StreetSmart Learn: The Learning Hub for non-formal education in youth work

Background Through our experience working with different youth work organisations, we noticed a need for educational training platforms focused on youth work. Our partners were looking for inspiration and new training to deliver qualitative youth work but found it hard to encounter the necessary tools and training for their specific needs. Next to the two tools Mobile School vzw already developed with the help of Erasmus+ (StreetSmart Impact – mobile app to measure the impact of youth work; and StreetSmart Play – website with educational games), we saw an added value in starting up an online Learning Hub, together with two experienced partners, PRAKSIS and Salvati Copiii Iasi. Through focus groups and research, we learned that important features for this Learning Hub should be interactivity, fun, and easy-to-use, the possibility to collaborate with other users, availability in the mother tongue, certificates and offer good practices. We believe with StreetSmart Learn (http://learn.street-smart.be), we met all those needs, and youth workers inside and outside our own network can now follow online training specified on youth work. Objectives Our goal by implementing StreetSmart Learn was to provide youth workers with the training and knowledge they need and want, so they can set up the right processes with their target group, based on the latter’s needs. Our partners in this project shared the same goal and additional experienced challenges like staff turnover. By creating this Learning Hub, they can also support new staff with the knowledge they need to do a qualitative job as well. By realizing the two project results, building a user-friendly state-of-art digital learning management system (LMS) for youth workers, and creating two types of interactive training (based on educational processes and support training), we think we achieved what we wanted to accomplish within this project. Implementation To bring this project to a good end, we organised monthly project management meetings, online work sessions, a transnational project meeting in Belgium, and three multiplier events. At the beginning of the project, we organised a questionnaire which led to some more in-depth questions for focus groups. These focus groups were organised in the three countries in January 2021. Normally we planned to organise three transnational project meetings – each partner hosting one – but due to COVID-19, there were travel restrictions. That’s why we came up with online work sessions. During the period we were actively writing our training programmes, we came together online to help each other and ask for feedback. From April 2021 until September 2021 these moments were organised monthly. In October 2021 we had one transnational project meeting in Belgium where we recorded video training and voice-overs for videos. We also started preparing the multiplier. Achievements This project resulted in an online learning platform, StreetSmart Learn (http://learn.street-smart.be), available for free in four languages: English, Dutch, French, and Spanish. On this website, we provide online training on topics linked to youth work. There are 17 full programmes available (also in the four languages), which exist out of several courses (smaller learning units). In total, we have 87 courses for each language available on the platform, including courses that contain good practices. All these courses lead to a certificate of completion, which you can download and share online, with your colleagues or with your employer. To motivate learners, we integrated Badgr, which makes it possible for learners to earn a badge when starting or completing a course, participating in a discussion, following a whole programme, and so on… The courses are interactive and respond to different learning styles. This way every learner will feel attracted to the course. We followed the methodology of microlearning, where short learning units (<20 minutes) and only one learning objective for each course are the rule. This makes it more attractive to learn whenever and wherever you are. The website is also available on a mobile phone.