TURN ONline, the project to digitalize youth NGOs working for Human Rights

According Global NGO online technology report (2018) and Technology for Good: Innovative use of technologies by charities (2014), most NGOs don't have any strategy of their online presence, and that´s why they lose the potential of their actions.

The quantitative research implemented by Catalan institution La Taula del Tercer Sector about the characteristics of the usage of ICT by Catalan organizations showed that 18 from 21 characteristics were negative: inefficiency, lack of standards, collecting of data without further analysis, lack of ICT competencies, etc.

That’s why the Catalan Foundation for NGO’s web development iWith.org had the initiative to create  the project TURN Online: digital transformation of youth NGOs promoting peace and Human Rights. This project was supported by the Spanish National Agency within the Programme of European Commission Erasmus Plus and will last until April, 2019.

The main aim of TURN ONline is to encourage youth organizations working in the field of peace building and Human Rights to transform their digital activity and to use different forms of online activism to increase the social impact of their actions.

In order to reach this aim, iWith.org works together with its consortium of the partners from Spain, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Greece.

In a broad sense, TURN Online promotes digital transformation in two parallel directions: inner digital management and online activism including social communication. Within the project, the work is focused on four thematic areas: digital management, online communication, education and online activism.

On the one hand, most organizations need to change from within and start to use digital tools for organizational management strategically: tools for internal communication, brainstorming, making decisions, planning and organizing activities.

On the other hand, youth organizations willing to transform digitally first need to strengthen their presence online. They can do so by using strategic social networks and online actions, such as organizing communicational and crowdfunding campaigns, creating petitions and other forms of online activism.

On April 15, TURN Online will lead a three days event in Romania, and by the time the workshop finishes the people and organizations that take part of the project will publish a guide on digital communication for youth NGOS. 

TURN Online also provides some useful materials that can help organizations in their way towards digital transformation and good practices of the usage of digital tools in the field of youth organizations.

TURN Online project’s biggest claim is Let’s TURN Online together!, so if you have a youth organization working on Human Rights and Peace don’t hesitate to network with this iWith.org initiative through Facebook and Twitter.