“We don’t have a choice of whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it.”



-Erik Qualman 

Slacktivism is a case study that highlights the challenges of using social media to engage youth. The following are a few of the challenges of using social media for youth engagement: youth might feel like they have an exaggerated sense of their contribution to a cause; the issues can be oversimplified; organizers and youth have varying degrees of knowledge and skill with specific platforms; platforms and online tools are perpetually changing and it is difficult to keep up with each new method; it is difficult to track and measure public engagement via social media beyond ‘views’ and ‘likes.’

Social media tools are ever-changing and dy...

Youth-Run Leadership Conference I is a case study that highlights the challenges of youth failing to take care of themselves and each other. Often there is an expectation that activists should be ‘rock stars’ who take on as much as they can; there is a fine line between commitment and overworking, and overworking is often encouraged, jeopardizing studies, work, or health.

Imagine a youth-run leadership conference is being pulled together in your town. Lots of young people are eager to sign on for what promises to be an exciting, inspiring and rewarding experience. The excitement and energy in the air lead the organizers to start thinking and talking bigger and better. The targets for attendance grow, along with the budget and scale of the venues, the cost and caliber of musical...

Success Case Study: “350.org”

350.org is a case study that highlights how social media can be used effectively to engage youth. The indicators of success for youth engaged through social media highlighted in this case include: the fact that youth have not only engaged with social media but have taken concrete actions such as writing a letter, changing behaviour, or engaging in deeper personal reflection; the fact that it uses clear indicators for evaluating the success of the event (number of people at events, number of events, participants in local groups, etc.); the fact that it is both place-based and virtual; the fact that there is a progression from low to high commitment; and the fact that it offers multiple prongs for engagement or involvement.

350.org is a unifying cam...

Youth-Run leadership conference II is a case study that highlights some indicators of success when youth take care of themselves and each other. As the case study highlights, for youth to practice self care there must be: opportunities to celebrate success; others who model realistic and healthy participation; intentional space for self care conversations/workshops/learning; opportunities to step aside; clear backup and contingency planning; strategies to support employees/volunteers through self care and burnout; clear expectations; and achievable goals.

Now, imagine a different youth-run leadership conference. You are among the group of young people that start organizing by putting together a planning and visioning session to get your ideas out. You all dream big but also discuss your sc...