Youth Participation Matters - Models of youth participation on local level in Europe

"Youth Participation Matters, a long-term project implemented by DYPALL Network and its partners ARS for Progress of People (Belgium), CID (North Macedonia), Europe4Youth (Poland) and FRG Campania (Italy), brought together various non-governmental organisations, local authority representatives, researchers, youth workers, youth leaders and young people to explore and share various models of youth participaiton in decision-making processes at the local level in Europe. The main goals of the project consisted of: - Identifying and promoting projects and models of structures and mechanisms that allow sustainable and quality youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level; - Mapping and promoting innovative practices of youth participation in decision-making processes at the local level; - Developing competencies related to youth workers, in order to better foster participation of young people at the local level; - Encouraging dialogue between youth organisations, civil society and local authorities’ officers; - Training youth organizations, youth workers and local authorities on how to develop quality democracy projects, as well as models for youth participation in decision making at the local level; - Theorizing about key concepts of youth participation in decision-making processes (such as advocacy, policymaking, partnership, participative and representative democracy) and to develop a common understanding of such definitions; - The development of a publication, that consist of the collection of best practices of youth participation projects and that highlights quality indicators for such; - Contributing to the mainstreaming youth participation practices that promote democracy at the local level, and at the European level The activities implemented in order to achieve the objectives mentioned were: 1) Seminar - ""Models of youth participation at the local level in Europe"" 2) Training course on the development of participatory based projects 3) Conference - ""Youth Participation Matters"" In parallel to the project activities, the project partners conducted the Study on models, instruments, initiatives and toold of youth participation at the local level in their respective countries, culminating in the final publication of the Study."