Youth Worker in a Digital Context

Well, today I was a Youth Worker in a Digital Context together with an awesome group of youth workers and young leaders from Baia Mare, Suceava, Satu Mare, Oltenița, and Ploiești, plus, indirectly, Cluj, Timișoara and Oradea.

This is the power of the online! Can you imagine how complicated it would have been for us all to meet face to face? You had to provide accommodation, food, set up the training room etc. Online, like this, it seems that distances are shorter, things are easier logistics wise and you can easily just create a workshop for all who are interested.

It was the first time I hosted an online workshop

the first time I hosted a workshop as a youth worker

and the second time I ever hosted a workshop.

It all started from an email that DEIS Association received about Digital Education Month, a project by the ONEdu Community Romania. It was late at night when I get ideas, so I quickly wrote my objectives and, briefly, the exercises. Then for the next few weeks, I kept developing the exercises, I talked to Diana and Bibi to get feedback and advice, and today was the big day. Was I nervous? A little. But, at the same time, I have to admit I felt ready. After all, social media was my responsibility in DEIS for a long time and I post every day on my B-Side Blog, I’m lucky to have teachers from whom I could learn some cool things on digital hosting and also I participated in some online meetings and workshops myself.

I adore hosting. You have no idea how much I like it! It’s such a nice feeling to start all those interesting conversations, to see people socialize and learn new things and to hear other people’s experiences. I was listening to a discussion during an exercise today when I realised that I put the basis of this opportunity and I host the workshop. It’s a special satisfaction.

I’m still processing how it all went. So far it seems it was good. I have some public speaking competencies in the development process - I passed unclear explanations and ‘high-pitching’ my voice, and now I’m focusing on fluidity in my communication. Every workshop I host will teach me something more. My biggest accomplishment was that someone compared today’s session with Diana’s training sessions, which for me is the supreme compliment. Diana, an extremely experienced youth worker, is my idol in youth work and with everything I do I strive to be at least as good as she is. Of course, I have to go through some more processes until I get there, but that’s no problem - there are enough opportunities, and when there aren’t, I learned to create them myself.

One thing I’m certain of: I want to do more. And I already have plans. I started thinking about a creative writing workshop and a time management workshop. I haven’t put them on paper yet, but I’ll do that soon.

Do you know how I feel? Tired, but happy. That’s what I like.