URGENT!!! MAKING YOUTH PARTICIPATION A REALITY FOR ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP

MAKING YOUTH PARTICIPATION A REALITY FOR ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP

Participation is an essential element of citizenship in a democratic society and a democratic Europe. European institutions and organisations repeatedly emphasise the importance of youth participation to ”foster young people’s active citizenship, enhance their integration and inclusion and strengthen their contribution to the development of democracy.” It follows that the active participation of young people in decisions and actions at local, regional and national levels is essential in order to build more democratic, more inclusive and more prosperous societies.

The Council of Europe states: “Participation in the democratic life of any community is about more than voting or standing for election, although these are important elements. Participation and active citizenship is about having the right, the means, the space and the opportunity and where necessary the support to participate in and influence decisions and engage in actions and activities so as to contribute to building a better society.” And it recommends that member States facilitate and encourage youth participation in politics and civil societies at both local community and national levels and to make youth participation a priority in public policies. From this perspective, the participation within the framework of the Youth in Action programme is aimed at encouraging young people to take an active part in the society, to increase their participation in the system of representative democracy as well as to support various forms of learning to participate.

With the project we are creating space youth workers and youth leaders to develop their skills for empowering young people to exercise an active, independent and critical citizenship. This can mean to be part of established ways and forms of participation for some time, as much as it can and should mean to invent new and other democratic forms of participation.

This project is also about helping youth workers to develop long-term sustainable youth work programmes directed towards developing competencies of young people, needed for active participation and citizenship in the society. It’s about creating direction for youth work more clearly, strategically planned and based on needs of young people.

Making Youth Participation a Reality for Active Citizenship is a “training course” that will bring 36 youth workers together from 10 different programme countries. Planned activity dates are 17-23 May 2020 and project venue will be Ankara.
The course focuses on key aspects of non-formal education like the participant centred approach, which means that the program flow will be designed keeping in mind the participants’ real experience in the topic. The learning process will be adapted to the participants’ needs and learning preferences as well as the group’s work rhythm. The diversity of working methods (presentations, role plays, simulations, debates, energizers, individual reflection questionnaires, study visit, feedback techniques, teamwork, etc) will make more sense than ever in order to cover a practical and effective project management of international youth projects.