Training course "Youth Facilitators for Democracy"

The training process is part of the "Climbing the Ladder—fostering a culture of youth engagement" project, which addresses the need for effective and meaningful structures, mechanisms, and spaces for the active engagement of young people in policy-making and decision-making processes at local, regional, national, and European levels. This process comprises two activities: a training course and a strategic meeting.

This training is designed for young people (preferably 18-25 years old) interested in developing facilitation and youth engagement skills and becoming youth facilitators in the field of democracy and youth participation. The process will consist of different digital preparatory steps, including webinars and online learning modules, before a training course led by DYPALL Network in Portugal, in April 2025. Regarding the age limit, the project "Climbing the Ladder - fostering a culture of youth engagement" is a very big project comprising various activities. This activity specifically has been designed (and approved in the grant agreement) to target very young people who still need to develop facilitation skills, and are motivated to collaborate with local and regional authorities. Indeed, the project will include other activities targeting other youth workers and leaders. We will have another training course in June for elected officials, which will target professionals in an older age phase. Combining digital and in-person educational elements, the training will equip participants with valuable knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for this role. 

After completing the training, the youth facilitators for democracy will join a dedicated network established within the project. The network will continue working online and prepare for the strategic meeting in person in Italy, during the first half of summer 2025. There, they will explore new training and capacity-building opportunities and design their first actions to support local and regional authorities in revitalising democratic processes.

OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING PROCESS:

• Develop participants' understanding of mechanisms and structures for youth involvement in policy-making and decision-making processes.
• Upgrade the participants' skills and provide them with tools to facilitate democratic processes and engage effectively with local and regional authorities / other entities.
• To familiarise with the digital platform developed within the project, test it, and disseminate it as a resource for meaningful youth engagement in Europe.
• Establish and strengthen a network of youth facilitators for democracy to enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing across Europe.
• Shape the attitudes and values necessary for promoting active citizenship and democratic engagement among different stakeholders, including policy-makers.

The following activities will be implemented throughout the training process:

• A first online webinar to kick off the process, introduce the project and its main results and get to know who is in the group (planned for late February or early March);
• A few digital educational modules to complete in pairs and/or individually, focused on key project results, including the published publications, and other useful resources;
• A second online webinar to consolidate previous learnings and prepare for the upcoming training course in Portugal (planned for late March);
• The in-person international training course taking place in Portimão, Portugal;
• An in-person strategic meeting taking place in Italy during the second half of June.

The training course aims to have a more comprehensive approach to support young people in becoming facilitators of democratic processes, revitalising a space of political dialogue and creating the basis for the development of new policies in line with the needs and vision of new generations.