Background and aim of this meeting

The challenge is clear: due to the increasing online dimension in the lives of our younger generation, there is often a gap between the reality of educators/youth workers and the reality of young people. To a higher degree than older generations, young people mainly get their information online and are exposed to countless sources and standpoints, some of which might be concerning or harmful. Older generations are increasingly aware that the online social media world is in fact part of the real world for young people.

However, they might lack understanding of how important it is to connect to this part of young people’s experiences, and often do not know how to do this in practice. Practitioners working with youth still experience challenges in knowing what content young people engage with online, and how to integrate this into their practices. Being unaware of how to connect to this online reality might, for example, lead to surprises if a pupil starts to proclaim disturbing opinions in class; that’s why it is important to be informed and prepared.

This leads to the question: how to bridge these gaps in order to connect to the full reality of young people? Offline efforts should take into account the reality of the online domain. It is essential for youth professionals and educators to understand the full reality young people live in, including the online dimension of their ‘real world’.  This will enable them to build trust and credibility, and connect with young people; all necessary prerequisites for first-line practitioners working with the prevention of radicalisation.

Target audience: youth workers, teachers, educational staff and other professionals with relevant experience

This meeting aims to provide youth professionals with practical tips, methods and tools on how to bridge the online and offline world, as there is no distinction between the two worlds for young people. Rather than looking at how to engage with young people online, the focus of the meeting will be on creating awareness of the sources, trends and narratives that circulate online, and how to integrate these into an offline pedagogical practice. Outcomes of the meeting will be concrete suggestions to increase social media literacy among educators and youth workers.

Questions that will be discussed during the meeting include:

• Why is this topic relevant for teachers and youth workers when it comes to PVE?
• What challenges do you face in the interaction with youth when it comes to their online engagements?
• How can teachers and youth workers connect to the full reality of young people, without engaging in this online world themselves?
• How do you inform yourself about trending platforms, content and narratives among young people?
• What working methods do you use/know to pull the online world into the classroom or into youth work environments?
• What collaborations are of interest to schools and youth work organisations when it comes to the connection between the on- and offline world?

How to register?

We are currently looking for youth workers, teachers and other educational professionals who have experience with integrating the online world into their offline engagements with youth.

If you can provide concrete examples from daily practices, or if you experience challenges with this topic, please register here. We will invite participants based on the information in the registration link. Please note that we only invite a limited number of participants for this meeting to ensure valuable exchange and interaction, so participation for this meeting is not guaranteed. 
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact Boy Broeders or Pomme Woltman.