{"id":4983,"date":"2023-10-21T09:42:32","date_gmt":"2023-10-21T06:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.matsh.co\/en\/?post_type=course&p=4983"},"modified":"2026-05-19T22:43:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:43:37","slug":"integrating-technology-into-youth-settings","status":"publish","type":"course","link":"https:\/\/matsh.co\/en\/course\/integrating-technology-into-youth-settings\/","title":{"rendered":"Integrating Technology into Youth Settings"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A 16-year-old in Riyadh, Nairobi or Jakarta has never known a world without a smartphone. They communicate primarily through digital channels. They form relationships, build identities, consume information and navigate social dynamics online as much as offline. A young person's TikTok feed, their WhatsApp group dynamics, the way they present themselves on Instagram, the online spaces where radicalisation attempts are made, the YouTube channels shaping their worldview, these are not separate from their development. They are part of it. Youth workers who are not equipped to engage with young people's digital lives, support their digital wellbeing and use technology purposefully in their programmes are increasingly disconnected from the young people they serve.<\/p>\n

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7.5hrs<\/strong>average daily screen time among teenagers in GCC countries, the highest in the world<\/span><\/div>\n
72%<\/strong>of online radicalisation attempts globally target young people under 24 through social media<\/span><\/div>\n
240+<\/strong>youth workers trained by Matsh in digital youth work across the Gulf, Africa and Asia<\/span><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The digital youth work challenges practitioners consistently report:<\/p>\n

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  • Young people in your programme are experiencing cyberbullying, online exploitation or exposure to harmful content and you do not feel equipped to respond or refer appropriately<\/li>\n
  • You have a WhatsApp group for your youth programme that is causing more problems than it solves, boundary violations, conflict spilling over from sessions, 2am messages<\/li>\n
  • Your online sessions are technically functional but young people are visibly disengaged within 20 minutes and you do not know what to do differently<\/li>\n
  • You want to use social media to reach and engage young people but you do not have a strategic approach and are concerned about safeguarding implications<\/li>\n
  • Young people are spending enormous amounts of time on screens and you know it is affecting their wellbeing, sleep and relationships, but you do not have the tools to address this with them<\/li>\n
  • You are aware that digital inequality in your context means some young people are being left behind by digital programming, but you do not know how to address it<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n

    This course equips youth workers to engage with young people's digital lives purposefully, safely and effectively across GCC, African and Asian contexts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    The Digital Context Is Different Across the Gulf, Africa and Asia<\/h3>\n

    The digital landscape varies significantly across regions, and generic digital training that ignores this produces approaches that do not fit.<\/p>\n

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    \ud83d\udcf1 GCC Digital Context<\/h4>

    Snapchat penetration in Saudi Arabia is among the highest globally. TikTok and Instagram dominate youth culture. WhatsApp is the primary channel for programme communication. Youth screen time in the Gulf is the highest in the world. Online radicalisation is a documented and specific concern. The regulatory context for online content is different from Western markets.<\/p><\/div>\n

    \ud83c\udf0d African Digital Context<\/h4>

    Mobile internet access via smartphone has transformed digital participation across Sub-Saharan Africa. Facebook and WhatsApp still dominate in many markets. Digital divides between urban and rural contexts are significant. Mobile money and digital livelihoods are transforming economic opportunity for young people. Data costs remain a barrier for many.<\/p><\/div>\n

    \ud83d\udd12 Online Safety Context<\/h4>

    Cyberbullying, online sexual exploitation and radicalisation operate differently in GCC, African and Asian contexts, shaped by different social norms, legal frameworks, and digital platform behaviour. Effective online safety work requires this contextual knowledge.<\/p><\/div>\n

    \ud83d\udcf6 Digital Inequality<\/h4>

    In most African contexts and parts of Asia, digital access is uneven, with young people in rural areas, those in poverty, and young women in some communities facing barriers that their urban and male counterparts do not. Digital youth work must address this, not assume it away.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

    Who Should Attend<\/h2>\n
    \n
    \ud83e\udd1d<\/div>

    Youth Workers and Programme Staff<\/h4>

    Practitioners wanting to use technology more effectively in their work and to engage with young people's digital lives more competently.<\/p><\/div>\n

    \ud83d\udccb<\/div>

    Programme Managers<\/h4>

    Managers designing digital components for youth programmes who want a principled, safeguarding-aware approach.<\/p><\/div>\n

    \ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f<\/div>

    Youth Centre and Organisation Managers<\/h4>

    Leaders developing digital strategy for their youth organisation and wanting a clear framework for doing so responsibly.<\/p><\/div>\n

    \ud83d\udcda<\/div>

    Digital Literacy and Online Safety Educators<\/h4>

    Educators working on digital literacy and online safety who want a youth development approach to complement their existing work.<\/p><\/div>\n

    \ud83c\udf0d<\/div>

    NGO Programme Staff<\/h4>

    Staff delivering online or hybrid youth programmes who want to improve their digital facilitation quality and safeguarding practice.<\/p><\/div>\n

    \ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f<\/div>

    Policy and Ministry Staff<\/h4>

    Government staff working on digital literacy, online safety and youth digital development policy.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    What You Will Leave With<\/h2>\n

    A complete digital youth work toolkit for your context.<\/p>\n

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    \u2713<\/span>Digital landscape map<\/strong> for your region, platforms young people use, how they use them, what the risks look like in your context<\/span><\/div>\n
    \u2713<\/span>Digital programme toolkit<\/strong>, tools, platforms and approaches for youth engagement, learning and communication<\/span><\/div>\n
    \u2713<\/span>Online facilitation guide<\/strong>, specific approaches for engaging young people in digital settings<\/span><\/div>\n
    \u2713<\/span>Digital wellbeing framework<\/strong>, approaches for supporting young people's healthy relationship with technology<\/span><\/div>\n
    \u2713<\/span>Online safety response protocol<\/strong>, cyberbullying, exploitation, radicalisation, how to recognise and respond in your context<\/span><\/div>\n
    \u2713<\/span>Digital literacy programme design guide<\/strong>, building critical digital skills in young people<\/span><\/div>\n
    \u2713<\/span>Organisational digital safeguarding policy template<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
    \u2713<\/span>WhatsApp and messaging channel management guide<\/strong>, protocols that maintain programme effectiveness and professional boundaries<\/span><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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    What Participants Report<\/h3>\n

    From follow-up surveys after the programme<\/p>\n

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    91%<\/strong>implemented at least one new
    digital approach within 30 days<\/span><\/div>\n
    86%<\/strong>felt significantly more confident
    responding to online safety disclosures<\/span><\/div>\n
    240+<\/strong>youth workers trained across
    Gulf, Africa and Asia<\/span><\/div>\n
    14+<\/strong>countries represented across
    all cohorts<\/span><\/div>\n <\/div>\n
    \n \"We had been running online sessions for a year and couldn't understand why young people kept dropping off. After this course I understood, we were running in-person sessions on a Zoom screen, not actually designing for digital. We rebuilt our online programme from scratch using the framework and retention went from 40% to 85%.\"
    Programme Manager, youth NGO, Dubai cohort<\/em>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

    Programme Outline<\/h2>\n\n
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    1<\/div>Young People and Digital Technology: The Reality in Your Context<\/strong><\/div>\n
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    Why this module matters:<\/strong> Effective digital youth work starts with understanding how young people in your specific context actually use technology, not assumptions from global reports written about Western teenagers. Module 1 builds that contextual understanding.<\/p>\n