E-mpACT is a three-year project which started in 2022 focusing on addressing the needs of young people during and post covid-19 pandemic, addressing digitalization, non-formal education and international solidarity. E-mpACT project activities have raised awareness in youth work by examining the pandemic’s impact on non-formal education and international solidarity. This project wanted to ensure that future policies on digital youth work consider the specific needs and aspirations of young people from marginalised communities, and address challenges and barriers they face in active e-participation. E-mpACT involves partners from 8 countries and 4 continents and is being led by IFM-SEI.
Woodcraft Folk participants of this project have been analysing the social impact and youth worker’s perceptions of the challenges of digital literacy, to advocate for an accessible youth work in relation to the pandemic and solidarity policy with neighbouring countries of the EU and different regions in the world to develop a toolkit of activities and resources as well as policy paper recommendations based on the charity’s research.
This project has seen Woodcraft Folk participants travel to Slovenia, Germany, Zimbabwe and Peru to explore the impact that COVID has had on youth organisations across the world, share their own experiences and develop resources and their advocacy skills. As well as this, the participants attended a national young leader training weekend event in 2023 at Woodcraft Folk’s Height Gate Centre in West Yorkshire.
Woodcraft Folk have learnt a lot from the research that was conducted by young participants in the project. The main findings were on the impact COVID lockdowns have had on young people’s mental health and how they engage with the organisation.
The research also saw volunteer youth group leaders and staff from Woodcraft Folk share their experiences and observations of young members since returning to activities after the pandemic and how we can still use digital resources and activities to help young people explore the social and natural world around them.
From the research conducted, Woodcraft Folk have added to policies that support the mental health of young people in the organisation. Recommendations include:
- Mental Health Support: Increase resources and support for young people’s mental health
- Digital Inclusion: Expand digital youth work and provide more digital resources, sessions, and online workshops for volunteer leaders.
- Training for Volunteers: Enhance training programs for volunteers to better equip them to support young people’s mental health and engagement.
- Online Community: Develop and maintain online platforms, such as Discord, for leaders to share experiences, challenges, and solutions.
Along with other policy recommendations from other organisations across the project a joint policy paper was collated by IFM-SEI which will be shared with governments and institutions to make positive change.
On 7 November, 3 delegates from Woodcraft Folk, Lauren, Eliza and Paolo attended the #choosingyouthwork conference in Leeds which saw the group share experiences from the project, research findings and recommendations with over 75 youth workers from Leeds and Humber region.
