Webinar speech by Juha Kiviniemi: How can we plan and implement digital youth work?

1. Where are we with digital
youth work?
Where are we going -
and perhaps more importantly, how do we get there?
Juha Kiviniemi, Verke
6.11.2020

2. slideshare.net/verkeorg

3. @verkeorg

4. About me • Youth worker, digital
youth work expert,
facilitator, maker,
freelance trainer
• In the youth field since
2003
• Maker activities, impact
measurement and
strategic
implementation of
Digital youth work

6. Some perspectives:
(adapted from Arthur C. Clarke)

7. ”The only way of discovering the
limits of the possible is to venture
a little way past them into the
impossible.”
(Clarke’s second law)

8. ”Any sufficiently
advanced technology is
indistinguishable from magic.”
(Clarke’s third law)

9. ”Every revolutionary idea —
in science, politics, art, or whatever
— seems to evoke three stages of
reaction. They may be summed up
by these phrases:
(Clarke’s law of revolutionary
ideas)

10. 1. "It's completely impossible —
don't waste my time”;
2. "It's possible, but it's not worth
doing”;
3. "I said it was a good idea all
along."

11. Verke • Centre for expertise on
digital youth work
• Operated since 2011,
fully funded by the
Finnish ministry of
culture and education
• 7 full-time staff
members
• Current tenure
2020-2023

12. Current
focus points
• Climate effects of
technologisation
• Strategic
implementation and
leadership in Digital
youth work
• Combining online and
F2F activities
• Competence criteria
and / in youth worker
primary training

13. 1. The basics

14. Digital
youth work
•Digital youth work
means using or
adressing digital
media and technology
in youth work
•Digital youth work is
underpinned by the
same values and goals
as youth work in general
•Digital youth work can
be a tool, activity or
content in youth work
EU council conclusions on digital
youth work
(2019)

15. Digital youth
work as a tool •Using digital tools to
organise group
activities
•Reaching and engaging
young people on social
media
•Low-threshold help
activities for vulnerable
young people
Emphasis on the digital
transformation of existing youth
work activities

16. Digital youth
work as an
activity
•Game education
activities, for example e-
sports or game
development activities
•Maker activities, with
perhaps combined arts
and crafts
•Using GPS-enabled
activities like
ActionBound as new,
engaging activities
Emphasis on learning by doing
and new activities

17. Digital youth
work as
content
•Reflecting together on
things young people
have encountered
online
•Organising events
related to young
peoples digital cultures
•Using production of
digital media content to
support young peoples
creative output
Emphasis on issues and
phenomena related to
digitalisation

18. 2. Where are we?

19. An alternative
to “traditional”
youth work?
• Online youth work
during the pandemic has
been (for a large part)
this
• Something to do until we
get back to “normal”
• A failsafe
• Challenges: resources,
competences and
competence development
of practitioners, long-
term development

20. A special skill
had by only
some?
• Something compared to
dance, sports or for
example crafts as a
youth work tool
• Something that requires
a set of special skills
• Can only be done by a
select few
• Challenges: interfacing
with daily practice,
resources, staff changes

21. A parallel
process?
• Usually relates to the target
group: are we trying to
reach young people that we
normally wouldn’t reach?
or
• We can offer young people
activities that we couldn’t
offer without digital
approaches
• Can bring with it lovely new
activities
• Challenge is again
resources

22. A
complementary
process?
• Digitality brings added value
to the work already being done
• Digital youth work is used to
complement face-to-face or
non-digital activities
• Brings something that couldn’t
be otherwise done or
streamlines the process
• Can also be more engaging for
young people (but there’s a
risk)
• Central challenge is
identifying our core
processes and goals

23. Ongoing research

24. European Digital Youth
Work and the Covid-19
pandemic: What’s next?
(SALTO)

26. 3. Where are we headed?
(And how do we get there?)

27. Practice level • Make sure you have
identified your goals
and core values
• “Steal and borrow - but
give it back” - a lot is
already happening
• Innovate new practice
or re-invent existing
ones
• Experiment, fail, iterate
and implement

28. What kind of
plans do we
have?
• Identify different levels of
plans that guide the work
• Strategic plans (Goals,
values, resources etc.)
• Action plans (How do
we reach goals, what
activities do we
implement etc.)
• Personal, goal-oriented
work (How does the
action plan guide my
work, how do I measure
goals etc.)

29. What do we
actually do?
• Identify core goals and
values
• Identify what is means
in practice on
different levels of
work:
• Organisational level
• Work community
level
• Practice level

30. Existing
resources
• verke.org English
materials
• digitalyouthwork.eu
• researchyouth.net

35. Finally.. • Can we identify our core
processes and values and
share that
understanding?
• Are the structures
supporting renewal of
practice?
• Do we have the ability
and motivation to re-
invent ourselves when
needed?
• How can we better
prepare for future
changes in our field?

36. Thank you!
juha@verke.org
www.verke.org