July 2021
The handbook for using radio in youth work is one of the outputs of the project “YOUth on AIR – developing active participation and intercultural dialogue among youth through online media tools”, which was implemented by the organization CSI Centrifuge in cooperation with the following organizations: Art of the Box and Out of the Box from Belgium, Peshkar from the UK and Center for Intercultural Dialogue – CID from the Republic of North Macedonia. The idea behind the project is to develop guidelines for using radio in youth work to improve its quality, promote the synergy of transnational mobility and non-formal learning through cross-sectoral cooperation between young people and international / EU organizations and radio practitioners across Europe.
The Toolkit “Radio for quality youth work” was designed and created by the project team based on modern patterns of education such as non-formal education, active learning and new technologies, and it represents an innovative combination of practical and theoretical knowledge. This manual is intended primarily for youth workers and non-governmental organizations dealing with young people, but it can also be used by all young people who want to embark on using digital radio in their work. This manual is also designed for radio practitioners, since one of its goals is to develop a methodology on how to adapt radio as a medium to the needs of young people. The handbook was tested through an online training event for youth workers held in October 2020, during which feedback from 15 participants was collected serving as a basis for the adaptation and finalization of the content of the handbook.
The primary aim of this handbook is to provide guidelines for creating relevant and sustainable youth programs that will bring new perspectives, ideas, and stories to young people as well as adult listeners. In addition, the handbook examines how the voices of young people from marginalized social groups can become a significant part of wider radio broadcasting, thus exploring in a way how the tools it contains can enhance the process of social inclusion.
The idea is to make this handbook open and available to youth organizations, schools, radio professionals and other relevant stakeholders in partner countries and other organizations working with young people not only in partners’ networks, but also Europe-wide. Cross-sectoral cooperation between young people and international / EU organizations and media agencies will contribute to the promotion of youth work, the promotion of non-formal learning and raising awareness of the positive impact of media on young people’s lives.
In the introductory part of the manual, you can get more details about the project itself, as well as instructions on how to use the manual. The following part is an introduction to youth work focused on the topics of active participation and intercultural dialogue, containing examples of good practices in working with young people. The next chapter focuses on the methodology of making a radio show, from how the content is planned and created, to all the technical parts of making a show (recording, editing and producing). The last part of the manual informs readers about the successful practices of youth radio stations from all over the world.
This project is run by Art of the Box (Belgium) in cooperation with PESHKAR PRODUCTIONS LIMITED (the UK), OUT OF THE BOX INTERNATIONAL (Belgium), Centar za Socijalne Inovacije Centrifuga (Serbia) and Center for Intercultural Dialogue (the Republic of North Macedonia). This project is supported by the Erasmus Plus programme of the European Union.
