IT tools in non-formal education of young people

Youngsters deal more and more with technology, internet and mobile devices. Most often they watch videos, listen to music and have full time access with their friends. They see themselves mostly as consumers of digital media but not so much as creators of digital material, even though thousands of pictures are put on Instagram and short movies are shared every day. Adults fear that youngsters lose their time, their contact with the “real” world and social competences while staring into their screens. Many adults have a hard time understanding or appreciating digital skills youngsters have, and their motivation to be constantly online. This often leads adults to ban digital devices during educational activities, closing themselves out from getting to know new digital tools and often getting into conflicts with youngsters. With this TC we are proposing solutions that value the needs of adults and youngsters and support communication between them, by looking for ways where youth workers keep on track with “digital youngsters” and include digital devices into their work: being online as a developmental tool to foster digital creativity. During TC we will work with a wide spectrum of tools and applications to experience creative and fun ways of using them with the focus on digital outdoor activities. The participants are invited to discover the concept of digital youth work and to discuss current realities and challenges we are facing as youth workers working and living in a more and more digitalised world. Participants get prepared to develop their own ideas for new digital activities and projects and share their own experience of working with and using digital tools. Objectives: • Experience popular digital tools that can be used in youth work focusing on outdoor activities, • Discover the concept of digital youth work, • Share experiences and good practices of youth work dealing with digital reality, • Develop creative digital activities and project ideas for youth work, Participant Profile: If you: - are 18 and over, - work with young people using non-formal education methods, - believe that it’s important and pedagogically useful to deal with digital realities in youth work, - want to give your digital skills an upgrade and - start including a digital attitude in your youth work then apply for “IT tools in non-formal education of young people”.