Presentation at Fredi for guests from Århus on April 12, 2022.

1. Digital youth
work & Verke
VERKE 2022

2. • Verke coordinates the centre of expertise on
Digital youth work. It is comprised of Verke (City
of Helsinki) and Koordinaatti (City of Oulu)
• Resources split 4/5 for Verke and 1/5 for
Koordinaatti
• Current tenure 2020-23
• Fully funded by the ministry of Education and
Culture
Centre for expertise on Digital
youth work

3. Youth field centres for expertise 2020-23
• The ministry of Education and Culture appoints the centres for expertise for a
specified period to support the implementation of the national youth policy
• The centres for expertise develop and support the competences, expertise
and information flow of the youth field according to the youth act
1. Municipal youth work - Center for expertise on municipal youth work Kanuuna
Administrated by: the city of Lahti
2. Youth NGO’s current status and impact - Centre for expertise Kentauri
Administrated by: the Guides and Scouts of Finland
3. Youth participation - Centre for expertise on participation
Administreted by: Youth academy
4. Targeted youth work - Centre for expertise on targeted youth work
Administrated by: Into
5. Digital youth work - Centre for expertise on digital youth work
Administrated by: City of Helsinki / Verke
6. Youth work in schools- Nuoska
Administrated by: South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences
CHECK MORE: HTTPS:/
/MINEDU.FI/NUORISOTYON-KESKUKSET

4. Verke
Koordinaatti
Juha Kiviniemi
Maker activities,
international co-operation
Mika Pietilä
Jaana Fedoto
f
Riina Papinaho
Minna Ilva
Manager
Marcus Lundqvist
Training activities
Denice Lönnroth
Co-operation with schools,
swedish speaking
digital youth work
Heikki Lauha
Research and publications,
strategic development of
digital youth work
Matilda Maunula
Communications and
social media
Panu Räsänen
Digital gaming,
cultural digital youth work
Iita-Mari Ruponen
Training activities

5. Main target groups
THE CENTRE OF EXPERTISE FOR DIGITAL YOUTH WORK
People working in municipalities, parishes and NGO:s, including
• Youth work practitioners and planning officers
• Youth work managers
• Other practitioners working with young people or planning officers of said work
• Youth work trainers and lecturers
• Officials, government and the youth field

6. Tasks are outlined in the national youth work and
-policy development programme as follows:
Tasks for the centre of
expertise on digital youth work
1. Digital youth work competences should be strengthened in
managing, planning and implementing youth work –
Verke
2. Knowledge-based development of digital youth work
should be strengthened –
Verke
3. Youth workers need to be educated and more aware on the
risks and opportunities associated with digital media–
Verke
and Koordinaatti
4. Cross-sectoral support for the coordination to combat online
grooming of young people should be provided –
Koordinaatti

7. What does Verke do?
Training:
Training for work communities,
seminar keynotes etc.
Networking:
SomeCamp -event, Discord -server
Communications:
Newsletter, blog, social media
Research:
Research and surveys on digital youth
work, research co-operation
Material production:
Videos, multimedia publications, self-
guided learning materials, podcasts
Consulting:
Sparring groups, board
memberships etc.
All training and materials are free of charge for the users!

8. What we train and provide materials on:
THE CENTRE OF EXPERTISE FOR DIGITAL YOUTH WORK
• Digitalisation and the future
• AI as a colleague
• AR and VR in youth work
• Young peoples’ new forms of active citizenship
• Social media and digital games in youth work
• Strategic development of digital youth work
• Technology education and maker activities in youth work
Content of trainings is always
customised for the work community
Please note:

9. “ANY SUFFICIENTLY
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
IS INDISTINGUISHABLE
FROM MAGIC”
Digital youth work intro
- SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE

11. • Revolution of communication
• Impact on employment
• Change in social interaction
• New services and phenomena
• A global societal change
VIEWPOINTS TO
DIGITALISATION

12. • Focuses on digitalisation of the youth
fi
eld and youth
work practice
• Simply put, it means using or addressing digital media
and / or technology in youth work as a tool, activity or
content
• Encompasses a wide variety of methods and
approaches that can be included in any form of youth
work
• Is underpinned by existing youth work goals, values
and principles
• Can be physical, online or a mix of these
What is digital youth work?

13. Examples of digital youth
work practice
Digitality as a tool
Emphasis on the
digitalisation of youth work
activities to enhance their
accessibility and relevance
•Using digital tools to
facilitate youth
participation
•Reaching young people
with social media
•Online help services aimed
for high-risk young people

14. Examples of digital youth
work practice
Digitality as an
activity
Emphasis on learning by
doing
and hands-on activities
•Game education, ie.
Game development
activities
•Digital maker activities
combined with arts and
crafts
•Using GPS-enabled apps
for adventure activities

15. Examples of digital youth
work practice
Digitality as
content
Emphasis on issues and
phenomena
related to digitalisation
•Discussing online
phenomena with young
people
•Organising events
connected with young
peoples online cultures, ie.
tubecons
•Using digital media to
support young peoples
self-expression

16. A — B — Obvious News — C — D — E — F
Youth
work
tools
Youth
work
spaces
Youth
work
values
Youth
work
timing
Youth
work
methods
Q: Which aspects of your youth
work have been affected?
0
20
40
60
80
100
majorly moderately slightly
“Everything has
changed. All our
structures, our
framework, our
support environ-
ment, our work
– everything.”
Online survey respondent

17. •Technical issues: connections,
fi
rewalls, hardware..
•Data protection guidelines and
concerns
•How do we reach young people?
•We have had service x, how do
we do that in this platform?
COMMON QUESTIONS / ISSUES

18. EUROPEAN DIGITAL
YOUTH WORK AND THE
COVID-19 PANDEMIC:
WHAT’S NEXT?
DR ALICJA PAWLUCZUK,
UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY

19. European Digital Youth Work and the
Covid-19 pandemic: What’s next?
01: Recognise
Let’s take digital youth work
seriously
The key message from the
data is clear – digital youth
work should be recognised
as an essential
fi
eld of
youth work practice and
not merely considered as a
set of ad hoc digital
activities.
DR ALICJA PAWLUCZUK, UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY

20. European Digital Youth Work and the
Covid-19 pandemic: What’s next?
02: Support
Let’s consider and address
youth workers’ learning
needs and their well-being
[…] many youth workers still
require additional support
to e
ff
ectively accompany,
support and empower
young people in their
digital participation.
DR ALICJA PAWLUCZUK, UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY

21. European Digital Youth Work and the
Covid-19 pandemic: What’s next?
03: Provision
Let’s provide access to
digital technologies and
youth-friendly internet
During the pandemic,
many youth workers had to
rely on their personal
devices and data
allowance to manage and
deliver their youth work
provision. Thus any future
planning and delivery of
future digital youth work
interventions should
consider the provision of a
reliable source of internet
and digital devices.
DR ALICJA PAWLUCZUK, UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY

22. • Access to technology (Youth work as an
enabler)
• Technology skills (Most technology skills
are learned outside of formal education)
• Understanding technology (Looking at
technology as a phenomenon in the
context of young peoples daily lives)
• Technical skills vs. Tool for self-expression?
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND
YOUTH WORK

23. DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE
• COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
• HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
• EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES (E.G. AI,
BIG DATA, IOT)
—> TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE
SNAC ON DIGITAL YOUTH WORK
BUILDING AN ECOSYSTEM
• CAPACITY BUILDING
• RESEARCH
• CO-OPERATION
• FUNDING
—> SYSTEMIC CHANGE
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF YOUTH WORK
POLICY AND PRACTICE
• YOUTH & YOUTH WORK POLICY
• SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
• YOUTH WORK PRACTICE
—> CULTURAL CHANGE

24. 1.The criteria for professional
digital competence in youth
work.
2. A professional digital
competence self-
assessment tool.
3.A competence test
DIGITAL COMPETENCE
TOOLBOX

25. •I know how to install
the programs and
applications required
by my work if
necessary.
•I know how to justify
the need for the
devices and
applications required
by my work to my
employer if necessary.
•I know how to use the
software and digital
services
required by my
employer and know
where to get additional
support in their use.
•I know how to set the
basic settings of the
mobile devices
provided by my
employer, such as
sharing location data
and managing network
connections and
applications.
DIGITAL COMPETENCE
REQUIRED IN WORK

26. •I know how to guide
young people in the
use of the
equipment provided
by youth work.
•I know how to use
the devices and
applications
provided by my
employer in
reaching and
engaging with
young people and
implementing youth
work processes.
DIGITAL COMPETENCE IN
YOUTH WORK PRACTICE

27. •I understand what digital
youth work means.
•I know how to utilise
digital solutions in
planning my work.
•I know how to utilise
digital solutions in
mapping out the wishes
and needs of young
people.
•I know how to utilise
digital solutions in
organising and assessing
services as well as
gathering feedback from
young people.
•I know how to make time
for youth work carried
out in digital
environments.
DIGITAL COMPETENCE
REQUIRED IN WORK

28. •I know how to carry
out digital youth
work in accordance
with my
organisation’s
objectives.
•I know how to set
objectives for the
use of digital media
and technology in
my own youth work.
•I know how to
promote youth
participation and
equality (e.g. taking
minorities into
consideration) with
the help of digital
media and
technology.
•I know how to guide
young people to the
digital services of
reliable actors.
DIGITAL COMPETENCE IN
YOUTH WORK PRACTICE

29. •I understand what is meant
by online identi
fi
ers (e.g. IP
address, cookie) and what
they are used for.
•I understand what is meant
by the EU’s General Data
Protection Regulation
(GDPR) and the Data
Protection Act.
•I know how to create a
secure password as well as
use and manage
passwords in services that I
use as an employee.
•I know how to comply with
the data security
guidelines of my
organisation in my work.
•I know how to securely
share access rights to
shared accounts in
services used for work.
•I know how to look up the
terms of use for the
services I use as well as
assess the ethical and legal
issues related to the use of
the services (e.g. the age
limit for the service, who
owns the service, which
country’s legislation the
service administrator
complies with).
DIGITAL COMPETENCE
REQUIRED IN WORK

30. •I understand what is
meant by digital
rights and know how
to address the theme
with young people.
•I know how to talk
with young people
about issues related
to their personal data,
terms of services and
privacy management.
•I know how to comply
with the data
protection principles
when communicating
with young people
and when processing
their personal data.
DIGITAL COMPETENCE IN
YOUTH WORK PRACTICE

31. •I recognise current
phenomena related to
digitalisation and the
e
ff
ects of digitalisation
on society and young
people.
•I recognise media
cultures and media
usage habits of young
people as well as
current youth culture
phenomena related to
them.
•I understand how large
an impact digital
technology and media
have on the lives of
young people.
•I know how to look for
and critically assess
various forms of media
content and digital
technologies.
DIGITAL COMPETENCE
REQUIRED IN WORK

32. •I understand what is
meant by the terms
‘media education’ (incl.
game education) and
‘technology education’.
•I know how to strengthen
young people’s
information seeking skills
and critical thinking with
regard to digital content
and services.
•I know how to address
the risks related to the
use of digital media and
technology (e.g.
disinformation, adverse
e
ff
ects of gaming, online
harassment, grooming,
hate speech) with young
people.
•I know how to address
the positive and negative
e
ff
ects of digital
technology on well-
being with young people.
•I know how to discuss the
environmental impacts of
the use of digital
technology with young
people.
DIGITAL COMPETENCE IN
YOUTH WORK PRACTICE

33. •I know how to
produce text,
images, audio and
video with the
equipment,
programs and
applications I use at
work and publish
them in digital
environments (e.g.
social media), taking
accessibility into
account.
•I understand what
copyright means
and how it must be
taken into account
in the consuming,
producing and
sharing of digital
content.
•I know how to look
for and use content
available under a
free licence (e.g.
Creative Commons).
DIGITAL COMPETENCE
REQUIRED IN WORK

34. •I understand the
possibilities o
ff
ered
by practical
technology
education (e.g.
programming,
maker culture,
robotics) in
supporting the self-
expression and
creativity of young
people.
•I know how to
support young
people in their self-
expression and
creativity by
utilising digital
technology.
•I know how to o
ff
er
young people tools
for producing
digital content.
DIGITAL COMPETENCE IN
YOUTH WORK PRACTICE

35. •I recognise young people’s
digital communication habits
and cultures (e.g. emojis,
memes, abbreviations).
•I know how to act in
accordance with my
employer’s guidelines and
good practice in digital
environments.
•I know how to manage my
professional online identity
and maintain a professional
relationship and boundaries
with young people in digital
environments.
•I know how to interact with
young people in digital
environments in accordance
with the principles of
professional ethics for youth
work (e.g. ethical guidelines for
online youth work, professional
ethical guidelines for youth
work).
•I know how to utilise digital
tools in professional interaction
and work in digital
environments in various
cooperation networks.
•I know how to utilise the
opportunities for professional
development o
ff
ered by
digitalisation (e.g. online
courses, lectures and
materials, peer support).
DIGITAL COMPETENCE
REQUIRED IN WORK

36. •I know how to support
young people in
building their digital
identity.
•I know how to support
young people in
fi
nding digital methods
of strengthening their
social relationships,
engaging in
cooperation,
promoting digital
competence and
participating in
activities that interest
them.
•I know how to provide
young people with
ways to in
fl
uence
society by utilising
digital technology.
•I know how to
recognise and support
young people’s own
ways of in
fl
uencing
and participating in
society.
DIGITAL COMPETENCE IN
YOUTH WORK PRACTICE

43. JUHA KIVINIEMI, VERKE
CREATIVE ACTIVITIES WHERE
YOUNG PEOPLE CAN GAIN NEW
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND
ATTITUDES AROUND TECHNOLOGY
Maker activities

44. • Technological developments
• Maker -movement (US)
• Maker faires from 2006
• Make magazine
• US government involved
HISTORY

45. • Learning by doing and
experimentation
• Informal context
• Hobby community
• Peer learning in a central role
DEFINITION

46. • STEAM = Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts and Maths
• STEAM activities often have a more
de
fi
ned curriculum and learning goals
• STEAM activities are heavily linked to
sciences
• Structural di
ff
erences (course-based
vs. “Let’s see what happens” etc.)
MAKER ACTIVITIES VS.
STEAM

47. • Facilities and communities that give access
for doing things together
• In the
fi
nnish youth
fi
eld: Lappenranta, with
an up cycling / ecological theme
• Libraries around Finland have makerspaces
• Hacklabs around Finland
• Europe - for example Luxembourg has a
network of youth work makerspaces
MAKERSPACES

48. • Young People learn most of
their technology skills on their
free time
• The digital gap exists, and a
central task of youth work is
to build equal opportunities
WHY?
TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

49. • Experiment with low threshold kits
• Buy equipment together with
other close organisations
• Get to know free coding platforms
(ie. Scratch)
• See if there are opportunities in
your community
WHERE TO BEGIN?

50. • Background
• Youth work examples
• Inspiration and food for
thought
• Only pdf available, multimedia
version in the works
OUR BOOK