"Think Globally, Live Nationally" Training for Youth Workers on democracy and inclusive democratic participation

The  “’ City Council Simulation” training course is designed to focus on youth workers with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds to provide them with the opportunity to explore the meaning of European values as their common identity, to raise their sense of belonging to Europe and to empower them to take an active role in their local communities.
Starting from the idea that youth are the driving force of society, able to influence decision-making processes and shape the future of their reality from the local to the global level, this project aims to foster the potential of youth to be active citizens and actors of fundamental social change in their local communities.
The training course focuses on the quality of youth work at the international level in terms of analysing and increasing the capacities and possibilities of youth workers from civil society organisations and municipalities to engage youth in decision-making processes at the local level through local youth councils and equipping youth workers with the skills and competencies for quality participation.
 

The goals of the  "CCS-City Council Project" training course are;

-to provide youth workers with opportunities to engage and learn to participate in civic society (providing pathways of engagement for youth in their daily lives but also in democratic life, aiming for a meaningful civic, economic, social, cultural and political participation of youth workers from all backgrounds, with special focus on those with fewer opportunities)
-to raise youth worker's awareness about European common values and fundamental rights and contribute to the European integration process, including through contribution to the achievement of one or more of the EU Youth Goals;
-to bring together youth workers and decision makers at local, regional, national and transnational level and/or contribute to the EU Youth Dialogue.
-to show that youth workers can freely participate in all areas of political life, to show that this is possible and how it can be,
-to enable youth workers to play a more active roles as decision makers in local, national and international policies,
-to increase awareness of social responsibility projects and help increase awareness of others by taking more roles in civil society organizations,
-to encourage participants to use their right to speak concerning others in every aspect of life and actively take part in life,
-to enable youth workers to absorb the values of the European Union by increasing cultural interaction and breaking biases,
-to enable youth workers to develop themselves on the determination of current issues and looking for solutions to these issues,

PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS:
The project will be carried out with a total of 24 youth workers from 6 countries within the scope of the training course. Participants are 18+, depending on the demographic structure of the participating organization.
Participants will be formed with an equal distribution of people, taking into account gender equality. 
We cordially invite all youth workers interested in exchanging experiences about the topic of local youth council at international, intercontinental level, especially:
• young people and members of local youth councils or similar structures
• youth workers from the field of youth participation
• policy-makers, municipality officers responsible for youth participation
• researchers in the field of local youth councils
• representatives of NGOs and Institutions interested in new tools and arguments for discussion about local youth councils in their countries