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LearnINN Playlist - Innovation in Youth Work
LearnINN Playlist - Innovation in Youth Work
Content
This Learning Playlist guides you through the key steps of the Design Thinking process:
- Empathise
- Define
- Ideate
- Prototype
- Test
It is framed within the context of youth work and innovation.
As you progress through the activities, you will explore how a Human-centred design, digital tools, and creative collaboration can help tackle real challenges in your work.
Completing this playlist and collecting at least 4 thematic badges will earn you the final recognition badge for your active learning about innovation development in the field of youth work. .
This Learning Playlist is part of the KA2 Cooperation Partnership project Learn INN, supported by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme.
Activities to complete
Complete the following activities, earn badges and you will see your playlist progress updated
Content
Human-Centered Design Thinking is a creative and collaborative approach to problem-solving that starts with people. It encourages us to deeply understand the needs, hopes, and challenges of the individuals we are working with – in this case, young people.
Rather than jumping to solutions, this method invites us to ask questions, listen, empathise, and co-create ideas that truly matter. It has five main stages: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test – though they don’t always follow a strict order. Depending on the design school, these phases might be called differently. In some cases it has few more stages.
For example IDEO agency, famous for it's Human-Centred design work introduces more granular steps around the same flow: Frame a Question - Gather Inspiration - Synthesize for Action - Generate Ideas - Make Ideas Tangible - Test to Learn - Share a Story.
In youth work and non-formal education, Human-Centred Design empowers us to:
• Engage young people as partners, not just participants.
• Develop programmes, tools, and solutions that respond to real needs.
• Build creative confidence and collaborative spirit in the process.
In this activity, you’ll explore the Empathise phase – a cornerstone of human-centred thinking that helps uncover insights through listening and observation.
Read more about specific aspects of Human-centered Design thinking, focusing on the Empathise and Define phases.
Watch: Design Thinking Process in a simple animated explainer video
3. Share Your Insights
Post one insight or unexpected discovery from your empathy map.
Reflect: How did this change your understanding of the challenge? How might it influence a youth-focused solution?
Resources
Get activity badge
Human-Centred Design Thinker Get this badge
I earned this badge by exploring the Human-Centred Design Thinking approach and practising empathy mapping to understand the needs and experiences of others. I engaged in meaningful conversations, listened deeply, and helped build a shared understanding of real challenges youth workers face. This experience strengthened my ability to approach innovation with empathy, curiosity, and reflection.
This badge is part of the KA2 Cooperation Partnership project Learn INN, supported by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme.
Tasks
Task no.1
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Share one insight or moment from your ‘empathy’ phase work that helped you better understand a real need or challenge in your organisation.
(You can write your response or upload an image with a short comment.)
Skills
ESCO
#innovate
ESCO
#innovate
EntreComp
#Be innovative
ESCO
#seek an innovative current practice
ESCO
#build craft prototypes
ETS-TR
#Choose and designing appropriate methods for collecting, interpreting and disseminating information (data, resources, findings, etc.)
ETS-TR
#Where applicable, includes the community’s needs in the programme design
ESCO
#demonstrate empathy
#Aiming at reaching educational aims by using specific ways and methods that encourage creativity, problem solving, ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking, in different environmental aspects
ETS-TR
#Facilitates problem solving
#Aiming at reaching educational aims by using specific ways and methods that encourage creativity, problem solving, ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking, in different environmental aspects
ETS-TR
#Enables participants to be creative and think out of the box
ESCO
#brainstorming ideas
#Openness to using different ways and methods to encourage creativity, problem solving and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking
ETS-TR
#Understands the impact of Artificial Intelligence on choosing learning objectives when using online platforms for learning
ESCO
#innovate
ESCO
#build craft prototypes
#Aiming at reaching educational aims by using specific ways and methods that encourage creativity, problem solving, ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking, in different environmental aspects
Activities: 6
Started: 13
Completed playlist: 11
Time to complete: 13 hours 30 minutes
Share:
Organisers
Nectarus
Badge issuer recognized with
Awero not-for-profit organisation manages this platform and develops it together with leading educational organisations. The European Union's programme Erasmus+ granted co-funding for building the first version of this platform. Contact support@awero.org.
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