Youth Participation Matters is an 18 months long project implemented by DYPALL Network that will bring together various non-governmental organisations, local authority representatives, researchers, youth workers, youth leaders and young people to discuss the importance and models of local youth participation in Europe. The participating organisations from Portugal, Belgium, Macedonia, Poland and Italy will engage in the process of mapping and sharing best practices and mechanisms of youth participation at the local level. Main goals of the project are: - To identify and promote projects and models of structures and mechanisms that allow a sustainable and quality youth participation in decision-making processes at local level; - To identify and promote innovative practices of youth participation in decision-making processes at local level - To further develop competences of youth workers to foster participation of young people at local level - To promote dialogue among youth organisations, civil society and local authorities’ officers; - To train youth organizations, youth workers and local authorities on how to develop quality democracy projects, as well as models for youth participation in decision making at local level; - To feflect about 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; - To develop a publication that will collect best practices of youth participation projects and will highlight quality indicators; - To contribute to mainstreaming youth participation practices that promote democracy at local level, at European level The objectives will be met through the implementation of the following activities: 1) Seminar - "Models of youth participation at the local level in Europe" 2) Training course on the development of participatory based projects 3) Conference - "Youth Participation Matters" The activities will be accompanied by a Mapping exercise (research) on models, instruments and best practices of youth participation on national level conducted by each of the partner organisations in their respective countries.
Youth Participation Matters, a long-term project implemented by DYPALL Network and its partners ARS for Progress of People (Belgium), CID (North Macedonia), Europe4Youth (Poland) and FRG Campania (Italy), brought together various non-governmental organisations, local authority representatives, researchers, youth workers, youth leaders and young people to explore and share various models of youth participaiton in decision-making processes at the local level in Europe. The main goals of the project consisted of: - Identifying and promoting projects and models of structures and mechanisms that allow sustainable and quality youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level; - Mapping and promoting innovative practices of youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level; - Developing competencies related to youth workers, in order to better foster participation of young people at the local level; - Encouraging dialogue between youth organisations, civil society and local authorities’ officers; - Training youth organizations, youth workers and local authorities on how to develop quality democracy projects, as well as models for youth participation in decision making at the local level; - Theorizing about key concepts of youth participation in decision-making processes (such as advocacy, policymaking, partnership, participative and representative democracy) and to develop a common understanding of such definitions; - The development of a publication, that consist of the collection of best practices of youth participation projects and that highlights quality indicators for such; - Contributing to the mainstreaming youth participation practices that promote democracy at the local level, and at the European level The activities implemented in order to achieve the objectives mentioned were: 1) Seminar - "Models of youth participation at the local level in Europe" 2) Training course on the development of participatory based projects 3) Conference - "Youth Participation Matters" In parallel to the project activities, the project partners conducted the Study on models, instruments, initiatives and toold of youth participation at the local level in their respective countries, culminating in the final publication of the Study.