Presented at seminar Youth Information and Councelling in the Digital Era, April 20th 2016

1. What is Digital Youth Work?
Suvi Tuominen
@suvimt
Verke - National developement centre for digital youth work

2. What is Verke?
Our long-term goals:
• Knowledge of how to use digital media and technology will
increase in youth work
• The structures of youth work will support the use of digital media
and technology in youth work
• Innovative services and concepts will be created in the field of
youth work, using digital media and technology

3. Digital youth work has the same
goals as youth work in general

4. Purposes of youth work
• To support young people's growth and
independence
• To promote young people's active citizenship
and empowerment
• To improve young people's growth and living
conditions
Youth Act (72/2006)

5. In practice
Youth work
• helps to find new friends
• helps to find new hobbies
• offers reliable information and guidance
• encourages to develop new skills
• helps to find something meaningful to do
• encourages to take responsibility
• helps young people to get their voice heard
• offers reliable adults

6. How does digital media and
technology help us to achieve our
goals?

7. Digital media and technology can be used in youth work
As a medium As an activity As a content
- Online councelling - Gaming - Young journalists
- Informative web sites - Maker culture, robotics - Discussions about media
- Marketing on social media - GPS based activities - Learning coding
EXAMPLES

8. Some statistics
Want more stats? Check out www.youth.ie/screenagers

13. www.youth.ie/screenagers
• Research conducted in 2015 in five countries: Finland, Ireland,
Northern Ireland, Denmark, Austria
• Statistics, focus group interviews, case examples
• Joint recommendations

15. Kiitos!