Digitale Welten is a program and network for political and cultural youth media education in Frankfurt am Main and Hesse run by NODE e.V.
Digitale Welten focuses on the creative and critical use of technology and media. A team of educators, curators and social workers develop workshop formats and implement them in cooperation with open child and youth work institutions and various partner organisations from the arts and culture. Young people work together with media artists on topics such as programming, technology, DIY, net society and digitalisation. The programme includes short workshops to arouse curiosity, hackathons for advanced young people and networking and training opportunities for youth work professionals. The largest project is the Digital Worlds youth media art festival with workshops lasting several days and an exhibition.
Digitale Welten aims to be a multiplier, networking platform and experimental laboratory for new approaches to our technology-infused world.
The goal of Digitale Welten is to work practically and creatively with technology, tear down boundaries and insecurities while raising awareness for issues of network politics and questions of our digital society. Through artistic practices and approaches the program seeks to convey an emancipated use of media.
Using the creative process to work with and discuss technology at eye level with artists and designers, one’s own potential in relation to the technological lifeworld becomes tangible. Digitale Welten is turning young people into active participants of the digital world, we take into consideration their notable perspectives and acknowledges their active role as critical creators and designers of a global discourse.
We also run the Frankfurt edition of Jugend hackt.
Digitale Welten is a project by NODE developed in close collaboration with the Frankfurt Office for Youth and Social Affairs together with the Jugendbildungswerk Today, Goethe University Frankfurt / Institute for Art Education: Visual Culture and the Hessian State Office for Political Education.