This webinar was hosted by YouthREX.

HERE’S HOW THE HOSTS DESCRIBE THIS WEBINAR:

How might we leverage technology and digital tools to better support and enhance youth work? How can the youth sector build its capacity to utilize technology in ways that reflect the context(s) and needs of the sector? How might online spaces/tools foster or hinder opportunities for the human connection that is so needed in youth work?

In October 2016, YouthREX hosted a Design Day, welcoming over 40 youth sector stakeholders to collaboratively tackle four ‘thorny’ challenges that youth and youth workers experience through a series of design thinking-based activities. Each of the eight groups developed a prototype for one possible solution to address the challenge(s) at hand. When we sat down and reviewed all the prototypes, one thing was clear: the pitches reflected the desire, and perhaps a need, for the youth sector to integrate technology more effectively into our work.

In this webinar, we explored how and in what ways the youth sector could potentially leverage technology to increase access to information and resources, while also creating space for connection between stakeholders. We were excited to welcome Michael Furdyk, Co-Founder and Director of Technology at TakingITGlobal, Kathryn McLeod, Marketing and Innovation Lead at mindyourmind, and Jessica Valleu, a Virtual Youth Outreach Worker at East Metro Youth Services in Toronto, who shared how they leverage technology in their work with youth.