Supporting social inclusion of youth at risk using social software: impact, sustainability and evaluation, one year after pilot testing

Purpose – The aim of this case study is to report on the experiences of four social work organisations infour different European countries and their efforts to integrate the use of social media as a means tosupport their work with Youth-at-Risk.Design/methodology/approach – The case study reports on the activities of and challenges met bythese four organisations undertaken in the two years they took part in the EU-INCLUSO(FP7) project andthe year after the end of the project (2010). The initial findings were supplemented and updated basedon recent, in-depth interviews with representatives from the four pilot organisations.Findings – The use of social media to support the work of organisations working with Youth-at-Risk hasmuch potential and has proven to be worthwhile, according to the experiences of the four organisationsthat took part in the EU-INCLUSO project. However, successful adoption within the organisationdepends on management support, sufficient resources and staff coaching and training. The choice ofwhich tools can be used in a particular situation is largely influenced by the preferences of the youngpeople involved, putting emphasis on co-designing social media strategies together with the intendedtarget group. Finally, most organisations report that currently available social media tools, while useful,are not always ideal; this makes the case for custom-built tools.Originality/value – This case study offers a unique view into the experiences of four pioneeringorganisations working with Youth-at-Risk and their experiences with implementing social media tools intheir organisation.

Jaar van publicatie:2011