Interview with Shane Cucow, Youth Worker
Across both large and small youth work organisations, the use of
technology in their work tends to be quite basic, says youth worker
Shane Cucow. "Its generally limited to the use of computers for
file management, word processing, email and internet use. In
outreach work, youth workers will generally have a mobile phone
with them on which young people and colleagues can contact them -
either via call or SMS". While this basic use of technology can be
for a variety of reasons, low resources being a primary
consideration, this is a stark contrast with the way that young
people are using technology. For the youth work sector, one of the
most important ways that young people are using technology is the
tendency to 'Google' answers to their problems rather than seek
support from a formal service.
"Young people who are struggling, but don't know what questions
to ask or how to talk about their problems, will first look for
help online" says Cucow. For a lot of young people, there is the
danger that advice will come from an unreliable source because they
simply don't know where to go. Cucow suggests using technology to
make information more accessible and engaging, and to also get it
into the spaces where young people are already going to be. Social
media awareness campaigns are a good example of this, as they get
into the space where young people already are and provide
information in an engaging and creative way, so that "young people
know in advance when they need to seek help and how they can access
support when they need it". The use of technology within the youth
health workforce will allow young people to access information and
seek help safely, which is important if they are going to turn to
the internet or other technologies for advice.
Cucow has found using technology to be beneficial in his own work
with young people. At an agency he previously worked with, young
people needed to check in fortnightly to indicate that they were
still interested in accommodation and so that workers could check
in with them if they were struggling. The young people were able to
'check in' via phone, SMS or MySpace message, allowing them to use
the method that was "the most comfortable and convenient for them".
Cucow also had his personal iPad with him during outreach work,
"and it was great for looking up information, showing a young
person how to access a service, or pulling up a map and directions
to get them to where they need to go. It made seeking information
and connecting young people with services more fun and engaging,
and much more convenient. As a result, it was easier to connect
them with the services they needed". Cucow's examples show that
technology does not need to be fancy or overly complicated to have
an impact in working with young people.
Cucow agrees that there are barriers towards the uptake of
technology within the work force, primarily money, training, and
resistant management. Many youth work organisations are running on
shoestring budgets and technology is not a priority in grant
applications, however there are organisations such as DonorTec that
provide discounted and donated technology and services to
non-profit organisations. In terms of training, Cucow says, there
is not a lot of education within the sector on how young people use
technology online and how workers can engage in the space, and it
is important that there is a shift in the curriculum to accommodate
this area. Resistant mangers have fears that workers will "waste
their time on social media, provide poor representations or advice
in a public forum, or lose the professionalism of their
relationships with young people", particularly when it comes to
using social media as an engagement and awareness tool. Cucow says
that "there needs to be concerted effort within the sector to
discuss and disseminate information on why online and social media
engagement is important and how it can be done safely".
Research by the Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) has shown that
young people are not only smarter and safer online than most adults
think, but that social networking is beneficial to them as it
allows young people to create social networks where they previously
would have struggled. Similarly, MIssion Australia research has
shown that young people are increasingly using the internet for
support and advice, with figures increasing from 10.1 per cent in
2002 to 22.5 per cent in 2009. Only 12.5% of young people sought
help from professional support services, compared to 84.5% who
sought help from friends. Cucow suggests that this indicates we can
be better equipping young people to support their friends and
provide them with information.
Finally, Cucow says that if we use technology well, we can stop
crises from escalating as young people will be informed about risks
to their mental health, and how and when they should seek support.
For those just beginning, he suggests Mashable's Guide to Twitter
and Guide to Facebook, information on Reach Out Pro, and the
research that will emerge from the CRC. In using and speaking about
technology, this can be better utilised in the area and make a
difference to the lives of young people.
Shane's recommended resources:
CRC Research: http://www.interactivemediarelease.com/ogilvy/yawcrc
Mashable's Guide to Twitter: http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/
Mashable's Guide to Facebook: http://mashable.com/guidebook/facebook/