Young people are in need of concrete solutions on issues that affect them directly and are demanding an active role in governance solutions. Involving young people in urban policy making is a way of getting to know their needs and values and, at the same time, allowing them to express themselves on very topical social and environmental challenges. However, there has not yet been much discussion on how to carry out these approaches in urban public institutions and in general, there seems to be a knowledge gap on how different participatory approaches/tools at the level of urban governments allow young people to reflect on their needs, express values and preferences.
Two webinars were organised to discuss around those issues. The first one aimed at sharing and discussing around methodologies for youth participation in policymaking. Two cases of co-creation processes with young people were introduced for discussing around their value for policymaking and youth empowerment. The Open Government Lab of the region of Aragón and the UPLIFT project in Barakaldo. Around 55 people participated in this session.
The second webinar aimed at sharing and discussing around spaces for reflection, with the participation of POMPEULAB, a space for citizen participation in Sta. Coloma de Gramenet; and CI.LAB, a citizen laboratory for co-designing innovative solutions in Alicante. 45 people attended the event where fruitful discussions took place.