The Digital competence Framework

Employing European Youth Through Non-Formal Education

Duration:10th to the 15th of October in Madrid, Spain

Organizer of the Digital Competence project: YPA – YouthProAktiv

Project partners: IKU – (Interkulturalis), Active Youth Association, Fundacja edukacyjno – sportowa reGeneracja, SYTEV, European Integration Group, SiNC, YOUTH ON BOARD, CET PLATFORMA SKOPJE, EKO, Leadership Development Association Albania

Number of participants: 36

Participating countries: Albania, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey.

The main goal of the Digital Competence project

Improve the digital and technological skills of youth workers, especially those working directly with disadvantaged young people.

Other project objectives:

• Creating a space for supporting further practical use and awareness of the European Digital Competence Framework through non-formal education;
• Increasing youth workers' understanding of the European Digital Competence Framework and how to develop its 21 defined digital competences;
• Setting up effective non-formal education tools and activities for teaching digital skills to disadvantaged youngsters;
• Raising youth workers' ability to understand the disadvantaged youth groups they work with;
• Boosting the digital competence and positive participation in digital citizenship of youth workers;
• Developing cultural awareness and digital intercultural cooperation of youth workers;
• Empowering youth organizations and youth workers by developing their digital competencies and their capacity to operate transnationally.

Project description:

During five days of various educational activities within the project, we acquired new knowledge and valuable skills that will be of great use to us in structuring and developing the project idea. Fourteen lecturers from different countries shared their experiences in motivating and empowering young people to increase their digital competences and level of digital literacy.

One of the organizers of the project, Alicia Vidal from the organization YouthProActiv, gave a lecture on the topic Analysis of profiles and needs of young people from vulnerable groups within the acquisition of digital competencies

We learned a lot about useful tools that can help young people become independent in this sense and improve their abilities. We found out what are the best ways to protect personal data on the Internet and how to be present in cyberspace with your personality and work, while staying out of the reach of those who want to abuse your identity or appropriate the results of someone else's intellectual work.

For young people, social networks are a dominant channel of communication, so there were very interesting ideas on how to present yourself through social networks to be effective and noticeable. The focus was on the Tiktok application, and thanks to the young Tiktoker Beatriz Tornell Treles, we got the opportunity to record video clips that we later analyzed.

Expert in the field of cyber protection, Esther Brito Ruiz revealed to us the secrets of digital identity management in her lecture, and Javier Espejo showed us how to protect the device from data theft. Andrei Gae, an expert in the field of digital marketing, presented to us how digital technologies can be used in cooperation and which channels are the best for exchanging ideas and experiences when a physical meeting of project partners is not possible.

As part of the training program of the organizers of this event, the CEO of YouthProAktiv, Paloma Centero Gomez, gave a lecture on health care and also presented her new book entitled La ciencia del sentido comin: y sus reglas de oro elementales para sel felizThe book is currently only available in Spanish, and will soon be available in English as well.

IKU Team represented their organization and their country at this event, through the project idea of raising the level of digital competencies of young people from underdeveloped areas and economically poor families.

Each lecture was accompanied by workshops in which we implemented new knowledge into our project idea. Teams made up of participants from different countries were a real core of inspiration. Each activity was presented to members of other teams, and after the presentation there was room for discussion. Of course, what makes such events unforgettable are the intercultural activities in which we visited the Retiro Park, El Prado Museum, visited all the major sights in the city and tried local specialties in restaurants.

We returned richer in new acquaintances, having met people with whom we can create and realize new projects, introduced them to our traditions, customs, and culture, and heard many beautiful stories from their countries. We will stay in touch with many. What connected us were the YouthProAktiv, Madrid, and the Digital Competence framework. On that basis, we are building further cooperation. We are open to new knowledge and full of ideas that are waiting to see the light of day through a new project.