During the fall all project partners of LISTEN has been working actively with their local action groups. The focus has been to investigate local needs and suggestions regarding the topic of participation of children and young people the development of society. The local action groups has consisted of representants of different sectors and groups, such as young people, policy officials, representants from the civil sector as well as politicians. All partners have chosen different approaches to create their local action groups, to fit each partners context.
In this news post we will dwell a little bit deeper in engagement of each partner and what they have been up to the past three months.
The County Administrative Board of Skåne (Sweden):
As the County Administration Board of Skåne covers a large geographical area with 33 local municipalities, it initially seemed challenging to gather a local action group that would encompass all the perspectives sought in the LISTEN project. Therefore, they chose to adopt an approach where various groups across the region was engaged to provide diverse perspectives and insights.
During the fall, Andreas and Mia, the project leaders of LISTEN for the County Administrative Board of Skåne, met with various actors in Skåne both one-on-one and at youth events to discuss local needs and solutions regarding the participation of young people in societal development.
The work has engaged many different actors, and they are particularly proud that they have gathered more insights from children aged 12-18 than they initially expected. In total, around 100 young people living in Skåne participated in the workshops organized on local needs regarding youth participation. Additionally, 20 young people contributed feedback on the future content of the operation manual, which will be used when the result of the LISTEN project is formalized.
The County Administrative Board of Skåne participated in the European Language Day celebrations on the 26th of September held at Ystad Gymnasium, together with the Europe Direct office in Southeastern Skåne and the municipality of Sjöbo. The scope of the workshops conducted by the County Administrative Board during the day was to discuss democracy and participation among young people. A total of 41 students aged 16-18 participated, providing input and expressing needs regarding the ability for children and young people to participate in the overall development of society.
Feedback from young people (12 – 25 years old) attending the “Ungdomsting”-event in Lund on the 20th of November. At the event The County Administrative Board of Skåne organized workshops and invited participants to a book table where they could answer what participation means to them and also give examples of participation.
ADICE (France)
In France, ADICE established two local action groups: one with youth professionals and another with young people. The first meeting was attended by 33 individuals, including association directors, mobility coordinators, and youth workers. The second meeting had 6 participants, including young entrepreneurs and trainees seeking mobility abroad.
These professionals and young people highlighted the importance of strengthening democracy and civic engagement, promoting social inclusion and equal opportunities, and building a fairer, more equitable society. To address these needs, they proposed several ideas:
- Taking young people to visit parliamentary bodies.
- Enabling young people to share their experiences and raise awareness on the subject.
- Encouraging young people to learn more through workshops, games, volunteering, etc.
- Listening to and implementing the proposals and initiatives put forward by youth bodies and groups.
- Involving young people in concrete local projects.
Picture from the first local action group meeting that was arranged by ADICE, which gathered youth professionals.
Picture from the second local action group meeting that was arranged by ADICE, where young people participated.
Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality (Denmark)
Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality has engaged and structured their local action group to address issues at the municipal level. This group includes local politicians, a youth representative, and professionals working within the municipality. The local action group have met throughout the autumn to discuss various topics.
Ane, who is the project leader of LISTEN for Faaborg-Midtfyn municipality, has found that listening to the different perspectives on youth participation in municipal decisions has been very enlightening. There were more agreements than disagreements among the group and it has been very interesting to participate in these discussions and hear the valuable insights they have provided.
Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality will continue to work on the data gathered during this process. Some key takeaways from the discussions include:
- Understanding power dynamics when engaging with young people. The language used by politicians, especially in written form, can be challenging and not very inclusive.
- Addressing pseudo involvement and delays from idea to action. Young people often don't see immediate results when they are asked to participate.
- Mobility and transportation issues within the municipality. How can we connect with young people living in remote areas?
- Recognizing diverse resources among young people. Not all young people have the same physical and psychological resources to participate. Uniform expectations from adults can lead to exclusion.
- Increasing knowledge about the history of democracy. Why do we have democracy? Why is it important? "Children and young people" are often excluded from these discussions.
Curious to learn more about the results?
If you are interested in learning more about the inputs from the partners' work with their local action groups all documentation is available in the report "Local Action Groups", which is published here on the website under "Document Library".