Catching young people with the Net?

A lot of young people use computers – they have to, it’s how our schools are run.  A lot of young people use social networking websites – they want to, it’s how friendships work today.

However, a lot, isn’t all.  There are many young people across the country who do not have an active facebook account, msn address or even an email they check regularly.  A lot of young people are just not wired that way.

Computers and technology demands that everyone knows some basics.  Some young people are not interested.  Maybe they see through the lie of the value placed on technology.  They see the real worth of playing with real toys, not virtual ones.  They see the real worth of meeting friends face to face, not virtually.  Many young people don’t use technology the way we expect.

I’ve thought a lot about different approaches to online youthwork.  With some young people, this approach can be very effective – regular status updates and opinions expressed online can lead to all kinds of follow up.  Many young people choose not to display their lives, thoughts or opinions online and will fall through the youth work gap if we invest too much in technology too soon.

Youth work will never be completely online, but to those investing huge amounts of time and money in technological youth work – remember, not every young person is wired that way.  Note to self:  don’t forget the young people who swim in the real world – you can’t catch everyone with the Net.