In winter 2016, I successfully tendered for a little study on digital innovations in youth exchanges. Contractor was the newly established African-German Youth Initiative.
The rather open task was to research and summarize what new possibilites for youth exchanges digital technologies have brought about, and to showcase examplary projects in Germany.
I ended up distinguishing three types of digitalisation in youth exchanges:
- classic physical exchanges that are augmented with digital communcation, especially with project preparation and follow-ups
- fully digital exchanges, where there is no actual physical travelling but only communication via video conferencing, instant messengers, email or taped video messages
- online learning platforms that focus on learning, but also produce international youth exchanges as a side effect
I presented the findings to the AGYI office in a 20-page report.