Detached Youth Work in the Digital Age

What do we mean when we speak of the ‘Digital Age’?

Young people are often described as ‘digital natives’, as if the digital age is at the core of who they are –their very identity. Many say they could not live without these technologies (particularly social media); they have great value as tools for learning, moving, socialising and keeping in touch with friends. Others argue young people need protection from associated harms, such as digitally-mediated mental ill health, cyber-bullying, grooming and exploitation.

Wider ‘digital concerns’ include social isolation and the ‘depopulated street’, the role of ‘influencers’, mis and dis-information, growing intolerance, polarised thinking, discrimination, hate speech and violence that is initiated online. Some advocate for limiting young people’s access to social media to mitigate these social ills, notably in Australia.

Digital technologies are also advanced as means to achieve ‘positive outcomes’: surveillance and tracking, risk profiling, AI and algorithms are seen as ways to identify those ‘at risk’ more efficiently and direct resources toward them. But what of privacy, consent, and young peoples’ freedom to move and speak in the digital age?

In the spirit of working with, rather than doing to, maybe we have a duty to ask: what kind of education do young people need to help them navigate the digital world? And how might detached youth work contribute to that; what knowledge, skills and attitudes do workers need to engage with these issues?

Fundamentally, is this a case of detached youth work having to compete with the seductive realities of the digital age, or are there ways of working with it, ways of working with both the challenges and opportunities it brings? Does working in the Digital Age demand a re-think as to what detached youth work is and how we work? Ultimately, what of detached youth work Futures in the digital age?

Conference schema

The conference will run over 48 hours, from Friday 8pm, with main all day delegation joining Saturday morning to Sunday 4pm and will also include presentation of the Bill Cox Award for good practice in detached youth. Bill who died in November 2024 was our Life President. Detached youth workers, whether attending the conference or not, are invited to submit case studies. Further details will be available soon.

We're pleased to announce the early bird accommodation options for this year's conference, offering 52 rooms with a maximum occupancy of 74 delegates (71 without sofa beds). The venue provides a variety of room types including 32 single rooms (with 4 being wheelchair accessible), 4 double rooms, 3 suites (with double beds and sofa beds), 6 twin rooms, and 2 family options—one with a double plus single bed, and another featuring two connected rooms with twin beds. All rooms are ensuite except for 3 rooms which have private but separate bathrooms. Please indicate your accommodation preferences when registering to ensure your comfort throughout the conference.

Practicalities

The full conference fee is inclusive of two days Saturday and Sunday. Limited additional friday plenary tickets availabile

Call for speakers / contributors / workshop facilitators

The Federation for Detached Youth Work invites interested parties to propose contributions to the conference, for example lectures (c. 30 minutes) or workshops (c. 2 hours). You are asked to take the conference preamble / outline into account in your proposal. Please email the Federation for Detached Youth Work to discuss / submit your proposal: info@fdyw.org.uk.