Study visit "Youth participation for quality local democracies"

 The event will bring youth workers from civil society organisations and municipalities to learn about the practices in Braga and exchange experiences and ideas with colleagues from other participating countries.

The focus of the Study visit is enhancing youth participation in public policy development and local governance within municipalities by exploring various methods used to engage young people in the process of shaping public policies at the municipal level.

We will meet the Local youth council and explore various elements related to its establishment, development, capacity building, and political impact. We will also visit Braga municipality and learn about their Youth participatory budget and the participatory processes for designing youth strategy.

Lastly, the participants will examine how the existing practices in Braga compare to those in their municipalities.. This comparison will offer valuable insights into the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement in youth participation strategies across different contexts.

Objectives:

• Exploring and gaining a comprehensive understanding of youth policies and various models of youth participation at the local level in Braga
• Identifying and learning innovative strategies that can effectively support youth workers in expanding youth participation within their local contexts
• Facilitate the exchange of good practices of youth engagement in local democracies through reflection and discussion to uncover the potential of different engagement approaches
• Provide insights into the functioning of local youth councils and other participatory mechanisms in Braga
• Comparative analysis of the opportunities and challenges that municipalities face concerning youth participation in Portugal  and the partner countries
• Expanding the partners’ network and fostering new synergies across Europe