IVY – International Virtual Youth Work
Contact us
“Roter Baum Berlin” UG
Stendaler Street 43
12627 Berlin
phone: 030 99281840
fax: 030 99281842
info@roter-baum-berlin.de
Contact person
Chiara Maggi
Email
Partners
Roter Baum Berlin (Berlin, DE)
Strauss APS (Mussomeli, IT)
Curba de Cultură (Izvoarele, RO)
Ris (Rakičan, SLO)
TACC, (Barcelona, Spain)
CRVENO DRVO (Vranje, RS)
Sponsor
The project “International Virtual Youth Centre – IVY” is co-funded by the EU Erasmus Programme of the European Union – EU. European Union is not responsible for any content. Such content represents the view of its authors only.
Social Media
The International Virtual Youth Centre (IVY) is an international project that aims to create a dynamic virtual youth centre accessible throughout Europe. The mission of the project was to provide young people with an innovative online platform where they could network, socialise and benefit from resources and opportunities normally offered by physical youth centres. The IVY project enabled the development of a pilot platform as an International Virtual Youth Centre.
In response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, IVY not only created a space for young people to stay connected, but also explored the impact of the pandemic on youth work, open youth work practices and the daily lives of young people. The project illustrated how youth centres reacted to the restrictions and developed new strategies to maintain their role as open and inclusive spaces – even in a virtual setting.
Project goals:
IVY aimed to adapt youth work to digital environments and explore innovative tools for online interaction. Through IVY we wanted to improve our work and create services that young people could access from home or other places, especially in regions where there were no youth centres. These activities not only addressed key issues relevant to young people, but also helped to improve their language skills, promote cultural exchange and strengthen networks with peers, youth workers, organisations and youth centres in different countries.
Project outcomes:
To understand the realities faced by young people and youth workers during the pandemic, IVY conducted two important surveys:
First survey (youth workers’ perspective)
Focused on trends in online youth work and the impact of the pandemic on youth workers. 35 responses were collected from Spain, Serbia, Germany, Romania, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia in winter/spring 2022. The survey covered topics such as adaptation strategies, new digital tools and the changing role of youth centres.
Second survey (young people’s perspective)
Examined trends in online socialising and the influence of social networks during and after the pandemic. With 95 responses from six countries, the survey highlighted the challenges young people faced in staying connected and the role of digital platforms in supporting mental wellbeing.
Both surveys provided important data to understand the transformation of youth work in a post-pandemic world. The results are available in eight languages.
Creation of the IVY Pilot Discord Platform
As part of the project, a pilot platform was launched on Discord to create a virtual space where young people can
- Socialise freely and exchange ideas
- Participate in workshops and discussions
- Socialise with peers from different cultures and backgrounds
Content was co-created with young people and shared via popular social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. This platform became a centre for continuous learning, cultural exchange and youth-led initiatives.
Clickhere to download the brochure.
