YOUTH POLICY AT LOCAL AND REGIONAL LEVEL: Developing our Territories through Youth Participation in Decision-Making

This Conference aims to be a collective learning experience grounded in group learning, sharing of different practices around Europe that can inspire action, presupposing critical and liberating dialogue. Youth leaders and local representatives of the 22 European countries partners in the project, local officers, academics and professionals with relevant experience in the field of Youth Participation in decision-making will be gathered during 4 days to share, discuss and present their perspectives and understandings in what concerns to youth participation in political life and in decision-making processes at local, national and European levels. Through different moments of debate, round-tables, working groups and sharing of different local, national and european projects, this international conference want to highlight the importance to develop the quality of youth work done at local level. Following the conclusion of the II European Youth Work Conference held in April 2015 we want to bring into reflection how can local youth organisations and local authorities work together to develop local youth policies. Something that is often developed at national level, but rarely developed at local and regional level. We believe that for complex and demanding challenges solutions need to come from the grass roots level. With this international conference we also aim to contribute at increasing the capacity and awareness of local authorities, youth workers and youth leaders to be able to cooperate for the development of local youth policies that are able to address, specific policy fields such as employment, youth participation, inclusion and youth emancipation. MAIN TOPICS in dicussion: Structures and mechanisms for youth participation in decision-making, debating their potential and challenges on public governance Inclusive approaches to foster the participation of young people with fewer opportunities into spaces such as local youth councils and youth fora Co-operation among civil society and public authorities on the field of youth public policy Youth Guarantee schemes at local and regional level in coordination with all relevant stakeholders