Back to search

Democratisch Participeren voor Jongeren – Duurzaamheid en Ecovillage Design Education – Training en event

2023-1-NL02-KA154-YOU-0001488572023Youth participation activitiesfinalized
Countries: NL · Grant: €34,168
Democracy and inclusive democratic participationReaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makersYouth policy development

Objectives

The main objective of this project was to enhance the democratic involvement of young people, particularly in the realm of sustainability. The goal was for the young participants to gain understanding of their expectations from democracy and learn how to actively and meaningfully contribute to sustainability efforts. In addition to their existing knowledge of sustainability, the young participants were meant to build confidence in their ability to take proactive and democratic steps towards a sustainable future. The project aligned with the four goals set out by Erasmus+ for ‘Youth Participation Activities’ empowering young people to make meaningful contributions to their daily lives and engage democratically in society. With the project the aim for the participants was to gain the tools and skills necessary to influence sustainability policies at various levels, including local, national, transnational, and international spheres. This approach intended to close the gap between young people and policymakers, amplifying the voices of young people, including those with fewer opportunities. Key aspects of this meaningful contribution involved initiating, communicating and collaborating on social and environmental issues, particularly those concerning sustainability and ecology (SDGs, Global Goals). The project focused on environmental awareness, digital and media literacy, and shared responsibility for inclusive and democratic dialogue within society and with policymakers. A focus on personal development and discovering one’s role in these goals was a fundamental part of the project, emphasizing the Inner Development Goals. In addition, improvement points had been targeted in advance by the National Agency (NA) in the consolidation of the project. These points included conducting a needs analysis among the target groups, to establish how various skills acquired by the youngsters can still be used by them after the project, how ideas from young people would actually be included in decision-making, how the design process of the activities would be made participatory and how the safety of the participants would be guaranteed, in addition to the dissemination of the impact of the project. How these improvement points were implemented, will be elaborated later on in the report.

Project partners (1)