The project aimed to increase the capacity of young people to participate constructively in smart and green urban development. Specifically, it sought to: • Strengthen youth understanding of Smart City governance, sustainability policies and municipal decision-making processes. • Develop the Youth & the City Training Framework based on field research, identified learning needs and 24 Smart City best practices from partner countries. • Create a multilingual Digital Warehouse (OER platform) providing accessible, open-licensed learning modules and practical tools for youth organisations and municipalities. • Establish structured cooperation models between youth organisations and local authorities through the Green Communities approach (webinars, co-creation activities, pilot actions). • Strengthen youth worker capacity to facilitate dialogue on sustainability and climate topics. • Ensure long-term accessibility and transferability of results through seven language versions and post-project platform maintenance.
The consortium applied for this project to address a structural gap observed in all partner countries: young people express strong interest in sustainability and urban development, yet their participation in municipal decision-making remains minimal and unstructured. Internal consultations and preparatory research confirme: •Limited understanding among youth of how Smart City governance functions beyond technological narratives. •Absence of practical educational tools enabling youth organisations to prepare young people for constructive engagement with municipalities. •Weak operational cooperation between youth organisations and local authorities, with participation mechanisms existing formally but used inconsistently and without capacity-building support. Also municipalities are implementing digital and green transition policies without systematic youth involvement. We applied to create a structured European training framework that equips young people with green and digital competences and establishes replicable cooperation models between youth organisations and municipalities. The project responds directly to participation deficits, competence gaps, and the lack of transferable tools across partner contexts,