youTurn – Young directions for Alpine Municipalities Erasmus Project

Project Title

youTurn – Young directions for Alpine Municipalities

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers

Project Summary

Between Spring 2016 and Summer 2017 “youTurn” gathered young people, youth workers and political and administrative representatives of six municipalities in the Alps. The project wanted to empower young people to actively take part in political decision-making on a local level and to engage in communal life. Furthermore, youTurn aimed at promoting cooperation and knowledge transfer on youth participation across the municipal, regional and national boundaries. The projects objectives were to gather good practices in youth participation, to exchange experience and, inspired by this exchange, to jointly implement a concrete project in every municipality. Thereby municipal youth policy was strengthened and young people were motivated to get active. Every municipality participated in the project with a delegation of four or more young people between 15 and 17 years as well as one political representative and one youth worker or administrative representative who is in charge of youth matters in the municipality. The delegations was accompanied by coaches on youth participation and communication throughout the project. The participants met twice during the project for international meetings. In June 2016 youth and adults presented their municipality and its participation policy and practice in a creative way in Schaan, Liechtenstein. The delegations furthermore told of successful projects that have already been implemented and thereby learned about concrete initiatives in youth participation as well as other cultural backgrounds. Inspired by this first meeting, the delegations returned to their municipalities to develop their own project idea(s) and to work on the framework for its implementation. In the end of 2016, the partners met again to talk about success stories as well as barriers they encountered and they presented their projects. This final event took place in Chambèry, France.

The local projects that were realized thanks to youTurn are the following:
1) The team from Schaan (Liechtenstein) relaized a semi-authonomus youth house with help of the youth center and the municipality
2) The team from Chambèry (France) did a public experiement with waste seperation on one of the main squares. This pilot project was the basis for the municipality to optimize their waste management in the city. It also generated public awareness thanks to the media attention.
3) The team from Argentière de Bessé (France) revitalized a former walking trail to the silver mines. This main touristic attraction can now be reached in an attractive way by walking instead of by car. There are several information points along the way, which makes it both educational and motivating for young people
4) The team from the Nagelfluhkette (Germany/Austria) developed a training programme from youth for children in the nature park. Both the young people and the children learn from this process
5) The team from Nenzing (Austria) renovated an old iceskating ring into an place to meet for young people, thei build wild-bee hotels and spread them in the municipality and they hosted a public event
6) The team from Montafon (Austria) boosted their newly founded youth forum with the help of this international project.

The young people practiced participation with a thematic focus on sustainable development. Young people are the adults of tomorrow and they will live in our environment for many decades to come. If it ought to be a good life, it is necessary to deal with resources in a sustainable way. The concept of sustainability therefore accompanied the young people throughout the project. Communication played a key role in the project. Three network organisations, CIPRA International, Alpine Town of the Year and Alliance in the Alps, spread the word about the process and the projects to inspire other municipalities and young people.Both the learning experience for each individual in the project as well as the local projects have an impact beyond the scope of youTurn. Those are the long-term benefits of the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 51400 Eur

Project Coordinator

Verein CIPRA International & Country: LI

Project Partners

• Naturpark Nagelfluhkette e.V
• VILLE DE CHAMBERY
• Eric Apilli
• Gemeindenetzwerk Allianz in den Alpen
• Verein Alpenstadt des Jahre e.V. Città alpina dell’anno Ville des Alpes de l’Année Alpsko mesto leta
• Marktgemeinde Nenzing
• GemeindeSiegsdorf