Webinars: Learning as a field in times of disruption and change, November 2021 – April 2022
In the European Academy on Youth Work we want to support the professional development of youth workers and other professionals in youth work practice, policy and research, even in times of uncertainty, like the ones we are living today. For this reason, we invited stakeholders from the youth work community of practice and related fields to a series of webinars called Learning as a field in times of disruption and change.
These webinars were 2 1/2-hour long dynamic online sessions where the participants explored the concept of Innovation in their practice with other colleagues from different parts of Europe. Each webinar included: short and inspiring inputs by experts; interesting conversations with colleagues from other countries; and getting to know innovative practices in the field.
In order to get an impression of the insights of each webinar, check out the visual summaries, which were created by our graphic recorder, Mireille van Bremen. You can also watch the recordings. Short articles about each webinar can be found in our news archive.
1st webinar: Innovation in times of disruption – 4th November 2021, 9.30-12.00 CET
The Covid-19 pandemic had challenged youth workers to adapt their practices to a rapidly changing context. This webinar created a space for peer exchange to reflect on where we are, what we are learning, and the role of innovation in resilience and survival.
Recording available here.
2nd webinar: Recognising larger trends, seeing interconnections with youth work – 16th December 2021, 9.30-12.00 CET
This webinar explored key societal and youth trends and how they shape, and are shaped by, youth work, with insights from Peter Merry, Chief Innovation Officer at Ubiquity University. Through sharing, the session reflected on recognising these trends, the risks of overlooking them, and how youth work can adapt and respond moving forward.
Recording available here.
3rd webinar: Rethinking innovation – what kind of innovator are you? – 27th January 2022, 9.30-12.00 CET
Innovation in youth work does not come from one single type of person, but from teams where everyone contributes in different ways. This webinar focused on the individual competences that support creative, efficient, sustainable, and ethical innovation, combining research and practice-based inputs from Federica Demicheli (EAYW research team) and Seamus Quinn, dramatherapist and drama practitioner.
Recording available here.
4th webinar: Cultures of innovation – 10th March 2022, 9.30-12.00 CET
This webinar explored how organisational culture shapes innovation and why strategy alone is not enough without the right conditions in place. Drawing on EAYW Study on Innovation and insights from Carlos Azevedo, an expert in innovation management in NGOs, participants examined which cultural factors foster innovative youth work and what the sector can learn from other professional fields.
Recording available here.
5th webinar: Ecosystems for innovation – 21st April 2022, 9.30-12.00 CET
Youth work is evolving as professionals increasingly recognise the need for interconnected, whole-system responses to complex societal challenges. In our last webinar of this series, participants explored innovation ecosystems, reflected on the future role of youth workers within them, and engaged with insights from the EAYW research team on how collaboration across sectors can help in sustainable change.
Recording available here.
The webinars built on each other but were also conceived as stand-alone activities.
Like the 2nd EAYW residential event, Learning as a field in times of disruption and change webinars were facilitated by Darko Markovic, Anita Silva and Laimonas Ragauskas. Well-being activities starting off each webinar were led by embodiment trainer Sandra Gojić. The insights gained during the webinars served as a basis for further discussions and learning processes during the residential 2nd EAYW 2022 event.