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Description
Aiming to promote the active participation of young people, this project will develop a scientific study to identify the barriers that young people currently face to becoming fully independent and develop concrete measures to address these obstacles (through a policy paper). It will also promote awareness, information, and capacity building sessions with 1500 young people, 100 teachers, and youth workers on ways to increase the political participation of young people and the impact that their community and democratic participation can have on the future of the country and on their own lives. To effectively gauge the rate of political participation of young people in elections, the entities involved intend to carry out an exit poll during the next local elections.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to promote civic participation among young people. It identified the barriers faced by youth on their path to full emancipation and proposed public policy measures to address these challenges.
The project''s activities included an informed voting campaign, which focused on municipal elections. The campaign aimed to encourage massive youth voting through social media, street sticker distribution, and explanatory videos about the local electoral process and municipal authorities'' roles.
Interviews with Members of Parliament involved young people developing questions for parliament members from various political backgrounds, facilitated by CNJ on social media. This approach allowed young people to better understand their representatives and provided representatives with the opportunity to address youth concerns, fostering closer connections between young people and decision-makers.
The study on Emancipation and Political Participation had two main components: qualitative focus groups and a quantitative online survey targeting young people aged 18 to 30. Fourteen in-person focus group sessions involved 162 young people from diverse social and economic backgrounds. Informal partnerships with local and regional entities ensured representative geographic and socio-economic dispersion. The online survey, after thorough testing, was disseminated nationally through various networks.
A microsite was developed as a resource center, hosting all educational materials, including the 2021 municipal election exit poll publication, a summary brochure, and an infographic on the 2022 legislative elections. It also featured infographics explaining the functioning of sovereign bodies and ways to increase youth involvement. The final study, developed with the Catholic University’s Center for Human Development Research (CEDH), was also published on the microsite.
The Democratic Literacy Campaign produced 12 informational materials published on social media, explaining the functions of sovereign bodies in Portugal and the roles of different political agents, such as the President of the Republic, the President of the Assembly of the Republic, and Members of Parliament. These materials also highlighted various forms of civic participation, including associations, volunteering, and youth party activism.
The Democratic Literacy Training included 24 training and capacity-building sessions on formal participation topics like voting, petitions, and hearings, with multi-level approaches (local, national, and European). Despite the focus on formal participation, the training also covered informal participation, such as associations, social movements, demonstrations, online petitions, and advocacy campaigns.
In quantitative terms, the following was achieved:
- 39 civic initiatives led by supported NGOs;
- 2 awareness raising campaign carried out;
- 16 NGO initiatives promoting access to information on public/private policies;
- 1 NGO engaged in monitoring public and private decision-making;
- 1 NGO-produced evidence-based reports on public/private policies reported in the media;
- 68% share of target group showing civic concerns.
Regarding capacity building, the promoter carried out a needs assessment and prepared an action plan.
All proposed targets were met and exceeded.
Summary of bilateral results
Changemaker Norway participated in an exchange of best practices and training for young people on political activism, lobbying, and advocacy.