#Influencers
Synopsis
The Influencers project sees Online Social Entrepreneurship as an important bridge for the inclusion of young people on the margins of mainstream society. Topics of inclusion and diversity can reach and involve big audiences via online platforms and social media. The concept of Social Online Entrepreneurs (social influencers) offers the potential to share, exchange and discuss social topics with big groups of users. Online Social Entrepreneurs share personal perspectives and everyday experiences on topics of inclusion and diversity, illustrating practical consequences of lacking (or successful) aspects of inclusion. This personal approach offers the opportunity to get in contact with people being interested or engaged in specific social topics, bringing them together and creating a (possibly big) group of followers.
Exploiting the full potential of this possibility to bring up topics related to inclusion and diversity on the public agenda by using online and social media requires a professional and strategic approach, being based on the development of competences in various fields. This includes developing a strategy for the business aspect of an Online Social Enterprise: how to reach a big audience and how to develop your profile as an Online Social Entrepreneur. Furthermore, it is important to develop competences on how to make use of the benefits of online media and social media in a competent way, while using these media in a healthy and sustainable way, without being affected by online safety issues or other online threats. The Influencers project provides a structured approach for both areas: developing competences in media and online literacy and starting and developing a career as an Online Social Entrepreneur.
Target Audience
Youth workers and youth living with a disability or long-term health conditions.
Goals
- Provide a supportive digital environment where youth living with a disability or a long-term health condition can fulfill their potential.
- Help achieve a more inclusive society in the local areas where the project is implemented, by acknowledging youth living with a disability or a long-term health condition as key contributors to social goals.
- Raise awareness of the positive attributes of digital and social media and the potential it offers for all young people in society.
- Enhance the reputation of participating youth organizations as centers of excellence in youth work, that will help them to attract good youth workers and/or retain their best youth development staff.
- Help ensure that young people from the local areas who participate in the training provided will be recognised as responsible digital and social media citizens.
- Support increased digital inclusion which is an important element of social inclusion in today’s society.
Skills developed
- The development of an Online Social Entrepreneurship Curriculum that focuses on building knowledge, skills and competences necessary to support youth living with a disability or long-term health condition to develop next generation online social enterprises.
- The development of a full curriculum of digital and social media literacy training resources.
- The development of an in-service training programme to ensure that youth professionals are equipped to deliver the Online Social Entrepreneurship Curriculum and the Digital & Social Media Literacy Curriculum.
- Creativity
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Social innovation
Why is it a good practice in the digital area?
The Influencers project fosters the active engagement of young people with a disability or a long-term health condition through social entrepreneurship.
It is also a good practice because it puts youth, in this case young people with disabilities, at the center of the discourse. This is a very interesting way of disseminating content online, empowering young people and fostering discussions that are enriching and contribute to a better society between young people and other generations.
Training Team
One activity led by a facilitator to present the handbook and test the E-learning portal.
Duration proposed
3 hours
Promoting Organization
RightChallenge (a non-governmental organization that aims to promote education and vocational training as a means of social inclusion and equal opportunities.)
Starting Year
2019
Prizes / recognition received
Project funded by Erasmus+ programme
You can follow them on…
Website:
https://influencersproject.eu/
Handbook:
https://influencersproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/handbook/Influencers%E2%80%93In-ServiceTrainingProgrammeHandbook_EN.pdf
E-learning portal:
https://elearning.influencersproject.eu/
Social media:
https://www.facebook.com/influencersproject/
Promotional video:
