We wanted to create impact on both a micro and macro level regarding youth participation in urban spaces. On the micro level, our goal was to empower young people to take an active role in shaping their environments, strengthening their sense of ownership, creativity, and civic engagement. On the macro level, we aimed to raise awareness about the lack of youth involvement in urban planning and advocate for more inclusive, youth-driven citymaking. Through (H)Activate the City, we collected and co-created practical tools and participatory methods that youth workers and urban professionals can use to engage youth in meaningful ways. By training youth workers to apply these tools, we wanted to build long-term capacity, promote eco-social awareness, and foster collaboration between the youth and urban sectors for more sustainable, playful, and inclusive cities.
We applied for this project to explore how young people can actively shape their environments through creativity, collaboration, and participation. We identified clear needs: the lack of youth involvement in urban decision-making, the shortage of playful and inclusive public spaces, and the need for new, imaginative approaches to tackle environmental challenges. By combining youth work, urbanism, and sustainability, we aimed to bridge the gap between citymaking and youth participation. (H)Activate the City advocates for the right of young people to have a say in how their cities look and feel, while equipping them and their youth workers with practical, hands-on tools to do so. Through interdisciplinary and co-creative methods, the project empowers youth to re-appropriate public spaces, experiment with small-scale interventions, and address climate and social issues in creative, participatory ways.