AMPLIFY! — Video Tools for Stronger Youth Voices

Most people working with young people have never been trained in digital communication. The result is that excellent work on the ground stays invisible: activities that changed something for a young person never leave the room they happened in, and the organisations doing that work struggle to reach the very people they exist to serve.

AMPLIFY! is an Erasmus+ project that tackles this directly. It supports youth workers in using digital media confidently and ethically as tools for participation, inclusion and youth engagement. The project is built around two complementary international training courses: the first focused on podcasting and audio storytelling; this second one turns to video, visual communication and social media.

Over eight days in Portugal, participants learn how to turn youth work activities, local initiatives and community stories into content that works on today's platforms. The approach is entirely hands-on: participants film, edit and publish real material throughout the week, working in small international teams and finishing with a mini-campaign they plan and launch together.

Beyond the technical side, the course makes space to reflect on how digital media can be used ethically and creatively — how to represent young people with dignity, how to handle consent and visibility, and how to raise awareness of social issues without flattening them into content.

Content

Visual storytelling principles and writing for short-form video

Filming with smartphones: framing, light, sound, and working with what you have

Editing, subtitling and graphic overlays

Adapting the same story for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube

Content planning and coherent social media campaigns

Team labs: producing real video content from first draft to publication

Planning and launching a mini-campaign

A Climate Fresk session and a cultural visit to Lisbon

Youthpass process, reflection groups and follow-up planning

Methodology

The course uses non-formal education throughout: experiential learning, peer exchange, small-group production work, reflection groups, and daily feedback. Participants come with mixed levels of digital experience on purpose — the more confident support the less confident, and everyone produces something by the end.