Description
"The project seeks to strengthen citizenship among 150 people aged15-20 and the related public sector institutions in Łódź through education. It intends to become a vehicle for developing a strategy for youth policy for the city for 4 years, submitting 20 projects in the participatory budgeting process and setting up a Youth Citizen Dialogue Committee. We have diagnosed a low level of citizenship, low motivation and the lack of citizenship skills among the local youth. Young people are barely familiar with the various tools of direct democracy, they lack communication and group work skills. In addition, the project meets the expectations of organisations which work with youth in terms of a cohesive local youth policy. ACTIVITIES: training for beneficiaries, meetings for representatives of three sectors to propose a strategy, a social campaign developed by young people, a three-day event for the local people, and a public participation web portal."
Summary of project results
"According to Łódź City Government's statistics, young people in the community do not take part in social consultations, which may be attributable to the format of such consultations: documents submitted for review tend to be hard to read and comments may be submitted only to pre-defined projects. Needless to say, may of the comments are not recognised. Young people ought to have a sense of agency from the very start. Projects designed with their contribution fail to meet their needs completely. Consequently, only bottom up initiatives do make a difference as opposed to local government policy. Łódź has seen the emergence of new programmes that support entrepreneurial and well educated youth. It is such individuals that tend to sit on the local council but they do make a fair representation of their peers. In 2012 and 2013, five Citizen Dialogue Commissions were established in Łódź but none focused solely on youth issues. There is no local strategy or formal body that would co-ordinate youth programmes (sponsored by different local government departments); organisations and facilities working for young people have not created a common platform. The goal of the project was to increase youth participation in social consultations and influence on local polity. The project led to the creation of the Citizen's Dialogue Commission for Youth and the formulation of an Integrated Development and Youth Support and Empowerment Strategy in the Society and Culture pillar in 2016-2020. The project helped establish 10 'Fear Not' Clubs in local schools to create opportunities for young people to take part in consultations. Young people put together a 3-day event and filed 10 proposals in the local citizens' budget, of which one project proposal received funding. Training was provided to youth and Club Tutors and a publication was released. The project targeted youth in secondary schools in Łódź and middle schools in Wiśniowa Góra and Wiączyń Dolny, teachers and local non-governmental youth activists."
Summary of bilateral results