E-Participation

Most young people in Europe know how to use Google or Facebook, but do they know how to use digital technologies in order to become active citizens or to improve the quality of their “Youth in Action” projects?

 

Digital competences are one of the eight key competences for lifelong learning, which are fundamental in a knowledge-based society. They are a combination of technical skills, a capacity for using digital technologies in daily life activities, working and studying, an ability to critically assess information and use it in a productive way, and (raising) interest in participating in the digital world. Digital competences give young people leverage in the job market and help them participate in daily life. On top of that, digitally competent young people can use media tools to improve the quality of their “Youth in Action “projects and disseminate and exploit their results. In order to make sure this happens, youth workers need to incentivise young people to exercise active citizenship through using media tools and to sensibly and critically use them in their activities.

 

SALTO Participation has been involved in the “Media Wake-up” long-term training and cooperation project, set up with the aim of raising awareness in young people about Structured Dialogue and youth participation in decision making through the active use of participatory media.

Four National Agencies of the “Youth in Action “Programme are also involved in this project, namely the French Speaking Community of Belgium, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Lithuania. As part of this project, a transnational seminar for youth leaders was organised in November 2012, “Media Wake-up” aiming to create space for sharing the realities of using media for active participation, to learn new ways, methods and tools for using participatory media, and to promote Structured Dialogue and “Youth in Action” opportunities for youth participation.

The participants in this seminar produced 5 audio and video materials that you can watch/listen to here https://vimeo.com/55536593.

 

Future activities in 2013

In 2013 SALTO Participation will set up the "Get connected" training course on youth e-participation addressed to youth workers. The course will help youth workers to raise awareness among young people about the efficient and critical use of media tools in order to actively participate in daily life.

The course will encourage reflection on, inter alia, a definition of active e-participation, the educational use of media, and it will also draw on participants’ experiences, case studies and examples where media tools have been used in youth projects.

It will be held in Cyprus in November 2013. To find out when you can apply for it, visit our 2013 Activities page on a regular basis.

 

The follow-up of the training module will be a publication/media product on e-participation and youth work.

 

Call for 2 experienced trainers for the "Get Connected" training course for youth workers on youth e-participation