What are the big and small issues in online youth engagement right now?

[Tim Davies]

In a couple of days I hope to be able to confirm the date and location of the 2009 unConference (but it's looking pretty certain to be 11th July down/up in London, so you might want to pencil it into your diary...). The focus of the conference itself will be shaped by everyone involved - but to help set a bit of a structure to the day - it would be great to hear about what's going on out there:

* What digital youth work projects are you working on?

* What challenges are you facing in online youth engagement?

* What have been the success stories of the last few months?

Drop a short reply (you can even go for a Twitter style 140 characters if you like) in below and when we get to announce the next unConference soon these updates will help shape it's focus (as well as just being really handy for us to all find out what each other are doing....)

[Andy Appleyard]

Online youth engagement is certainly a hot topic!!!! As a youth worker i can totally see the positives and to be honest unlimited possibilities that are out there for youth engagement. I dont think i have came across a young person in the last year who doesnt have a myspace page, facebook account etc..

However, i can understand the current caution displayed from senior figures i work with in both my workplaces. I have recieved a policy regarding the use of facebook accounts regarding potential communication with young people, which basically says No full stop. Under no circumstance must we use that tool for communication. Is this right or wrong? I think both sides have very good points but for me in my current roles, the negative cautious side is winning. The biggest challenge i face is to attempt to change and alter the mindset of some people who perhaps do not fully understand online opportunities or are unaware.

I think i could type for hours on this matter but i will leave it at that!! This is a great talking point which i often have with my young people.

[mas]

Hi Charlie - that could make an interesting session - exploring different options for being able to publish content online and overcoming various barriers etc.

Its constantly becoming easier to publish all manner of content online - I remember being confused about how a couple of our old volunteers who apparently had no internet access somehow managed to publish on a seemingly constant basis to facebook, of course they were doing so with their phones. Before twitter changed its sms policy in the UK we used it for regular contact and it worked well for a period, again including young people without easy access to the web.

Obviously the different options have different drawbacks too but I reckon a session where people could suggest solutions to overcome barriers and limitations for those like yourself that want to make use of the web would be handy for lots of people. I can't make it to the unconference this time round but I'm sure there will be plenty of people with practical solutions they could suggest for different scenarios and needs etc.

As for using audio and video I'd say thats a great option and theres no need for cost to be a barrier to doing so - inventive use of what you do have is definitely the right way to go. Most phones have both audio and video recording capabilities now, the tricky bit is getting them from the phone in a suitable format, but again there are plenty of options its just a matter of getting things set up to best suit your needs.

[Charlie Bluglass]

My issues are more prosaic - getting the kit for young people in my centre to access the web in the first place.......
Reflecting on the last few months work, I would also say that there are literacy barriers to overcome for a lot of young people, which means increased use of video and audio to get their ideas into digital form. This could have further financial implications, or require inventive use of what you do have.........hmmm thinking further.......

[Jeremy Dennis]

I'm doing some work on our existing websites, particularly the database of positive activities, with the aim of allowing user comments/ratings and user and centre-contributed pics, vids, etc. Trying to combine the support services and positive activities to be delivered by the same database, so young people's searches can return related relevant info (e.g. for topic, geographical area). Unglamorous work mostly -- with brief breaks to twitter!

[mas]

Hi Tim - I'm working on a resource sharing site at the mo for people working with children & young people, Is likely to take some time but possible food for thought for anyone interested in how we can better share resources and more importantly develop a culture of sharing practice and collaborating within the sector.

Hopefully this will also provide a framework for developing the digital youth programme further too albeit knocking the development of that back a little for now.