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Description
The project "Youth Participation Platform" will be implemented in Kurzeme, Zemgale, Vidzeme and Latgale. Project partners, non-governmental organizations - "Creative Minds for Culture" from Latvia, "Institute for Policy research and analysis" from Lithuania and "Participation Agency" from Norway have developed partnership to promote awareness and participation of young people aged 13-30 in civic initiatives in Latvia, youth advocacy and involvement in decision-making processes. In order to achieve the project goal, 4 trainings for advocacy consultants, 20 educational participation workshops for young people, 4 advocacy academies, 20 participatory initiatives, a youth participation forum and public information and communication activities will be implemented. The direct target group of the project is young people aged 13 to 30, representatives of youth NGO`s, those who are involved in youth work.
The project will increase young people''s understanding of democratic processes and create opportunities for participation in decision-making processes, promote high-quality dialogue between decision-makers, NGOs and young people, and increase young people''s participation in civic activities. The competencies of youth advocacy consultants, networking and exchange of good practice on youth participation will also be developed.
Using non-formal learning methods, 600 young people, those who involved in youth work, and youth leaders will be trained in civic education activities. Based on the competencies that participants developed in the project, at least 20 civic participation initiatives will be developed, involving particularly young people. Also, a special campaign will promote a positive public image of civil society and organizations.
Summary of project results
Participation is an important part of youth policy at the national and EU level. Depending on the situation in the municipalities, differences can be observed in the planning and implementation of youth work, where in some municipalities youth work is still not included in the planning documents, there is no person responsible for the planning and implementation of work with youth until the municipalities where work with youth is planned are allocated funding.
Analyzing the opportunities of young people to get involved in decision-making processes, the data indicate that only 14 municipalities out of 119 have a youth center and a regional youth council, and a youth advisory commission has been established. When studying civic participation, it is most often pointed to the low participation rates and lack of sense of belonging among young people, while taking into account the opportunities for participation provided to young people, we can conclude that in most municipalities such opportunities are not offered at all.
The organization identifies the most pressing problems in the current development of youth work, which are related to several factors, which are also pointed out by young people and persons involved in work with young people in discussions and negotiations:
a) those involved in work with young people have insufficient knowledge about participation in decision-making and issues that young people can really influence; there is a lack of knowledge about the protection of the interests of young people and there is no training offer;
b) those involved in work with young people lack consultative support in solving individual situations, motivating young people and activating participation;
c) the participation of young people is low, because they are not provided with opportunities for participation, weak understanding of the basic principles and forms of the culture of participation.
-Training for advocacy consultants (9 months) - 66 young people were trained
-Educational participation workshops for young people (9 months) - 297 young people were trained
-Interest advocacy academies (9 months) - 35 young people were trained
-Youth participation forum - the young people involved in the project shared their experience in representing interests
-Implementation of participation initiatives (12 months) - young people implemented 20 initiatives
-A youth advocacy network was created - for participants who engage in advocacy
In general, there has been an increase in the number of young people and those involved in work with young people, who participated in the decision-making processes within the project and will be more active in civic activities in the future. The participants involved in the project acknowledged that the activities helped them realize their impact not only theoretically, but also practically. The participants of the implemented participation initiatives have gained valuable experience and the improved knowledge will definitely help them to be more active citizens in the future.
In the long term, the project has contributed greatly to the creation of the Youth Participation Platform. Within the project activities, representatives of the youth field from different parts of Latvia have met and formed cooperation. The participants appreciate the experience gained and are motivated to continue the started processes in promoting youth participation.
Summary of bilateral results
During the project, all activities were developed in close cooperation with the partner, providing important advice on advocacy. The cooperation has resulted in new ideas, which have already started to be implemented - promoting the exchange of cultural experiences of young people with the support of the Erasmus+ youth mobility project of the EU program. Also, negotiations have been started on the further development of the Youth Participation Platform (Youth Advocacy Network), strengthening the competences of the participants in the network in matters of youth participation and advocacy of youth interests.