Hello and Happy Summer Hols!
I hope you are well and been able to enjoy the recent lovely weekend and have been on hols or have one on the horizon to look forward too.
Youth Work Online was established a few years ago and we want to re-invigorate this as a source of helpful, inspirational and reflective online portal for practitioners and decision makers who work with young people. The current team are very busy with their various professional projects and as such we are planning to submit a funding application to the Digital Edge fund.
We are applying under the section: AREA 3 Renegotiating Professional Practice, page 8. We need to submit the stage 1 application by Aug 1st. (Sorry for the short notice, been very busy with various projects and deadlines)
Please come share your views on Twitter via a ‘Tweet-Up’ session this coming Monday 30th July 8pm-8.30pm.
The hashtag for the tweet up session will be #ywo – we would like to gain you views about how you think Youth Work Online can be improved, diversified and simply developed into a practical useful tool for youth practitioners.
We have the following ideas/concepts: THESE ARE SUGGESTIONS, please share yours!!
Funds to pay for 4 days acclimation time to be used in a variety on ways during a month i.e.
2.0 days: Person(s) to update the resource area, facilitate debate, network offline with universities, youth provisions, policy makers and senior decision makers and promote the forum to youth practitioners and young people.
Support and advocate the ‘groups’ section to re-invigorate online debate between practitioners who are conducting research, policy or training development and ethical debates.
1.0 day: Guest speakers (Lectures from youth and communities sectors: prepare and host a hot topic), support interested youth practitioners and young people to post blogs and debates relating to digital technologies and social media.
1.0 day: Offer online advice and support to questions or queries from organisations and youth practitioners who are or exploring how to use the internet or social media to engage vulnerable young people.
New Beedies section: Information section for youth practitioners who are new and dipping their toes into digital media;
Online basic foundation level course on social media to provide the key basics of the most popular social media platform’s, case studies with supporting 1 page summary sheets.
Resources library to share up to date policies, research and funding streams relating to young people and in particular digital technologies.
Monthly thematic debates to drive online engagement, dialogue and reflection amongst members.
Advertising space, explore how we can develop a sustainable business proposal to fund and sustain YWO by inviting universities and youth related organisations to advertise/promote their services and products. Payment could be financial or in-kind i.e. Tutor from a university offering 1.0 day contribution.
Update the branding of the forum as it looks a little dull and needs a spring clean.
The forum has been facilitated through volunteer contributions from a variety of people but in this period of recession people are under a deluge of pressure to do more with less and in recognition we are trying to source funding to support Youth Work Online.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Many thanks, Katie Bacon
Online Youth Outreach.
Visit Youth Work Online at: http://network.youthworkonline.org.uk/?xg_source=msg_mes_network
