Reimagining Youth Work in a Covid-19 Era
How has Covid-19 affected how youth programs are supporting and working with young people? How are... View more
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Best Practices for Online Youth Engagement and Mentorship
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Best Practices for Online Youth Engagement and Mentorship
What are some best practices that you’ve discovered to effectively engage and mentor youth online? How have you responded to the unique Challenges and Opportunities that have emerged?
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18 Replies
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In the summer of 2020, I co-hosted a series of conversations with my colleague Cyril Cromwell — The Relentless Pursuit of Better Youth Outcomes: Reimagining Youth Work in a COVID-19 Era — to explore how the Ontario youth sector was adapting to the impacts of the pandemic. One of those conversations featured Richard Marsella and Vanessa Chase from Community Music Schools of Toronto, or CMST (formerly Regent Park School of Music).
On Saturday, January 20, CMST will present The Great Pause, a musical archive of how the pandemic impacted communities in Regent Park and Jane Finch, and the ways that they made meaning of this unusual time. This 13-song snapshot is based directly on interviews with parents, students, teachers, and members of the immediate neighbourhoods, and will feature both solo and ensemble performances by CMST students and faculty. The best part? This event is FREE! Check it out at Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West, Toronto), but be sure to register online in advance to join this musical exploration of both the challenges and the beauty in what these communities experienced during the pandemic. ❤🎵✊
And if you’d like to revisit our conversation with Richard and Vanessa from 2020, check out the archived recording on YouthREX’s Knowledge Hub! 💻📚
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We connected with Tamarack Institute last week and were reminded of a report that they supported publishing this year on the digital divide that you may find interesting and useful. This series of essays identifies multiple facets of the digital divide facing Canadian youth, as well as the importance of mentoring, improved access, and youth voice in solution design.
In the first months of the pandemic, YouthREX developed an Evidence Brief that defines key terms, outlines four key facts about the digital divide, and summarizes six promising practices to ensure greater access to online programming. Check it out!
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We created FAQs and Resource sheets that were interactive so that if students needed a resource it was a quick link away. I think offering different ways of communicating whether it be through different platforms or mediums works. Daily check in boards has also worked nicely.
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Emerging Youth Consultancy is hosting an online Knowledge Transfer event next Thursday to bring together youth and adult allies to explore best practices for youth engagement in a virtual environment. YouthREX is participating, and I’m really excited to learn from all of the speakers, especially after a year of pivoting most of this work to online platforms. You can join us by registering for this free event online. 😃
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This was such an insightful, entertaining, and impactful event! I enjoyed it very much. 😀
Thank you for sharing, Kathe!
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It was so great to see you, Mehret! 😄
The speakers were incredibly engaging and inspiring – I learned so much. ❤
I really liked your idea of encouraging conversations like that to continue in this space. This discussion thread could be a place to start, or we could create one that explores a variety of intersections in the Critical Youth Work CoP.
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Yes- this discussion thread is actually perfect! Really great points shared already and would love to continue the conversation going. 😁
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YouthREX developed this Evidence Brief in response to a specific question asked of us by a youth program in Mississauga, but some of the practices may be useful and applicable to a variety of mentorship programs!
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Hi friends,
Thought I’d share this recorded webinar resource for the wrap up today. Put it on while you’re working or “serve” it along with your lunch.
Cheers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3aesL_p8KA&list=WL&index=14&t=3s
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I’m just seeing this post and wanted to thank you for sharing, Amanda!
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Great resource! I find that sometimes the challenge is not only where and when you connect with youth, but depending on how many youth are in your group, replying to the one-on-one youth-initiated conversations – that often happen between 10PM and 2AM.
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That is very interesting and something I never would have expected as an answer. Would you also send the same message in other platforms such as instagram?
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We have found it useful to blind copy email youth and then see who replies and based on those replies we have coordinated several mentoring online meditation sessions and email conversations. Although youth are not quick or prompt with email replies they will often check emails within 14 to 21 days
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I agree! In education, we find that offering youth a combination of regular scheduled video calls and/or scheduled group chats (synchronous), with email, unscheduled contact, or platforms that can be accessed at any time (asynchronous), provides youth with the flexibility they need. I found this resource offers some useful strategies for e-mentoring. On page 10 there is a typology of e-mentoring programs by technology use.
https://www.mentoring.org/new-site/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/E-Mentoring-Supplement-to-EEP-1.pdf
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– Weekly or bi-weekly check ins via email with open ended questions.
– Sharing resources/workshops that may be of their interest.
– Virtual bookclubs and other group activities that create a routine and help them develop a virtual community.
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Can you say more about “email interactions”? Ate they of a particular type , suited to youth ?
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some e-mentoring formats, such as email interactions, have been successful in improving youth outcomes
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