Formation of IСT competences of youth in the system of non-formal education

Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the need to form competences in sphere of information and communications technology (hereinafter – ICT competences) among youth leaders, because they transfer this experience of using the Internet and digital technologies to other young people. Within the framework of formal education, this problem is not given necessary attention; accordingly, the non-formal education system has the right to compensate for this shortcoming through the implementation of additional programs that form IСT competences in young people. The purpose of this study is to substantiate theoretically and test experimentally the effectiveness of the program for the formation of IСT competences of youth leaders through the organization of training events in the system of non-formal education. The leading research method was a pedagogical experiment, in which 15 leaders of youth non-profit organizations from 8 European countries took part. The participants were pre-selected, which involved the analysis of practical experience in the field of digital technologies and the presence of motivation to learn. The questionnaire method was used in this study (online self-assessment tool “Digital Skills Accelerator”). The questionnaire is based on five areas of practical use of ICT competences: general information literacy, communication, digital product creation, information security, and solution of technical problems. To confirm the reliability of the data, the method of mathematical statistics (T-Wilcoxon test) was used. The results of the pedagogical experiment show that significant changes have occurred in terms of the indicators "General information literacy", "Communication", "Creation of digital products" (at the significance level p = 0.01), as well as "Information security" (at the significance level 0.05). There were no significant changes in the indicator “Solving technical problems”. The article presents the experience of implementing the training program for the Digital youth cafe: online tools for communication and fundraising strategies in the youth field. During this project, a blog on the implementation and results of the project; online fundraising and communication campaigns, open webinars on project topics were created. This study proved the effectiveness of the formation of ICT competences of youth leaders in the system of non-formal education through the implementation of an educational project. The materials of this article can be useful for workers and leaders of youth organizations, as well as for specialists in the field of non-formal education of youth.