The primary objective of this project was to build capacities and competencies (knowledge, skills and experiences) of organizations working with youth who participate in nightlife, youth who use drugs, at-risk and marginalized youth, for participating in youth policy and advocating for public policy reform. The overall goal that we wanted to achieve through this objective was to sustainably contribute to the process of enhancing the safety of the above mentioned categories of youth and improving their position.
Our main motivation for applying was the fact that it is necessary to foster a more integral and systematic approach when it comes to the relationship between the systemic policy level and the particular level of practice in youth work, with the regular collection of research data as the linchpin between these two planes. Both policy and outreach which are not informed by data are inefficient and inadequate. The space for adapting fieldwork practices based on research insights is often limited by the legal and strategic framework in place, and in order for data collection to bring about meaningful results it has to be intentional and operational. Many organizations working with marginalized youth face these hurdles and lack the sufficient knowledge, skills and experiences to either begin or further the process of participating in youth policy and advocating for policy reform in accordance with the principles of inclusion of key populations and evidence-based policy creation. We set out to develop the tools necessary for efficient tackling of the issues organizations face both in policy and in outreach, to help them effectively strengthen their position and optimize their approach when it comes to participating in public policy.