Social sphere

Project description

Main question:
How can the social sphere assist youth workers in reaching and supporting young people through social media channels amidst the prevailing online challenges?

Subquestions:
01 What is the current state of online youth work?
02 How can youth workers be trained to connect with young people through an online education platform?
03 How can an online education platform be developed?
04 What online issues do young people experience, and how can youth workers assist?
05 In what ways can young people be supported online, and to what extent do ethics and privacy play a role?

Context

The stakeholder of this group project is the company Garage2020 (01). The company is located in Eindhoven, in the Microlab building of Strijp-S. It primarily focuses on designing innovations for concrete issues experienced by children, young people, parents, and their surroundings. Through these innovations, the company aims to replace or enhance existing solutions in youth care. This is achieved through collaboration with experts in the field and with the individuals for whom the innovation is intended, placing their perspectives at the forefront. Garage2020 believes in a society where children, young people, parents, and their surroundings can grow together in an opportunity-rich manner.

Results

For the group project, the intention is to further work on the "Social Sphere" project. This involves researching, designing, and developing the current concept of the Social Sphere to deliver a prototype. The prototype aims to provide education to youth workers about the online world of young people and train them to engage with and support them. Read the Projectplan here.

About the project group

Garage2020 in Eindhoven collaborates closely with the municipality to develop an innovation that aids youth workers in navigating the rapidly changing online world where many young people are engaged. Research conducted by Garage2020 reveals that Dutch youth spend an average of 6 to 7 hours online daily, yet the youth work sector is not adequately prepared for this shift. The current solution to address this issue, known as the 'social sphere,' is a platform where youth workers can utilize gamification elements to learn how to leverage social media in reaching out to and informing the youth in Eindhoven about relevant online issues. The concept is currently in the testing phase as a Figma design, and with the support of stakeholders like Fenna Dam from Fontys, the project progresses to the next stage.