Equitable by Default? is an exploratory project within the Digital Youth Work Research Hub (DYWR.HUB), focused on understanding how digital equity is experienced, practiced, and shaped within youth work in the UK. Grounded in the knowledge and lived realities of youth workers, the project takes a closer look at the national digital inclusion landscape. Cristina Bacalso is the Research Lead for Equitable by Default? Youth Work, Digital Equity, and Policy in the UK.
To what extent are non-formal education environments strategically supported in their digital youth work activities? What can be done to strengthen the voice of the youth sector in national decisions around digital inclusion and digital education? How can we ensure that digital youth work remains rooted in core youth work values, especially in the face of growing commercial interest and influence from the tech sector? These are some of the key questions the project will explore.
In Autumn 2025, we’ll be facilitating a series of workshops with digital youth work experts across the UK to explore their perspectives on digital equity. These workshops are informed by our ongoing policy mapping and system analysis, which examine how different fields and sectors shape digital youth work—including the wider role of non-formal education in digital inclusion efforts. Our intention is to ensure that digital youth work is recognised as a vital part of the digital inclusion landscape, and that the expertise of youth workers is acknowledged in shaping national and European policy.
The project combines participatory workshops, collaborative analysis, and arts-based advocacy to identify structural issues in digital youth work and co-create messages for policy change. The resulting creative materials will be shared with policymakers and practitioners to support sustained advocacy.
Cristina Bacalso is the Research Lead for Equitable by Default? Youth Work, Digital Equity, and Policy in the UK. She is an independent research consultant specialising in public policies for adolescent and youth development and the human rights of young people. Cristina has worked at international, European, and national levels with organisations including UNICEF, UNICEF Innocenti, UNDP, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the European Youth Forum, and numerous national governments and youth civil society organisations. Her work focuses on evidence-informed youth policy, youth participation, participatory research, and youth work.
