Community Media for E-Volunteering on Climate Change

This project was requested because it was recognized that in an increasingly digitalized world, there is a need for more skilled professionals to work with young people, and the consortium argued that professionals should play a key role in guiding young people to participate in volunteer activities, as they represent the “bridge” between youth and active society. The project consortium shared the need for better digitization of youth work and increased awareness of environmental issues, in particular climate change. Since digital youth work means using or addressing digital media and technology in youth work, the partners decided to develop this project in a way that responds to the needs of the addressed target groups: equipping youth and social workers, school guides, mentors, tutors and, in general, professionals working with young people, with useful digital skills and tools based on community media, to promote and raise awareness among young people about e-volunteering and activism in the field of climate change.

The project aimed to train social and youth workers, school guides, mentors, tutors and professionals working with youth in the use of community media as a tool to improve the quality of their work and communication. Also, increase digital skills and community media literacy among professionals working with youth. Activate climate change awareness through youth engagement in e-volunteering and activism activities, using community media as an innovative tool, by developing an e-learning platform.

The activities carried out throughout the project have been the analysis of the survey on digital methodologies for youth participation in volunteering activities, a comparative analysis of the results, the design of a pedagogical framework to improve practices in youth work, a curriculum development and a database of community media to be included in the platform. In addition, priorities and challenges related to climate change, pathways for green actions have been assessed, a curriculum developed and a digital toolkit produced, all translated into different languages. 6 units for youth participation and 3 for worker training have been created, translated into the different languages and all uploaded to the e-leraning platform. Multiplier events and pilots have been carried out.

R1: Descriptive map of community media approaches to digital youth work: - Improved understanding of the recent situation of digital youth work in Europe; - Recognized best practices related to community media and youth work; - Measured level of youth participation through community media tools; - Provided a pedagogical framework for best practices in youth work; - Created database of community media, related organizations and best practices, to be included in e-learning platform (R4) R2: Climate change curriculum: - Developed strategies to improve youth work and youth engagement in the field of climate change and social responsibility; - Provided methodologies for raising awareness among youth on climate change, e-volunteering and activism; - Created a digital toolkit on digital youth work in the field of climate change, to improve the competencies of youth workers in their daily tasks and activities. R3: Toolbox for youth work and youth engagement in the field of climate change - Increased motivation of youth workers on youth engagement in climate change and environmental challenges; - Applied newly acquired digital competencies in the framework of digital work and digital youth engagement. - Creation of high quality content aimed at target groups and beneficiaries on the importance of digital activism and e-volunteering, especially in the field of climate change. R4: ECO-Media e-learning platform: trained 75 youth workers/professionals working with youth/mentors/tutors/school guides in partner countries; - Trained 150 youth volunteers in partner countries; - Increased awareness in community media for e-volunteering and digital activism on the topic of climate change; - Improved working methodologies in youth workers; - Improved networking and cooperation between countries. In addition, six multiplier events will ensure maximum exploitation, integration and multiplication of project results by involving representatives of relevant organizations, NGOs, youth centers, institutions, etc.