In short
As a cultural educator, you have unique knowledge of youth - the visitors and future employees of your organization. You can use this knowledge to stimulate digital transformation: connect the values of youth with your program, implement digital elements in your location, and use data to improve your offering. Do this together with your colleagues.
The audience of the future, you're already reaching them!
Have you thought about it? That as a cultural educator, you are already reaching the audience of the future? You probably already have much more knowledge about the world of this future cultural audience than your colleagues. And every educator knows; if you can convince a young person during their school career of the importance of culture, the chances are much higher that as an adult, they will remain interested in culture. So how do you connect with them for the long term? And how do you prepare your entire organization for this target group that already has so much digital knowledge?
The digital focus starts with you
As an expert on the audience of the future, you might be the indicated person to stimulate digital transformation within your organization. You can help your organization grow with the knowledge you have of this target group.
How do you convince your organization? 3 concrete and accessible steps:
Connect the values of youth with your program
Involve your colleagues such as artistic creators, programmers, or marketers. This way, they also get to know this group and can serve them better. Let your colleagues start getting acquainted with this audience by, for example, inviting different classes. This way, they see how this new generation interacts with culture and uses digital resources. This is valuable information that you can apply to your offering and at the same time, a starting point to work together on a digital strategy.
Implement elements from their digital world into your location
Do you notice that students always enter the building with their phones in their hands? Together with your colleagues, you can ask yourself this question: how do we capture their attention in such a way that they focus on our offering? Perhaps you can showcase yourself in places where youth are online or use digital resources to offer depth and context. Some museums showcase their collections in games, theaters stream their performances via global platforms, and literature recommendations from #BookTok on TikTok contribute to new readers. Collaboration with parties in ICT, gaming, or digitization can help.
Use data
Do you have a digital offering or use platforms, services, or digital materials? Then chances are high that you are collecting user data. You can use this data to better identify your target group, but also to improve your offering or, for example, make it easier to find online and thus reach an even larger audience. Consult a marketing or communication specialist to achieve this.
Conclusion
Do it together! Explore digital possibilities together with your colleagues from other departments, analyze the data together, and determine together what the digital strategy will be. This way, the entire organization participates in this digital thinking. Moreover, a digital strategy combines different skills and expertise within an organization. An integral focus on your digital strategy is only possible if the different experts can find each other and work together and not operate in isolation. Exchange with other organizations and disciplines can also strengthen this.
A new audience requires collaboration
With the knowledge you bring from the new audience, some questions also arise. Debate these within your organization so that everyone stays on board and you all remain agile.
Questions to answer together with your colleagues:
What social developments can we recognize in the new audience? Think, for example, about the increasing digitization in society and consider how you as an institution can respond to this.
How do you as an institution deal with big themes like inclusion and sustainability? These topics are becoming increasingly important in our society, and youth feel very involved in them. Does the culture of your organization align with the expectations of the new audience? Today's youth are not only the audience but also the staff of tomorrow.
Do you have a good view of the digital technologies that this generation and the next are embracing? As a cultural educator, you are aware of what is important, which apps, platforms, and devices the youth are using. What do you know about the technologies behind them or the ethics, how these are developing, and what makes certain platforms so successful? By delving into these topics together with your colleagues, you can get a better view of which technologies you can use yourself and how your target group will interact with them.
“Create a foundation of support. Start a conversation and share your experiences.”
Turn your plans into action
For digital transformation to start moving forward, you need support within your organization. To create a foundation of support, you can talk with your colleagues and managers. What is needed to prepare your organization for the future? In what way can digital transformation contribute? Identify the challenges and what you think is needed. For example, mandate, budget, and time to invest in a digital focus or perhaps new skills that you or your colleagues want to learn.
And vice versa: share your own experiences, knowledge, and expertise with your colleagues, inside and outside your organization. Are there services you are developing right now that others can make use of?
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the cultural educator important for digital transformation?Hide explanationShow explanation
Cultural educators have direct contact with youth — the visitors and future employees of a cultural organization. This unique position provides them with insights into the digital habits and expectations that colleagues in other roles often do not have. This makes them a valuable driver of digital innovation.
How can I involve my colleagues in digital transformation?Hide explanationShow explanation
Start small: invite a class so that colleagues can experience how youth interact with culture and technology. Then analyze the data you have already collected together and use this as a starting point for a joint digital strategy.
Where do I start as a cultural educator with digital transformation?Hide explanationShow explanation
Take a concrete step: connect a digital element to an existing program, ask a colleague from ICT or communication to brainstorm together, or analyze the data you already have. A digital strategy is built step by step - together is easier than alone.
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