For the purpose of the TIGERS Format, partners have agreed on main values that lie through horizontal interaction among trainees and facilitators/ trainers and the exchange of feelings, feedback, experiences, and knowledge. These values, explained in detail below, will be integral and cross-partner through the intellectual Outputs produced by the TIGERS Project. Such values will respect partners’ culture/social levels expressed and defined.

The project’s intellectual output is:

• O1 // EMPOWERMENT TRAINING SCHEME: definition of a methodological procedure useful for the organization of workshops aimed at the empowerment of young women.
• O2 // TOOLKIT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE “TIGERS “ METHODOLOGY: a teaching tool useful to illustrate the application of a methodology dealing with the empowerment of young women.
• O3 // E-LEARNING PLATFORM: an IT structure to deliver online training to youth workers, with a particular focus on the theme of inclusion.
• O4 // E-LEARNING MODULE TO TEACH THE “TIGERS “ METHODOLOGY: 10 hours of interactive multimedia content to learn the methodology, addressed to youth workers who want to enter a dynamic of exchange and sharing.

While contributing further to fostering youth workers’ awareness raising and education on gender equality, for them to challenge gender inequality, stereotyping, discrimination, etc., through the use of modern forms of creative cultural expression, the four-pillar element of the methodology needs to be taken into account. This will allow women to interact at four levels: with the self (e.g. self-reflection, independent learning, etc.), with the others (e.g. discussion, debate, collaborative learning, role play, intergenerational learning, brainstorming, etc.) and with the environment (e.g. object-based learning, art-based learning, study-visits, gamification, etc.).

To address: i) the existing gaps in supporting cultures and policies in WE (Women empowerment) issues, ii) the emerging knowledge and awareness, conceptual and teaching needs in WE education, and iii) the prevalent interaction-led methodologies, activities, practices and tools, a Four-Pillar Educational Methodology emerged that focuses on interaction, in better approaching and educating youth workers on negative gender norms, gender equality, gender-based discrimination, respect, empathy, etc., at home, in the city (and beyond), in meaningful, engaging and creative ways.

The four-pillar methodology suggests the learner’s interaction on four-pillar: the self, us, the others and the environment:

• The self, in building self-awareness, self-confidence, self-resilience, selfrespect, etc.
• The us : this refers to a person’s membership in a social group in this case gender identity.
• The others, i.e. family and other humans of women’s surroundings, in terms of building relationships of respect, acceptance, trust, empathy, etc.
• The environment, i.e. everything that surrounds the women, in culturebased contexts and beyond, adopting attitudes of respect, empathy, etc.

The TIGERS Project was designed by partners from the 5 countries (Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Serbia, and Austria) therefore, the paragraph below details each partner’s key funding specialization (Ethic and aesthetic standards; Analogic and digital interaction;The power of storytelling; Level of partecipation; Intercultural standars) to better adapt the TIGERS methodology in each country and will moreover facilitate further expansion and transferability of the developed methodology and curricula to countries outside the partnership.

Ethical standards are crucial when it comes storytelling and presenting others’ personal stories. Having and respecting ethical standards means valuing and honouring ourselves and the others. Having in mind that the storytelling is personal, it is important to establish certain ethical guidelines and introduce them to everyone included in the process. Therefore, informed consent is necessary.

According to the website Idealist (2022, https://www.idealist.org/en/careers/ ethical-storytelling), an ethical storytelling approach raises questions like:

• “ Do we have the person’s consent to tell their story, for this purpose and in this medium?
• Whose needs and desires are at the center of how the story is presented, the person whose story it is or the audience for the story?
• Who is the protagonist of the story, the person, or our organization? Who is empowered, and who is disempowered?
• Are we telling the story in a way that reinforces harmful stereotypes or stigmas about a social issue or the people who are affected by it?
• What will happen to the person after we tell their story in this way? Could it cause them harm? Are we going to continue to help them and be in relationship with them, or are we leaving as soon as we “get what we need?” ”

Furthermore, the website Our Climate Change (2022) quotes seven following ethical principles of storytelling:

• We each own our own story.
• Learn to release power.
• Be aware of positionality and power dynamics of storyteller and listener.
• Informed and enthusiastic consent.
• Do no harm.
• Ask the questions.
• Share your own stories.

Also, the website Voice of Witness (2022, https://voiceofwitness.org/) shares these ethical storytelling principles, where some of them match the ones from Our Climate Change:

• Invest in relationships to build trust, mutual respect, and collaboration.
• Prioritize ongoing informed consent and transparency throughout the process. Ensure narrators have ownership and control over their stories.
• Honor authenticity, complexity, and the whole person, rather than approaching with preconceived expectations or framing narrators as victims or heroes.
• Use a trauma-informed approach.
• Position narrators as the experts.
• Acknowledge and mitigate power dynamics and biases.
• Ensure stories are accessible to narrator communities.

Some more of the advices when using storytelling as an approach to present others’ personal stories are: to seek continuous consent and insist on transparency in the sharing process, as well as to be careful when adapting the collected material before its finalization and presentation. This is related to the necessary involvement of the person who shares his/her story in the process (also in reference to as Co-Creation), as well as avoiding simplifying and the use of stereotypes. The story presented should be interesting to the audience, but not contain sensationalism.

“Digital youth social work – how can it work effectively?” this is the key question that Starkmacher e.V. aims to address in collaboration with actors in youth social work. It focuses on the topic of digitalization and digitality in youth work, aiming to facilitate active exchange, knowledge acquisition, and support among professionals in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region and Baden-Württemberg. Professionals, professionals in training or study took part in 6 interactive professional days and/or different all-day workshops for this purpose. The aim of these different training formats is to provide an introduction to digital youth work and media education with all its facets and possibilities as well as to develop action-oriented attitudes towards this topic.

The training formats: Within a six-day series of specialist days, topics related to media education and media competence promotion in youth work were taught once a month. Although the training days built on each other didactically, they could also be attended individually because they were selfcontained. The following questions were dealt with on these 6 days:

1. What is digitalisation? What is media education? And why is media literacy promotion so important for everyone?
2. What is digital youth social work and how can it function structurally? What ingredients are needed to make it work?
3. What best practices are there in the region? How have other actors dealt with digital challenges in the Corona pandemic of 2020-2021?
4. Does data protection always have the last word in the implementation and feasibility of digital offerings? How does a good interplay between data protection, law and pedagogy work?
5. In which digital worlds do children and young people actually move? Do our adult perceptions match reality? Why is digital lifeworld orientation so important when working with children and young people? What are the risks but also the opportunities of these digital worlds?
6. What is my position on digitalisation, on young digital worlds and what is my attitude towards them? What was my personal Digi-Journey like in my life? How do I perceive myself in my media use? How do I perceive others? How do we bridge this perception gap?
7. What is a media concept and why is it important? How is a media concept structured, what content does it need? What steps need to be taken to develop a media concept for one’s own institution?

These central questions were addressed with the help of interactive, digital methods, digital tools, exchange opportunities, individual and group work as well as input parts. In addition to the expert days, there are so-called basic workshops that deal with topics from the expert days in depth: How do I create a low-threshold media offer/digital offer for children and young people? What are the life worlds of children and young people? – We call them “digital ecosystems”. Everything about gaming, coding and making (in planning); and finally, Inclusion and digitalisation – how can it work? (in planning).

The learning from the executive perspective:

Learning No 1: there is an extreme gap of different media skills among professionals. This gap is difficult to foresee or predict (regardless of age or other prejudices in society). Listening well, being sensitive to distressed participants and re-capturing them are essential skills as a workshop leader in an online training format. The focus is on social skills and appreciative interaction rather than pure knowledge transfer, as we know it from frontal teaching.

Learning No 2: variety. Digital work has its advantages, but also its disadvantages. One clear disadvantage is the lack of connecting energy that usually sets in after a short time in analogue meetings or offerings. To raise this energy to a certain level, there needs to be a lot of exchange, breakout rooms or plenary sessions, and variety in the didactic structure. Gamification via quizzes or similar, laughter and humour, as well as conveying the feeling that everything said is allowed to be there without being judged for it, are important pillars in digital work.

Learning No 3: using and combining the advantages of both the analogue and digital worlds to achieve the best possible result. This means weighing up for yourself what makes the most sense right now. Do not force anything. This can also mean that participants are online in a workshop, but still reach for paper and pens to write something down in analogue form as an exercise. These notes, drawings, etc. are then uploaded digitally to secure the results and for presentation purposes. Everything is allowed to be there, no method displaces the other. This hybrid mix of methods is needed.

Learning No 4: Always lovingly point out that each participant is responsible for the mood in the group. What does it do to the others when the camera is off? What does it do to the workshop leader? How do we want to talk to each other? What do I convey when I keep looking at my mobile phone or when others notice that I am actually doing something completely different? How can I avoid distractions? This reflective attitude can be demanded and openly addressed.

Learning No 5: use the tools you preach yourself. There is no point in presenting a list of tools if the participants are not allowed to experience them. My tip: use a different tool for every workshop, every session, etc., incorporate it into your didactics and use it as a matter of course. The participants will get into the experience and take the tool with them into their work if they find it helpful. A small hint like “this can also be done with children and young people” can help, but does not necessarily have to be mentioned.

If you want to introduce more tools, make it a user training where participants can try them out. Otherwise, the motto is: less is often more.

The learnings from the participants’ perspective:

Learning No 1: Digital youth work is not about replacing analogue services, but it is a great addition and offers opportunities to reach children and young people who might otherwise not be reached. In addition, it corresponds to the lifeworlds and picks up the children and young people exactly where they are (keyword: lifeworld orientation).

Learning No 2: taking responsibility, discovering one’s own motivation for the topic, mustering courage and simply getting started/doing it.

Learning No 3: one’s own attitude and the attitude of the team towards digitalisation is essential for the further development of youth work. Alignment is needed in the team of colleagues and this must be written down in the media concept. For this, honest self-reflection is helpful: Where do I really stand? What is my position on the issue? What are my strengths? What are my deficits? Do I want to turn my weaknesses into my strengths? Or do I stay the way I am? Everything is ok at first. Being aware, communicating openly in the team and being willing to compromise and share resources are important.

Learning No 4: Pedagogy has a voice. Law and data protection are very important. But more important in everyday work is the healthy balance between pedagogical mission and data protection.

Learning No 5: Many participants are now motivated to address the issue of media literacy and the creation of media concepts in the team.

What makes Digidingsda by Starkmacher e.V. so special? There are many training courses in digital learning, primarily in the school context. In Germany, there are few offers that explicitly train youth work professionals to meet their needs. Classical trainings deal with the generally known topics such as cyberbullying, hate speech, fake news & co. These trainings are absolutely useful, but not sufficient to cope with the everyday work in youth work and to sufficiently face the challenges in this sector. The professionals and/or the institutions are often left to their own devices in this jungle of information. Moreover, there is no patent remedy and a lot of half-knowledge, which does not make it easier. Managers/institutions therefore deal with the issue in many cases inadequately or not in a target-oriented way. Many want to change something and are aware of the urgency of promoting media competence, but do not know how or where to start.

With the Starkmacher projects, in addition to the training formats, a service point was created that is available for all open questions of the professionals. In this way, Starkmacher has been able to develop a large network in which institutions now receive support in the creation of media concepts, in attitude development as well as assistance in their daily work. Furthermore, new cooperations have emerged from this and workshops have been developed for the institutions so that they exactly meet the core needs.

The combination of individual counselling and low-threshold trainings allow for a togetherness that really brings Collective Impact to life. We learn from and with each other, develop ourselves further, motivate ourselves and proactively face the challenges of the present and the future.

A strong community is developing from the most diverse areas of youth work. The platform “Kukido” was developed so that this community can continue to work together after the end of this project. Here, the professionals can exchange ideas, gain impulses and form new cooperations. Away from lone warriors and towards treading paths together.

Conclusion and outlook: Digitisation cannot be stopped. Nor will it disappear. It is creating new conditions in the world of work. Professions are changing. Lives are changing. We are all moving in a space that offers so many opportunities but also creates unpredictable challenges. That is why it is important to empower all people medially so that they can move in these digital worlds – whether in a private, professional or school context – in a mindful, critical AND creative, innovative and free way. Digitisation and the empowerment of actors within this world is, on a meta-level, an issue for society as a whole. No one is excluded from it. So not only do we need to introduce children and young people to media in a mindful way, but we also need to keep reminding ourselves that we are part of it; whether a professional, a parent or a member of society in various forms (politics, education, business, etc.). Broken down to youth work professionals, the following motto applies: strong professionals means strong youth.

In order for this motto to work, reflection on one’s own attitude as well as the attitude in the team is essential for daily work. Alignment is therefore absolutely necessary so that everyone in the team pursues the same goals. The attitude is to be considered independently of one’s own strengths and abilities. This means that resources can be shared within the team. Not every professional has to master everything equally well. Rather, it is important to form task forces that best fit one’s own profile. Each person contributes as much as he/she can. At the same time, the next step for further development, personally as well as in a team or within an institution, is the development of a common goal. In order to reach the goal, one’s own motivation has to be awakened again and again, so that personal responsibility can be spread over one’s shoulders. A pinch of courage and curiosity support this process. After the professionals have dealt with their own attitude, it is inevitable to deal with the digital lifeworld of children and young people. Different studies can provide information, whereby a target group survey and an honest interest in the youth culture is the most suitable. An informal exchange between professionals and the target group plus the now new interest in the target group promotes the relationship of trust and bonding on a different level. A togetherness is created.

From a (data protection) legal point of view, professionals always have the feeling that their hands are tied. As a result, they quickly resign themselves or do not even try new methods or approaches. However, according to Social Code Book VIII, they have a pedagogical mandate that is no less important than data protection. Both have their right to exist and must be considered equally important. It is therefore always a matter of weighing up the opportunities and risks of different projects. Pedagogy also has a voice – and a rather loud one at that. It may always be a mixture of youth protection and free space due to its own ability to act in its work, as long as this is also ideally laid down in a media concept.

The creation of media concepts provide a good framework to record all objectives and implementations. It allows for a guideline that all professionals can consult. In this way, everyone can pull in the same direction and, as an institution, also secure itself legally to a certain extent in order to be and remain able to act.

Digitisation (both internally and externally), media education and media competence promotion are not separate disciplines that have to be dealt with in everyday life. They are cross-sectional disciplines that open doors for further development, efficiency and the present. They can be combined very well with other areas and topics and represent a means of transport, a mediation tool. It is therefore a link and opens up opportunities. We should all open ourselves to this attitude, without ignoring the risks.

More need to provide needs-based regular services so that more “adults” are empowered. Individual support and supervision should be standard for the development of digital youth work – a contemporary supplement (!) to analogue work with children and young people.

“We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.”

Jimmy Neil Smith

Stories and storytelling are one of the oldest and most effective tools we still use today for learning, communicating, building relationships, connecting with each other, resolving conflicts, etc. With the help of stories, we think, remember and make sense. Stories always help us shed light on our past in our current situation. But what is most important – we can change our stories and thereby create a different future.

Stories let us share information in a way that creates an emotional connection. While we don’t all share the same experiences, we do all share a similar array of emotions, fears and hopes. Writer and storyteller King- Campell says that when those emotions, fears and hopes are presented to us as part of a personal story, a folktale or a myth, they create a connection between the listener, the characters and the teller. That connection, the one that recognizes the ways that we’re the same and promotes understanding despite our differences, is the foundation of building stronger communities. Whether sharing a story involves conveying important information, creating a communal experience, or building community connections, a story’s most important function is to remind us that we are not alone in the world. Storyteller and writer Gary Green says sharing stories of people’s experiences is not only valuable for promoting understanding — it can help us remember important information that can guide our future actions. The act of storytelling, a person sharing a story with a listener, is a very basic human connection and it reminds us of how we are part of something enduring, something much bigger than ourselves.

With the TIGERS project, we want to raise awareness of the potential of storytelling as an educational tool. The project connects experts from different European countries, with the goal of developing innovative teaching approaches that will include storytelling as a teaching method in non-formal education and the work fields that address topics related to the challenges faced by young women. Methodologies and materials are developed to use stories and storytelling in the process of creating opportunities for young women to express their personal experiences and their realities through storytelling and art.

A cross theme in the TIGERS project is that of Participation as a whole, and that of women in particular. Given the importance of this dimension within the project and the approach of each of the partners, we summarise below a shared vision of it, identifying common definitions, approaches, tools and principles as well as some possible lines of action, to be integrated during the implementation of the project itself.

The approach to the participation of the Young Woman and new generations as a whole (This includes CYP – Children and young people) originates from two perspectives: right-based and the co-construction of the common good. Participation is not to be understood simply as taking part, but rather as belonging to a community: a community that is a democratic society, within a framework that is of rightbased. Participation is a sense of belonging that asks and demands listening, consideration, respect, and accountability on the part of institutions and adults.

Participation as a right finds its legal sources in what is established by the most important international documents that recognize its fundamental importance for the life and growth of each minors (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and Adolescent; European Declaration of Human Rights), and its value as an element of social and community development at a European and global level (UN 2030 Agenda; European Charter for the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life).

Yet, the level of participation that young women, children, and young people can have in the processes that affect them is a topic of much discussion.

In 1997, sociologist Roger Hart published “Children’s Participation: The Theory And Practice Of Involving Young Citizens In Community Development And Environmental Care for UNICEF”. In particular, Hart develops his research around the formulation of a tool that allows understanding of the different forms of participation and non-participation of children in community life «the ladder of participation», with particular reference to the evolution of the urban environment. This groundbreaking work put the work of young people and adult allies around the world in the context of a global movement for participation, offering needed guidance and criticism of many efforts. The “Ladder of Children’s Participation,” also called the “Ladder of Youth Participation (Figure 1. Eight levels of young people’s participation in projects (the ladder metaphor is borrowed from the well-known essay on adult participation by Arnstein (1969), the categories are new) (Hart 1992:8.))” is one of many significant tools from the book and a relevant starting point for the TIGERS Project.

The Ladder suggests adults a model that allows them to self-inquire and increase own awareness on how to approach young people in a way that can either favor/oppose CYP participation.

The TIGERS Team, drawing inspiration from the most important (Hart, 1997; Arnestein, 1969; Shier, 2001) and scholars on the topic have agreed on the following shared definition of participation as « a dynamic, multifactorial, co-constructed social process that:

• generates awareness with respect to the existence and belonging to the social system of reference, and therefore of being holders of rights and responsibilities;
• creates spaces, time for listening and support for expression;
• develops mutual empowerment;
• involves in decision-making;
• enhances mutual delegation on actions;
• provides for the sharing of power and responsibility in a proactive and tense manner.

Above mentioned paradigm on Participation allows the development of cultural, social, political and economic processes bringing transformation at the local level that aaffectsfect the entire system. Participation processes thus understood must develop well-being and require a facilitating function.

When we talk about cultural difference, we generally think of the different mentalities that exist between people from two countries, or even from Two different religions. But the reality is much more complex because what conditions our vision of the world, our way of thinking, but also our needs is in fact multifactorial.

Also, the notion of the emancipation of women will not be the same depending on the group I belong to and the socio-cultural environment from which I come. This is what we can see with the case of feminism: the idea of feminism that would be universalist does not succeed in imposing itself internationally because the image of women and the challenges that it must meet to achieve its emancipation diverge, even within the same country. While some fight for equal pay, others fight to have the same sartorial freedoms as men.

But the TIGERS project leads us to meet women from all walks of life. This is why we cannot ignore the socio-cultural differences and similarities that this implies. Then it seems important to us to remain attentive to these differences and similarities while taking them into consideration, so as not to fall into a form of ethnocentrism (Defined by sociologist William Graham Sumner, ethocentrism means “to apply one’s own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead of using the standards of the particular culture involved”. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnocentrism)). If the fact of using one’s own culture of origin to understand that of the other may seem natural, one risks more easily falling into judgment and only a partial understanding of the vision of the other.

Therefore the TIGERS Methodology implies values of tolerance and openmindedness, so as not to take the risk of excluding some women who would then not feel concerned. Another key to achieving this is also knowing your own culture, values, and where it comes from. Because it’s by being aware of the origin of my thought that I can better understand and take into consideration that of others.