Why municipal youth participation?

The Council of Europe Youth Department, in the framework of the project Youth revitalising democracy, and the Democracy Reloading Partnership of Erasmus+ national agencies are organising a joint Seminar for municipal youth policy practitioners. The seminar will take place in the European Youth Center Budapest, Hungary, on 16-21 November 2026 bringing together 50 participants.  The activity aims to support local and regional municipalities in designing and implementing participative youth policies in line with the new European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life.

The Charter is the key standard for youth participation at local and regional level. Adopted in 1992 for the first time, it was subject of a thorough revision in 2024-2025 to which more than 400 stakeholders participated, being adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in 2026. The Council of Europe and its partners at international, national and local level are taking measures to secure the implementation of the Charter provisions. 

Expected profile of participants of the seminar: 

• Municipal youth policy officers and their partners, especially local youth councils or youth civil society,  engaged in planning and implementing local or regional youth participation policy and practice
• Priority will be given to participants from the partner countries of the Democracy Reloading Partnership, but not exclusively.
• Be resident and work in a Council of Europe member State, exceptions are possible if duly justified
• Be able to communicate independently in English

The objectives of the event:

• Becoming familiar with the provisions of the new European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life and identifying ways in which they can be implemented in the participants’ realities 
• Learning about Council of Europe standards for local youth participation in democratic life and understanding the Democracy Reloading concept and its tools supporting municipal youth participation in decision-making,
• Sharing experience and practices among participants,
• Providing some insight into the practices of municipal youth participation in the municipality of Budapest and the district municipalities.

The program will include: 

• Introduction to key standards on youth participation of the Council of Europe 
• Introduction to the Democracy Reloading concept and its tools, 
• Visiting local practices of municipal youth participation in Budapest, 
• Presentation of relevant tools and resources of the Council of Europe and the Democracy Reloading Partnership,