Posted on

Game: “The Matrix of (online) Risks and Threats”

Being aware of the many risks and threats of online use is an important aim of the COMANITY project. Because it seeks to reinforce young people’s capacity to detect those threats and to be more resilient, with this game below, youth workers and volunteers will have a practical tool to use to show young people how to be more careful online. What is best than a game to learn about it?

“The Matrix of Risks and Threats” is a game that aims to identify the risks and threats of online use. It is one of the resources promoted by the SocialWeb – SocialWork project.

Try the tool here: https://www.socialweb-socialwork.eu/content/modules/4_de/index.cfm/secid.22/secid2.41

The purpose of the SocialWeb – SocialWork project was to improve children’s online safety by availing the positive energy and influence of social work on vulnerable children and youths. Nowadays the Internet is no longer a mere tool for information search but rather the platform for social life and it is only logically consistent to involve the area of social work in strategies for a safer Internet for children and youths. The primary target group of the project were professionals working with children and youth at risk in various fields of activities. For young people who face a higher vulnerability due to social or educational disadvantages, having disabilities or other special needs, educational professionals in the broad field of social youth work often fill the role of a confidant. Therefore the project strategy of SocialWeb – SocialWork was built on the professionals’ detailed knowledge and acquaintance with situations of daily life and the needs of their young target group, and sensitively addressed their possible reluctance to digital media usage in social work.

During the project’s 24 months runtime, a training campaign was piloted in the participating partner countries and evaluated in regular cycles to measure the effects of such qualification for the improvement of Internet safety of vulnerable children and youths. The project resulted in a training programme consisting of both face-to-face and online learning units and an additional train-the-trainer strategy, thereof all elements have proven their transferability and scalability to other European countries and further groups of professionals working with children and youths at risk.

SocialWeb – SocialWork was a knowledge enhancement project in the Safer Internet Programme funded by the European Commission. The project consortium consisted of: Stiftung Digitale Chancen, Germany (project coordinator) Narodni centrum bezpecnejsiho internetu, Czech Republic Association Rural Internet Access Points (RIAP Association), Lithuania Nobody’s Children Foundation, Poland Fundación Esplai, Spain.

Posted on

Game: “My profile picture and me”

Online identity is an important topic for the COMANITY project. Youth workers and volunteers must know how to introduce this topic to young people to advice them on how they can have a better image of themselves on Internet. What is best than a game to learn about it?

“My profile picture and me” is a game to raise awareness about the messages conveyed by profile pictures online.

You’re also in a social network and have a profile picture there? If so, do you know what the picture tells about you? And what do you think about profile pictures of others? Do you believe that they always show exactly what the person in the picture wants to tell?

Try and find it out with this game: https://www.socialweb-socialwork.eu/content/modules/profilbilderspiel/

Posted on

Interactive tool “Let’s talk about chatting”

Understanding the implications of online chatting is an important topic for the COMANITY project. Youth workers and volunteers must know how to introduce this topic to young people for them to better use chat tools. The project below contains a good tool to help young people understand what “chatting” implies.

“Let’s talk about chatting” is a tool to understand what chatting is about. It is one of the resources promoted by the SocialWeb – SocialWork project.

Try the tool here: https://www.socialweb-socialwork.eu/content/modules/6/index.cfm/lang.2/key.105

The purpose of the SocialWeb – SocialWork project was to improve children’s online safety by availing the positive energy and influence of social work on vulnerable children and youths. Nowadays the Internet is no longer a mere tool for information search but rather the platform for social life and it is only logically consistent to involve the area of social work in strategies for a safer Internet for children and youths. The primary target group of the project were professionals working with children and youth at risk in various fields of activities. For young people who face a higher vulnerability due to social or educational disadvantages, having disabilities or other special needs, educational professionals in the broad field of social youth work often fill the role of a confidant. Therefore the project strategy of SocialWeb – SocialWork was built on the professionals’ detailed knowledge and acquaintance with situations of daily life and the needs of their young target group, and sensitively addressed their possible reluctance to digital media usage in social work.

During the project’s 24 months runtime, a training campaign was piloted in the participating partner countries and evaluated in regular cycles to measure the effects of such qualification for the improvement of Internet safety of vulnerable children and youths. The project resulted in a training programme consisting of both face-to-face and online learning units and an additional train-the-trainer strategy, thereof all elements have proven their transferability and scalability to other European countries and further groups of professionals working with children and youths at risk.

SocialWeb – SocialWork was a knowledge enhancement project in the Safer Internet Programme funded by the European Commission. The project consortium consisted of: Stiftung Digitale Chancen, Germany (project coordinator) Narodni centrum bezpecnejsiho internetu, Czech Republic Association Rural Internet Access Points (RIAP Association), Lithuania Nobody’s Children Foundation, Poland Fundación Esplai, Spain.

Posted on

SocialWeb – SocialWork project

Online safety is an important topic for the COMANITY project. Youth workers and volunteers must know how to introduce this topic to young people for them to be better protected against online threats. The project below gives interesting resources such as a training to teach young people about online safety.

The purpose of the SocialWeb – SocialWork project was to improve children’s online safety by availing the positive energy and influence of social work on vulnerable children and youths. Nowadays the Internet is no longer a mere tool for information search but rather the platform for social life and it is only logically consistent to involve the area of social work in strategies for a safer Internet for children and youths. The primary target group of the project were professionals working with children and youth at risk in various fields of activities. For young people who face a higher vulnerability due to social or educational disadvantages, having disabilities or other special needs, educational professionals in the broad field of social youth work often fill the role of a confidant. Therefore the project strategy of SocialWeb – SocialWork was built on the professionals’ detailed knowledge and acquaintance with situations of daily life and the needs of their young target group, and sensitively addressed their possible reluctance to digital media usage in social work.

During the project’s 24 months runtime, a training campaign was piloted in the participating partner countries and evaluated in regular cycles to measure the effects of such qualification for the improvement of Internet safety of vulnerable children and youths. The project resulted in a training programme consisting of both face-to-face and online learning units and an additional train-the-trainer strategy, thereof all elements have proven their transferability and scalability to other European countries and further groups of professionals working with children and youths at risk.

SocialWeb – SocialWork was a knowledge enhancement project in the Safer Internet Programme funded by the European Commission. The project consortium consisted of: Stiftung Digitale Chancen, Germany (project coordinator) Narodni centrum bezpecnejsiho internetu, Czech Republic Association Rural Internet Access Points (RIAP Association), Lithuania Nobody’s Children Foundation, Poland Fundación Esplai, Spain.

Website: https://www.socialweb-socialwork.eu

Posted on

Building Trust – maintaining trust and ending a relationship with young people

Building and maintaining trust is so important for those that work with vulnerable young people, children and families. The experience of those on the margins, perhaps with difficult, turbulent or ‘dysfunctional’ backgrounds, care leavers, absent parents and so on, is frequently one of being constantly let down. Whether that be through schools, state support structures, institutions, legal frameworks, family and other relationships with adults. This is particularly the case with many of those that have had a traumatic experience of early life.

The importance of healthy, affirming and trusting relationships with those that support or work with them is of key importance. It is also unfortunately the experience of many that people, projects, teachers and support workers frequently appear to offer much, but then fail in their promise, workers move on to other jobs, or funding runs out and the young people are left in the lurch. Further compounding their distrust and low self esteem.

When circumstances, situations or time dictate that a working relationship is coming to an end, it is also important that this is honestly and openly handled, with care, in order that growth and development continue, and negative experiences, outlooks and feelings are not further compounded. A number of toolkits and links to useful materials and thought provoking articles may be found below.

  1. Keeping myself safe -Practitioner’s toolkit for developing effective relationships with vulnerable young people: https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/media/3240/keeping_myself_safe_tookit_final.pdf
  2. Young People’s Advice on Building Relationships in Residential Child Care: https://blogs.iriss.org.uk/relationships-matter/2015/12/04/listen-up/
  3. Supporting positive relationships for children and young people who have experience of care: https://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/insights/supporting-positive-relationships-children-young-people-experience-care
  4. Home office and Early Intervention Foundation report and research paper – Building trusted relationships for vulnerable children and young people with public services: https://www.eif.org.uk/download.php?file=files/pdf/building-trusted-relationships.pdf
  5. Professional relationships with young people – a free learning module from the Open University:  https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=19884&printable=1
 
Posted on

Two outlooks on invisibility, engagement and the real roots of youth violence.

 

Video games and hip hop music often take the rap for inciting violence in the young, but urban youth specialist and lecturer Craig Pinkney knows that is far from the whole story. Craig shares his experience in engaging disaffected and violent youth, going beyond systems to find the root causes. He also calls for this to move from ‘not my problem’, to an issue with much greater community support. Craig Pinkney is a Criminologist, Urban Youth Specialist, Lecturer and Director of Real Action UK – a charitable outreach organisation based in Birmingham who specialise in working with disaffected youth. Notable projects include: ‘Don’t Get Gassed’ a national anti-knife crime campaign which has over 50,000 views on Youtube. Craig is well-known for working with some of the cities most challenging young people, potentially high-risk offenders, victims of gang violence and youth who are deemed as hard to reach. Through mentoring, discussion, advocacy, sport, media, film and faith-based interventions, he believes giving a platform to young people will raise attainment and promote positive social change. Craig also lectures full time at University College Birmingham, specialising in youth violence, urban street gangs, extremism, trauma and black men’s desistance, and is part of the EU Gangs Project.

Temi Mwale – some thoughts on ending youth violence through community healing.

Growing up in London, it was inequality, injustice and her initial observations of the legal system that motivated Temi to study law at the London School of Economics. Her early experiences of crime and violence propelled her to establish The 4Front Project, a youth-led social enterprise on a mission to empower young people and communities to live free from violence. Her team aim to transform the mindsets of young people by providing specialist violence interventions and a platform for young voices to demand better provisions. As Founding Director, Temi has used her education to provide legal empowerment for young people, who she teaches to analyse the social issues that affect them using a legal lens. At 21 years old, she has become a Multi-Award-Winning Social Entrepreneur and a leading voice for change in the UK. Her passion for social entrepreneurship and her uncompromising D.I.Y attitude led her to being named one of Forbes top ’30 under 30′ social entrepreneurs in Europe.