Youth Participation Matters – Models of youth participation on local level in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Youth Participation Matters – Models of youth participation on local level in Europe

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

Youth Participation Matters, a long-term project implemented by DYPALL Network and its partners ARS for Progress of People (Belgium), CID (North Macedonia), Europe4Youth (Poland) and FRG Campania (Italy), brought together various non-governmental organisations, local authority representatives, researchers, youth workers, youth leaders and young people to explore and share various models of youth participaiton in decision-making processes at the local level in Europe.

The main goals of the project consisted of:

– Identifying and promoting projects and models of structures and mechanisms that allow sustainable and quality youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level;
– Mapping and promoting innovative practices of youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level;
– Developing competencies related to youth workers, in order to better foster participation of young people at the local level;
– Encouraging dialogue between youth organisations, civil society and local authorities’ officers;
– Training youth organizations, youth workers and local authorities on how to develop quality democracy projects, as well as models for youth participation in decision making at the local level;
– Theorizing about key concepts of youth participation in decision-making processes (such as advocacy, policymaking, partnership, participative and representative democracy) and to develop a common understanding of such definitions;
– The development of a publication, that consist of the collection of best practices of youth participation projects and that highlights quality indicators for such;
– Contributing to the mainstreaming youth participation practices that promote democracy at the local level, and at the European level

The activities implemented in order to achieve the objectives mentioned were:

1) Seminar – “Models of youth participation at the local level in Europe”

2) Training course on the development of participatory based projects

3) Conference – “Youth Participation Matters”

In parallel to the project activities, the project partners conducted the Study on models, instruments, initiatives and toold of youth participation at the local level in their respective countries, culminating in the final publication of the Study.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 64070 Eur

Project Coordinator

DYPALL NETWORK: ASSOCIACAO PARA O DESENVOLVIMENTO DA PARTICIPACAO CIDADA & Country: PT

Project Partners

• STOWARZYSZENIE EUROPE 4 YOUTH
• REGIONE CAMPANIA
• ARS FOR PROGRESS OF PEOPLE
• CENTER FOR INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE ASSOCIATION