Deliberative Democracy in Youth Work

About the project

Participation is in continuous formal change, moving from conventional forms to unconventional forms, and the need for youth participation is key, since youth is more in favor of choosing unconventional forms of participation and speaking out on issues that they consider important in the current era within society. Furthermore, due to the main tools of social media and Internet technology used by young people, participation is changing its dimension and young people are moving away from the usual participation practices, and every day the participation of young people is decreasing. voters in elections in the EU and around the world, which is irrefutable proof of this movement of political absenteeism. One example of this voter turnout was that it never exceeded the 61.99 percent recorded in the 1979 EU elections, and voter turnout decreased in all subsequent elections to reach the low of 42 , 61 percent in 2014. Furthermore, there is an enormous benefit to both parties, allowing young…

Objectives

Participation is in continuous formal change, moving from conventional forms to unconventional forms, and the
need for youth participation is key, since youth is more in favor of choosing unconventional forms of participation
and speaking out on issues that they consider important in the current era within society. Furthermore, due to the
main tools of social media and Internet technology used by young people, participation is changing its dimension
and young people are moving away from the usual participation practices, and every day the participation of
young people is decreasing. voters in elections in the EU and around the world, which is irrefutable proof of this
movement of political absenteeism. One example of this voter turnout was that it never exceeded the 61.99
percent recorded in the 1979 EU elections, and voter turnout decreased in all subsequent elections to reach the
low of 42 , 61 percent in 2014.
Furthermore, there is an enormous benefit to both parties, allowing young people to be responsible for decision
making; by including young people in decision-making processes. Young people are the owners of their own lives
and their own needs and can bring unique perspectives during the formation of policies related to this same
youth. Therefore, meaningful youth participation in local governments will enable decision makers to make wise
decisions using information, ideas and solutions provided by youth that may not have been seen or considered
before.
Increasing youth participation in the local policy-making process will improve the quality and adequacy of
youth-related service delivery, activities and policy development. In summary, the participation of young people in
the development of these programs will increase their participation and will make the services provided by
non-governmental organizations more attractive to this social group, as well as the cooperation of municipal
organizations with non-governmental organizations. of youth.
The specific objectives of the project are:
– Increase the knowledge of youth workers about participatory methodologies and unconventional forms of youth
participation;
– Increase dialogue and develop synergies on democratic principles and mechanisms in the EU and EPI
countries;
– Promote participatory democratic mechanisms among young people;
– Train youth workers to transfer knowledge in the field of democracy and participation
– Involve youth by promoting different forms of participation through local events developed during the project;
– Develop associations in the youth field to promote democracy and youth participation.

Activities

and policy development. In summary, the participation of young people in
the development of these programs will increase their participation and will make the services provided by
non-governmental organizations more attractive to this social group, as well as the cooperation of municipal
organizations with non-governmental organizations. of youth.
The specific objectives of the project are:
– Increase the knowledge of youth workers about participatory methodologies and unconventional forms of youth
participation;
– Increase dialogue and develop synergies on democratic principles and mechanisms in the EU and EPI
countries;
– Promote participatory democratic mechanisms among young people;
– Train youth workers to transfer knowledge in the field of democracy and participation
– Involve youth by promoting different forms of participation through local events developed during the project;
– Develop associations in the youth field to promote democracy and youth participation.
Activities
The project will have 4 main activities with 1 mobility and in each of them; All partner organizations will directly
participate and execute the actions online and offline.
Activity 1: Preparation of electronic content for the residential activity (January 2021 – March 2021) The team of
instructors will provide the participants with the necessary readings related to participation, commitment,
democratic mechanisms, forms of participation and association between the public and civil society organizations
prior to their participation in the training course.
Activity objectives:

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The content of this page is published for information purposes only. The project was funded by the European Union. However, the communication about the project
that is published through this page expresses the views of the project beneficiaries only and it does not represent the views of the European Union or the European
Commission. It shall not be deemed to constitute legal or official notice on behalf of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union
nor the European Commission can be held responsible for this content nor the use thereof made by any third parties.
-Develop common knowledge among the participants related to the training activity
-Make participants know each other and be able to work as a team in international groups with online activities
Activity 2 – Video interviews with young people (March 2021): Participants will be asked to conduct video
interviews (at least 10 young people per country) to understand the forms of youth participation. Interview
questions will be created through participant participation during the online course and interviews will be
examined during the training course and this will help participants develop new methods to increase their
participation in the target group.
Activity 3 (Mobility activity): Training course on practices of local democracy (April 2021) A training course on
practices of democracy, commitment, youth participation and youth work will be held, and during the TC the
following topics will be studied : participation, conventional and unconventional forms of participation,
decision-making processes, Erasmus + Program, Non-Formal Education.
The training course will take place over 8 days (including arrival and departure times) between 1st of April to 8 of
April, 2021 in Alcalá la Real.
Daily program of the training course and themes of the days:
1st day: Arrival and welcome party
2nd day: Activities to get to know each other, break the ice, build trust, ENF and a holistic approach. My way
here, Youthpass, Youthpass Port-1. Assessment of the day
3rd day: Online module discussions, Definition of democracy, Democracy but how ?, Role of youth work in
education for democratic citizenship, Participation mechanisms, Intercultural night.
4th day: Examples of participation around the world, development of mechanisms for democratic participation,
development of educational programs for youth, session plan, participant workshops, Youthpass Port-2.
Evaluation
5th and 6th days: Development of Mechanisms for Democratic Participation by the Participants and
Implementation of Sessions.
7th Day: Evaluation of Make Your Own! Training, Erasmus + Program, NGO visits and visits to Local
Organizations and Ayuntamiento and Development of Follow-up Actions, General Evaluation, Youthpass Port.
Farewell party
8th day: Start of the trip back home
Training course methodology:
The training course will be based on the non-formal and experimental learning methodology with an approach
oriented to the participants and their needs. Trainers will use proven manual exercises like Mosaic, T-Kits,
Domino Pack. In addition, instructors will use the methods they have previously used in other training courses
related to the same topic. These methods will promote the participation rate of the participants in determining the
progress of their learning throughout the cycle of the experimental learning methodology based on the
methodology provided by David Kolb, which is characterized by great emotional and cognitive participation.
Instructors will make specific use of individual reflection and information activities, workshops, participant-led
presentations, and informative discussions, plenaries, and icebreakers, as well as complex situations and
role-plays to encourage participants’ creativity and emotional participation. in the learning process.
Activity 4 – Follow-up activities (May 2021-July 2021) After the development of the educational programs and
mechanisms, the participants will involve their target groups in the activities carried out in their localities during
the execution of the activities.
Activity 5. Project evaluation (July 2021)
Participants profile:
-18 years or more

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The content of this page is published for information purposes only. The project was funded by the European Union. However, the communication about the project
that is published through this page expresses the views of the project beneficiaries only and it does not represent the views of the European Union or the European
Commission. It shall not be deemed to constitute legal or official notice on behalf of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union
nor the European Commission can be held responsible for this content nor the use thereof made by any third parties.
-have participated in youth activities as a professional or volunteer
-has interest and motivation to participate in an intercultural learning environment
-has an interest in the participation of young people in decision-making mechanisms and in the role of youth work
in this process
-has sensitivity to youth participation and engagement and is willing to take action -has sufficient English skills
(B1C1)
– unaware of non-academic education or democracy or local participation of young people in decision-making
processes

Impact

-Expected impact on participants: Participants’ awareness of the challenges of youth participation in participating
countries and in the EU will increase and participants will be able to take the initiative towards those issues
related to youth. As they will carry out interviews during the project, it will allow them to assess the needs of
young people to launch new actions and projects. In addition, participants will acquire skills in youth participation
methods in local government and apply these methods effectively. Furthermore, participating in the project will
increase their motivation in relation to their role and they will feel more willing to participate, thus becoming
agents of change for their own countries.
Participants will be better educated to participate in international mobilizations thanks to the networks created
within the framework of the project. In addition, by providing participants with information about Erasmus +, we
hope that they become aware of the opportunities offered by the Erasmus + framework. Participants will be able
to plan, design and execute projects related to the topics of the training courses and, with the knowledge acquired
during the interviews, will understand the needs of their local youth population. Furthermore, they will be able to
carry out projects of democracy, participation, commitment and association between the public and civil society
organizations in the youth field.
Participants will become aware of the challenges of young people in the EU and in participating countries and
develop an attitude towards the participation of these young people by seeing their possibilities of becoming
active citizens to take initiatives in their local communities, so that situations make possible the participation of
young people within local governments, using the models they have created within the project. In addition, the
effects related to participants’ learning achievements are indicated in the learning outcomes section.
– Expected impact on participating organizations
– The participating organizations will support their participants during the application of the follow-up measures
and the interviews prior to the mobility activity. During this process, the knowledge of the participating
organizations will increase and they will become aware of the needs and interests of their local communities.
In addition, the quality of its youth educational services will increase with the innovative and newly created
methods within the project and with the increased skills of its staff and volunteers. In the long term, partner
organizations will work more intensively on the Erasmus + program and will also address the issue of youth
participation and involvement in decision-making processes.
-Expected impact on the target groups – The main target group of the project is that of young people, who are the
ones who have the least opportunities in the participating countries. We hope that through the activities the
participants will carry out improvements in their localities, that they will obtain competences and knowledge about
participation in the decision-making mechanisms of local governments and that they become more involved in
planning events for the local governments. themselves. They will become aware of the values ​of the EU,
understand the cultural differences of other countries and, in the long term, we hope that they will participate
more in the Erasmus + program thanks to the support of the participating organizations.

Project partners

• 🇪🇸 Asociación Socio-Cultural VerdeSur Alcalá
  Spain
• 🇬🇷 SINDESMOS SISTIMA KAI GENIA
  Greece
• 🇹🇷 UCARLI GENCLIK DERNEGI
  Türkiye
• 🇮🇹 ASSOCIAZIONE CULTURALE BEYOND BORDERS CORATO
  Italy
• 🇭🇺 Fiatalok a részvételért Egyesület
  Hungary
• 🇧🇬 Academy for active youth association
  Bulgaria
• 🇲🇰 CET PLATFORMA SKOPJE
  North Macedonia
• 🇷🇸 Development Center of Vojvodina
  Serbia
• 🇩🇰 SPADA EUth DK
  Denmark