Young People Now Letter
[SUMMARY—Did I really say that? (I did'nt!).]
(UK) On the 1st October last year I wrote a letter to UK publication Young People Now. A friend contacted me today to say it was printed and here is the text:
Understanding online trends and new media/technologies is crucial, not only for professional development but more importantly, for creating and delivering varied and impactive youth services, policies and projects. Many youth workers lack the knowledge to mak use of the many online tools, resources and platforms (most of which are free) which simply enable us to do our jobs better, faster and more dynamically.
Furthermore, many youth workers are still battling the myriad of IT filters and policies that deny them access to the many sites which could be used professionally. We need to ask ourselves: do we have the skills to enable the young people we work with to become collaborators in, not receivers of, a service? Or are we still conforming to old models, which are becoming irrelevant in the eyes of the young people we work with?
The only problem is, that's not what I entirely wrote—the publication reserves the right to edit letters before publishing, however, I put at the end of my original letter I do not give them permission to print without seeing the edited version and therefore my consent. I never saw the edited version before they printed.
My issue with the published piece is that it presents a terse view of the situation which has a negative effect on my professional profile. I think youth workers do a fantastic job with the limited resources they have and the parameters they have to do it in. I wanted to challenge but also present solutions and options.
So here, for anyone who cares, is my original letter—make up your own minds:
Do you know your podcast from your Skype? What about IMing or creating a Bebo/MySpace profile? Shared pics via bluetooth? Used Flickr? YouTube? RSS feeds? Wiki's?
Understanding online trends and new media/technologies is crucial, not only for professional development but more importantly, for creating and delivering varied and impactive youth services, policies and projects. We all know that young people have great potential to stimulate dialogue and improve their communities, but do we as youth professionals have the tools and skills to make this possible?
Young people today are technology-savvy and net-literate, connecting and sharing through many social networking sites whilst utilising free chat software to 'instant message' - they are online creators, producers and participants. As youth professionals, many of us are lacking in understanding and making use of the many online tools, resources and platforms (most of which are free) which simply enable us to do our jobs better, faster and more dynamically.
Exploiting new media and technology is about expanding our options, enriching our skills and being able to offer variety in tackling common issues. For example: we could use a free photo/video sharing site to record and share your projects progress; how about utilising free software to enable your youth group to talk to another in a different country; how's hosting a group chat with social phobic young people as a way to introduce them to others using instant messaging; and there's also setting up a wiki to explore a subject with international co-workers and share examples of good practice.
It's not all our fault, speaking with the youth professionals I train many are still battling the myriad of IT filters and policies which deny them access to the many sites which could be used professionally. Why?
We, as youth professionals, need to ask ourselves: do we connect with other youth professionals across the globe to learn, become inspired, share ideas? Do we have the IT knowledge or skills to enable the young people we work with to become collaborators in the process not receivers of a service/project/policy? Or are we still conforming to old models and ideas which are becoming irrelevant in the young eyes of the young people we work with? Do we get IT?
Filed by DK on February 1 2007
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