New Publications
Digital Transformation in the European Youth Field – Literature Snapshot 2025
Our new RAY DIGI Literature Snapshot on digital transformation in the European youth field is now published! The snapshot provides a comprehensive overview of how youth work organisations across Europe are engaging with digitalisation, from emerging practices to strategic change processes.
What is this RAY DIGI publication about?
RAY DIGI is a transnational research project examining the role of digitalisation in youth work and non-formal education within the European Youth Programmes (Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps).
Following the first research cycle (2021–2024), which focused on digital youth work practices, the new research cycle (2024–2027) explores how youth work organisations are developing and implementing digital transformation strategies.
This literature snapshot lays the conceptual and analytical foundation for that work. It reviews existing research, frameworks, and tools related to the digital transformation of youth work organisations, identifying gaps and directions for further exploration. The report distinguishes between digital youth work, the pedagogical use of digital tools, and the broader digital transformation of organisational structures, cultures, and strategies within the youth field.
What are the key findings?
The review highlights that digital transformation in youth work is still in its early stages. While many organisations have embraced digital tools, the integration of long-term strategies and structured digital transformation processes remains limited.
Some of the key insights include:
- Fragmented approaches: Digital practices often emerge reactively, rather than through deliberate strategic planning.
- Limited frameworks: Few youth work organisations have formal digital transformation strategies, and existing research indicates that structured approaches remain limited across the sector.
- Existing tools and resources: Frameworks such as SALTO’s Self-Assessment Tool on Digital Capacities and the European Guidelines for Digital Youth Work provide valuable starting points for reflection and development.
- Barriers to systemic change: Common obstacles include insufficient funding, limited training, unclear leadership direction, and uneven organisational readiness.
- Critical perspectives: Underexplored risks include the potential for digitalisation to reinforce inequalities or constrain relational and participatory practices, pointing to the need for value-driven approaches within youth work digital transformation.
The report emphasises that moving from practice to strategy requires sustained support, policy alignment, and investment in organisational learning to ensure digital innovation contributes meaningfully to the core mission of youth work.
Where can I find out more?
If you’re interested in exploring how youth work organisations are navigating digital change, you can access the full snapshot and learn more about the RAY DIGI project on our website.
The next phase of RAY DIGI will build on these findings through in-depth case studies across Europe, exploring how youth work organisations are experimenting, adapting, and transforming in response to digitalisation.