Tell me your story: a Digital Storytelling Workshop

Youth work has huge benefits for young people, youth organisations and society as a whole and the European Youth Forum works hard to have these benefits recognised. It is, though, still an uphill struggle to get institutions, formal education institutions, employers, parents and society at large to recognise these benefits and support youth work. That is why the European Youth Forum has started gathering evidence of the value and impact of youth work through a truly personalised and groundbreaking method: digital storytelling.

From 19th to 21st April, the Youth Forum, with ReRoute ran a digital storytelling workshop entitled “Tell me your story.” Eleven active members of our member organisations came together to share their stories. Through experiential and creative learning, participants had the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings about their personal experiences in youth organisations. The process of digital storytelling gets participants to connect with their most inspiring and valuable memories and share them with a community of peers.

Over the course of the workshop the exchange and feedback of the participants’ stories helped them to gain broader understanding of the various forms of youth work, while building together a common identity as active members in youth organisations. The entire process triggered a deep reflection of why they are engaged in youth organisations, how they contribute to the organisation and what they get out of it: including a sense of belonging, getting to know others and the world. These were just some of the values and motivations captured in participants’ stories.

By the end of the process, each participant produced a 2-3 minute visual story intended to foster an increased understanding and awareness of the impact of youth work on society and individuals alike. These visual stories will be presented/ launched at next week’s European Youth Work Convention.

The European Youth Forum will continue to strive to bring the personal stories of its members to the forefront of its advocacy work for the recognition of youth work, non-formal education and mobility.

Everyone has a story to tell, what is yours? #MystoryYFJ