The project builds on the potential of digitization in the tourism sector to offer youth organizations and young people a set of resources that allows them to launch innovative volunteer initiatives with vulnerable people. On one hand, we want to provide youth workers with a Digital Tourism Toolkit, as a set of practical resources that will help them better understand digital tourism and cultural heritage, and to know how to create digital experiences, including volunteering, and social entrepreneurship mindset. They will use these resources in their daily work with young people, to empower them with competences for the creation of tourism digital experiences, initially through volunteering initiatives addressing vulnerable collectives (people with functional diversity, low qualifications from each age, elder people…). Through the use of this toolkit, youth organizations will acquire resources that contribute to improving their digital skills, and promoting active citizenship among young people, through volunteering, also reinforcing their sense of initiative and greater community action. On the other hand, young people will participate in the DT Experience that, through a gamified approach, will put themselves in the shoes of a digital touristic operator, and overcome different challenges that will contribute to develop their competences as: as researchers (by looking for interesting cultural or touristic topics), as storytellers, as digital content creators (using audiovisual tools), as marketing people (to make their offer more appealing than the others), as socially responsible people (considering the possible barriers that vulnerable collectives face and find out how to overcome them). This experience reinforces key competencies and basic capacities, essential in facilitating the transition of this group to adult life, especially by supporting their integration into the labor market.

Specific objectives are:

O1. To offer youth organizations resources that increase their capacities and foster a critical understanding of the opportunities brought by new technologies in the field of youth work, contributing to initiating the process of digital transformation within their institutions.

O2. To contribute to the E+ strategy of inclusion and diversity, by creating volunteering experiences that, led by the young people, address vulnerable collectives to provide them opportunities to participate in digital tourism experiences.

O3. To facilitate the transition of young people to the labour market, providing them with key digital competences that will allow them to function adequately in the new jobs marked by digitization.

O4. To promote in young people the acquisition of key competences (analysis, creativity, problem solving, communication, innovation …) that are the basis and help consolidate an entrepreneurial mindset.

O5. To consolidate a more inclusive tourism model that allows diversification of the offer to vulnerable groups (either for reasons of functional diversity, economic limitations, or lack of language skills) that can inspire social entrepreneurship initiatives.

The project is funded by the European Union, under the Erasmus + Programme.