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Pathways to Creative Youthwork
Pathways to Creative Youthwork
Content
Habits are a big part of your life, about 40 % of your actions are habits. What if you would become aware of your habits and make conscious decisions instead of doing things automatically without thinking if it is an effective behaviour or not. A habit can be something small like taking a coffee every morning when you wake up, but it can also be more complicated as not taking action to change something that you don’t feel comfortable with. These habits are not just there, they grow step by step until they become second nature. This can be very helpful because when something becomes a second nature, the action doesn’t take a lot of energy anymore. Though it is very annoying when the habit is not effective for your well being.
Do you want to have influence at what happens in your own life and in your surroundings? By living the 7 habits of highly effective people, a method developed by Steven Covey, you will become better in achieving the things that you appreciate most in life and you will become more effective in living the personal and career life that you want. This playlist is inspired by Steven Covey’s work. It will support you in creating habits that are useful for you personally and especially for your work with young people.
Watch and be inspired by Youtube artist NickyTutorials when she decides to take back influence at her life during blackmail by sharing to the world that she is transgender. She became aware about her habits, was proactive within the area where she could influence to feel free again.
Activities to complete
Complete the following activities, earn badges and you will see your playlist progress updated
Content
In youth work, understanding our paradigms and principles is essential for fostering empathy, inclusion, and personal growth. A paradigm is the lens through which we see and interpret the world — our personal “mental map.” As Stephen Covey explains:
“The word paradigm comes from the Greek. It was originally a scientific term, and is more commonly used today to mean a model, theory, perception, assumption, or frame of reference. In the more general sense, it’s the way we ‘see’ the world — not in terms of our visual sense of sight, but in terms of perceiving, understanding, and interpreting. We interpret everything we experience through these mental maps. We seldom question their accuracy; we’re usually even unaware that we have them. We simply assume that the way we see things is the way they really are or the way they should be.”
By exploring our own paradigms — through activities like the Power Flower — we learn to recognize the labels, assumptions, and biases that shape how we view ourselves and others. This awareness helps to understand that everyone’s story and background influence how they perceive the world.
Principles, on the other hand, are the deeper truths that guide our behavior. When youth workers and young people help participants align their actions with principles such as respect, empathy, and integrity, they support authentic personal development and social understanding.
Recognising and challenging paradigms allows youth workers and young people to change perspectives, develop critical thinking, and build inclusive communities. In this way, paradigms and principles are not abstract ideas — they are tools for transformation, helping young people to see beyond stereotypes and act according to shared human values.
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Paradigm Thinker Get this badge
The person who owns this badge…
...learned to recognise and question their own paradigms and assumptions about themselves and others,
...developed a deeper understanding of how principles can guide fair and respectful interactions,
...experienced how changing perspectives can foster empathy, inclusion, and personal growth within a group.
You have to finish all tasks to get the badge
Tasks
Task no.1
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Reflect on today`s learnings:
- What paradigms (bias’s, assumptions) did you discover about yourself and others through the activities today?
- What principles do you identify that supports your work with young people?
- What connections to unleashing creative responses can paradigms and principles support?
The holder of this badge has reflected their paradigms and principles in the context of youth work. In collaboration with a group of international youthwork colleagues, the holder has worked at the sociocultural context of this competence during the international training course "Pathways to creative youthwork".
Task no.2
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
How can you use your learnings in your work with young people?
- How can you create safe spaces that encourage young people to explore and question their own paradigms and assumptions?
- What activities or discussions could help them recognise how personal experiences shape perception and behaviour?
- How can you support young people in identifying and acting according to shared principles such as respect, empathy, and integrity?
Skills
LIFECOMP
#Self-regulation
LIFECOMP
#Flexibility
LIFECOMP
#Empathy
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#Growth mindset
LIFECOMP
#Managing learning
Activities: 4
Started: 1
Completed playlist: 0
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