Procedure

This task consists of four parts.

In the first part, participants will learn how to create a Telegram channel. To do this, they will first work through Worksheet 1 individually.

In the second part, participants form small groups of 2-3 people and research the individual messenger apps. They answer the guiding questions in work materials 2-5. The individual groups prepare the knowledge they have gathered in the form of a Telegram channel.

In the third part, participants have time to read up on the individual channels.

In a final plenary session, open questions can be clarified and the following topics can be discussed, depending on the group’s level of knowledge and information needs:

• What criteria do I use to select the best messenger app for youth work and how do I weigh the individual criteria?
• How do I deal with the issue of “closeness and distance” when using messenger apps in youth work?
• Is it problematic if more and more communication migrates to unmoderated and semi-public spaces such as messengers?

Preparation

• Working materials 1–6 must be printed out.
• To prevent participants from getting lost in the depths of the internet during their research, it may be helpful to include printed information texts on the individual messengers. Clear texts on this topic can be found, for example, at<https://www.klicksafe.de/> andhttps://mobilsicher.de/.

Notes on moderation

• The messenger app Telegram must be installed for this task. If this is not desired, the version of this task “on site | without internet” can be used. We have explicitly chosen Telegram as a teaching tool and not as a recommendation. The app should be viewed critically for two reasons in particular. Firstly, end-to-end encryption must be set manually, and secondly, the company’s policy is rather opaque. However, because the messenger has developed into an important channel for civil society worldwide in recent years, but also for conspiracy theorists and right-wing extremists, it is nevertheless important that youth workers familiarize themselves with the app.
• It may be useful to go through the research task together with the participants. Terms such as “open source” are not self-explanatory at the beginner level. In Task 2 of this module, you will find short explanations of some terms that you can use for your explanation.

Interesting links

• <https://mobilsicher.de/ratgeber/messenger-app-signal-kurz-vorgestellt>

• <https://mobilsicher.de/ratgeber/messenger-app-telegram-kurz-vorgestellt>

• <https://mobilsicher.de/ratgeber/messenger-app-signal-kurz-vorgestellt>

• <https://mobilsicher.de/ratgeber/messenger-app-wire-kurz-vorgestellt>