No Cap about Youth work

Aims & objectives

The training aimed to strengthen youth workers’ understanding of young people’s digital culture and online communication, while also developing their capacity to use artificial intelligence critically, ethically and practically in youth work.

The main objectives were to:

understand current trends among young people in online communities;
better understand how young people communicate on digital platforms;
explore the role and online presence of youth workers;
introduce the basics of generative AI;
develop basic prompt-engineering skills;
strengthen participants’ ability to critically verify information and sources;
develop concrete AI-supported activities that can be used in everyday youth work;
use AI tools to address practical challenges in youth work;
strengthen digital responsibility and online safety for both youth workers and young people.

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

The target group consisted of youth workers interested in digital youth work, online communication with young people and the practical use of artificial intelligence.

The activity was designed as a six-day international training for youth workers.

Participants and trainers came from:
Portugal, Slovakoa, Greece, Estonia, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy and Slovenia.

Training methods used & main activities

The programme was based on non-formal learning and combined interactive learning, practical experimentation, peer learning and reflection.

Methods included:

interactive presentations and facilitated discussions;
sharing experiences and opinions about young people’s digital culture;
analysis of young people’s communication habits and behaviour in online environments;
collaborative creation of a “dictionary” of online communication used by young people;
practical introduction to generative AI;
hands-on prompt-engineering exercises;
critical source-checking activities;
collaborative group work;
development of AI-supported youth-work activities;
creation and testing of digital activity prototypes;
peer feedback on participants’ prototypes;
reflection and evaluation.
The methodology connected theoretical understanding with practical experimentation. Participants were expected not only to learn about AI and digital communication, but also to create and test concrete activities that they could later adapt to their own youth-work contexts.

Outcomes of the activity

The training strengthened participants’ understanding of young people’s online communication and digital culture and increased their practical competences for using AI in youth work.

Through the activity, participants:

developed a better understanding of trends and communication practices in online youth communities;
explored the language and communication patterns used by young people online;
gained basic knowledge of generative AI;
developed prompt-engineering skills;
strengthened their ability to critically assess information and verify sources;
explored ethical questions connected with the use of AI;
developed concrete AI-supported activities for youth work;
created and tested prototypes of digital activities;
received peer feedback and further developed their ideas;
reflected on digital responsibility, safety and the appropriate use of AI in youth work.

Publications or websites documenting the training:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LL_ZCy9fANEq-AaVcIAz_zGDOHjM4zMw/view?usp=sharing

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

I worked as a full-time co-trainer during the six-day international training and was responsible for the preparation and delivery of the training programme.

My responsibilities included:

preparing the training programme and learning activities;
participating in preparatory meetings with the organiser;
facilitating sessions on young people’s digital culture and online communication;
supporting participants in analysing the habits and needs of young people on social media;
facilitating the creation of a shared “dictionary” of online communication used by young people;
introducing generative AI and its relevance for youth work;
facilitating practical prompt-engineering activities;
supporting participants in critically checking information and sources;
facilitating discussions on ethical and responsible use of AI;
supporting participants in developing AI-supported youth-work activities;
facilitating the development and testing of digital activity prototypes;
organising peer-feedback processes;
facilitating reflection and evaluation;
supporting participants in connecting the acquired knowledge with their everyday work with young people.

I worked on this training for 6 days as a full time trainer.