Transferring positive practices of Democratic Youth Participation Models from European to Local Level

The study session aims to offer space for 35 young people and youth leaders to gather and research the positive practices of meaningful participation implemented on European Level. The main idea is to go into depth in discussing this processes, and also gather youth workers, officials and experts that will share their previous experience, difficulties and obstacle, as well as effective methods and systems of democratic youth participation models on European and local level. During this study session, activities will be developed to reach the following objectives: • To research and understand the co-management system, structured dialogue and other processes that are happening on European Level. • To gather positive practices of youth participation in civil and political society on local level. • To get intellectual input by experts on the fields of youth participation, structured dialogue and cooperation between the civil sector and the local authorities. • To develop realistic and achievable action modules that can be used in different local realities, with the aim to transfer these mechanisms and positive practices from European to local level. • To empower young people to actively participate in decision making processes and youth policy development on local, national and international level. • Develop more inclusive approaches to foster the participation of young people with fewer opportunities into spaces such as local youth councils and youth forums. The working methods used during this study session will be based on the principles of non-formal education, intercultural learning, experiential and participatory approach, aiming to easily foster and encourage the inclusion of the participants in the learning process. The entire learning process will be based on participative and active learning approach allowing the participants space for sharing, exchange and explore new topic and points of view on youth work and policy making on European and local level. Sessions will be a combination of theoretical and practical parts where participates will be offered to get in touch with the core value and principles of active participation and cooperation. During the study session as guests that will be invited will be people that are already having a role in important processes of youth participation that are happening on European level. They will share their own experiences from being part of the process and how in their opinion it can or cannot be transferred to local level. During the study session we intend to encourage the strengthening of partnership among the participants, providing them the space and reinforcement to develop new partnerships within the network as well among other policy and decision makers. This would ensure the continuation of the self-sustainable collaboration among the partners on topic of democratic inclusion and youth participation in decision-making processes. As a direct result to this project we intend to offer space for participants to develop clear actions plans that they will have the opportunity to develop after the study session in their local communities. They will have to define the steps they should take in order to transfer the model they think will be suitable for their reality and then start implementing those steps.