues• Organisational capacity/constraints• Exclusion/Access• Practitioners understanding personal relationship w/technology• Danger of ‘instead of’ rather than ‘as well as’ in effort to cut
costs• Finding balance between yp’s needs and organisational aims• Understanding DYW practice in relation to conventional practice
Opportunities Developing innovative practice/pushing boundaries
within ever-changing digital contexts Co-production of digital opportunities with young
people Reaching isolated and/or disengaged young people Expanding reach of services to more young people Support young people in developing skills necessary in
a digital society
Resources (references can be found at the bottom of individual slides as necessary)
Curriculum for Excellence http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningandteaching/thecurriculum/
Digital Scotland http://www.digitalscotland.org Scotland’s Digital Future
http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2011/03/04162416/0 Scotland’s National Youth Work Strategy 2014-2019
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/YouthWorkStrategy181214_tcm4-823155.pdf
Task: Exploring DYW
Task: Exploring Digital Youth Work
Part One – Discuss for 10 minutes
Using ORANGE post-its: What do conventional (face-to-face) youth work and digital youth work have in common?
Using RED post-its: What differences are there between the two?
Task: Exploring Digital Youth Work
Part Two – Discuss for 10 minutes
Using ORANGE post-its: What challenges are there in digital youth work?
Using RED post-its: What opportunities are there in digital youth work?