The main goals of the project are to promote active citizenship and support the participatory planning and engagement of youths and grass-roots organizations (CSOs) for urban interventions; support the Youth Workers and CSOs to improve the local sociality and quality of life in urban areas through a variety of local actions (as for example shared social spaces, coworking spaces for young entrepreneurs, social aggregation centres, urban gardenings, craft and artistic laboratories, open exhibitions, street art and installations, urban participatory activities, awareness actions etc.); raise awareness on the positive use and further enhancement of urban contexts as spaces for social inclusion, community and social development, countering gentrification and urban speculation. Specific objectives: Train youth and social workers about basics on urban spaces development Offer to organizations and staff members the Manual with tools to engage youth to improve their local urban context. Improving button-up participatory approaches between society and policy makers in urban planning.
The urban environment is a fascinating and complex structure that has been constantly changing and evolving for millennia. Throughout history, cities have been central places from which society has been shaped, but in which social conditions have also become visible. In recent decades, urbanisation has increased worldwide at an unprecedented rate. More and more people are moving to cities in search of better living conditions, educational opportunities, jobs and cultural offerings. However, this rapid urbanisation has also increased the visibility of social inequalities and socio-ecological challenges. The project is therefore expected to support youth organizations working in urban areas to develop new approaches to tackle some of the main challenges of today's society, related to environmental sustainability, youth employment, social dialog and social cohesion, marginalisation and deterioration of urban spaces.