Local to European: “Transferring practices of Democratic Youth Participation"

This Study Session will contribute to increasing the mainstreaming of youth policy development at local and regional level. The aim is to allow all the stakeholders engaged in such processes to have more awareness of mechanisms and instruments that can increase youth engagement on policy development and increase the impact of such policies at local and regional level.

One of our strategic priorities for 2018-19 is to develop the capacity of our network members to better develop and implement structures that allow an effective and sustainable engagement of youth on local governance. For this purpose, we need to make more accessible existing models of youth participation in decision making. This activity will also contribute to an ongoing research that is mapping youth participation models, instruments and structures at the local level in Europe.

This activity comes also on the follow up of a previous Study Session that DYPALL Network conducted together with other partners in October 2016. Where we aimed to transfer models of youth participation from European Level to the local level. Our aim at the moment is quite the opposite.

Aim:

•  to disseminate and connect what is done at the local level with the current European processes and models, such as the co-management of the CoE or the Structured Dialogue of the EU.

Objectives:

• Identify and promote structures and mechanism for youth participation in decision-making processes and debate about their potential and challenges;

• Identify and promote innovative practices of youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level;

• Create and further develop competencies of youth workers to foster the participation of young people at the local level;

• Promote dialogue among youth organizations, civil society, and local authorities’ officers;

• Reflect on key concepts (such as advocacy, policy making, partnership, participative and representative democracy) of youth participation in decision-making processes and to develop a common understanding;

• Pooling competencies (skills, knowledge and attitudes) in creating conditions for youth participation, in fostering partnerships and the establishment of co-management structures and instruments at local and regional level.

Participants’ Profile:

We aim to invite and select participants that fit the following profile:

• Youth workers and educators from youth CSOs;

• Youth leaders and young people with an active interest in youth participation;

• Public officers / Civil servants or elected representatives from local institutions with responsibilities in the implementation of youth policies;

• Researchers in youth participation on local level;

• Applications from candidates working youth participation with different socially excluded groups are encouraged;

•Priority to participants under the age of 30  (25% above 30 years);