Top tools for digital exchange projects

The tools are divided into three categories. The first two are helpful for preparing and organising projects. There then follows a presentation of two tools for brainstorming sessions and overviews, and finally two aids for interacting with participants during project implementation. Each tool is portrayed briefly in a video.

Good communication and task sharing within the team are central to the joint planning and implementation of a youth project. The platform Trello provides a comprehensive overview of all tasks and also tracks task completion.

Many different communication and data storage services play a role in everyday life: several e-mail programmes, short message services and cloud storage facilities. This diversity can become stressful and confusing. The programme Slack can be helpful here. It combines all functions for successful collaboration in one place. Teams can communicate with each other on specific topics and exchange files. A service for mobile phones is also available.

Wall charts, flipcharts and post-its are often used in physical meetings. This is now also possible in digital meetings. The two tools Mural and Miro give you all the possibilities you would have with a whiteboard as well as additional functions. The programmes make it possible to work together with participants at an event or with team members in a brainstorming session or to present a process clearly. The basic version of both tools is free of charge (Mural for 30 days) and can be used directly online.

At first glance, it would seem more difficult to integrate interactive elements and to enable good exchange between participants at digital events and in online meetings. A simple way to activate and include participants is a survey. If you are looking for good ideas, want to get opinions on a topic or just want to know how the participants are doing, use Pollly. This website is free of charge and can be used intuitively. Mentimeter offers the same function but with a range of other possibilities, too. Surveys, polls and collections can be carried out using a well-designed website. Participants do not need to download or install anything, but can simply enter the answers via a browser on their computer or mobile phone. Pollly and Mentimeter then reflect this in real time, facilitating a reaction in real time.

You will find further tools with their descriptions in this review: “Keep it Going! Online tools review for Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps National Agencies​​​​​​​“.