The consortium of the Novel Framework for Democratic Participation and Engagement of Underrepresented European Youngsters – NEUEYT project has launched a policy report that involves important policy recommendations intending to influence public policy around the topic of the (digital) participation of young people in the democratic life of their community.
An elemental part of the report is the policy recommendation section which constitutes the outcome of the collective experiences of the eight initiatives (the action-oriented part of the project) and the input from the stakeholder-tables which have created at local level in every partner country in order to share decisions and validate the project deliverables.
The Policy recommendations aim at capitalizing all the results gained during the implementation of initiatives, concerning the development and testing of the framework and all the deliverables and outcomes generated by the testing phase. An international laboratory of experts and the mobility of youngsters and policy makers have supported, through engagement, the quality impact of the deliverables.
The recommendations initiate a discussion around the importance of the use of digital tools in democratic life by highlighting that “Policy makers and stakeholders should view digital tools as potentially valuable for enhancing participation of youngsters in democratic processes if used in respect of their peculiarity. Digital tools are however only complementary and secondary to live engagement. As not all youngsters have access to or want to use social media (SoMe), politicians should also visit schools and other relevant arenas where young people are present/active. Thinking in terms of completely replacing traditional tools and formats of interaction could be both counterproductive and risky for the democratic process itself.”
Following that, the policy recommendations are divided into four different yet interconnected parts which are then explained in more details. These read as follows:
I. Ensure sufficient and equal digital connectivity and access. This recommendation involves the sufficient digital connectivity for all irrespective of their location (central vs. remote).
II. Promote awareness-raising, education and training on use of digital tools & social media and media literacy among youngsters. This recommendation involves the design of educational programmes that will foster societal responsibility, tolerance, solidarity, and civic engagement, as well as the organisation of training courses for raising awareness for the proper use of digital tools/social media for all.
III. Enable stakeholders and policy makers to better understand and manage the particular way youngsters communicate via social media and digital tools. This recommendation includes the need for stakeholders and policy makers to entrust the youngsters with responsibility for activities and initiatives, and at the same time be able to accept mistakes and quest for support and amendments. Moreover, it is suggested that policymakers and stakeholders should be active listeners on an ongoing basis when engaging with youngsters, especially with regard to topics such as democratic participation.
IV. Different approaches to and formats of interaction between decision-makers and youngsters should be tested. For this recommendation, it is suggested that policymakers and stakeholders should listen to and (better) understand the needs and messages the youngsters are communicating through digital channels such that the former adapt to the ever-changing technology and upgrade their skills to better understand the needs of the latter. Moreover, policymakers should be explicitly show that they are interested in hearing young people’s voices and opinions, and even engage them as ambassadors for actively engaging other young people in political and civic processes.
We are wrapping up all of our achievements and success in one video before our project end this summer!
NEUEYT Project was an amazing journey between 7 partners (Glocal Factory, Poraka Nova, Pistes Solidaries, E-Trikala, Hub NIcosia, Agder and Foris) from 6 countries, Italy, N. Macedonia, Greece, France, Cyprus and Norway, who created Global Framework of 8 Initiatives for digital youth participation into democratic process. We organized many events, workshops, trainings, offline and online events, we reached out to +50000 youngsters, empowered them, provided tools to gain and develop new skills in order to participate in democratic process and learn how to effectively communicate with stakeholders and policy makers. We provided podium and space for learning and sharing young people ideas and needs, through events, our social media platform and the forum on our website. Check out our latest video below!
HUB NICOSIA organised the final dissemination event for the NEUEYT project on May 12th, 2023, during which the project was presented to the local community and stakeholders. The event aimed at informing the local community about the project outcomes and presenting the initiatives that enhanced youth digital participation and that are now ready to be replicated in different contexts.
During the event participants had the opportunity to listen more about the project in dedicated sessions but also participate in experiential workshops that enhanced their sense of community.
The event was highly successful as more than 50 people attended, and they considered the project as valuable practice for the active participation of young people to local civic and democratic processes.
Final press resales for NEUEYT project was created this week by the project leader Glocal Factory. The PR text summarize the most important outcomes from the Initiatives that were created, partners involved and provides insight into the achievement and numbers behind the success of NEUEYT events and activities. Additionally, the PR text presents the framework and the policy report who were created during the project as one of the most valuable outputs.
You can read the full Prese Release on the link below!
Check out the latest news and updates of our NEUEYT project where we will present you our latest output the POLICY REPORT. The partners from Poraka Nova created the latest edition of NEUEYT Newsletter which will inform you about how the Policy report was developed.
The NEUEYT policy report is based on initiatives for youngsters, stakeholders, policy makers, local communities, and youth organizations. This document is an outcome of the NEUEYT project which proposes to work on innovative initiatives for the enforcement of active citizenship and democratic participation among youngsters 16-20, particularly underrepresented in policy making decisions, with regard to those living in remote/rural areas.
The Policy recommendations are built on the collective experiences of the initiatives and the input from the stakeholder-tables.
The Policy recommendations aims at capitalizing all the results gained during the implementation of initiatives, concerning the development and testing of the framework and all the deliverables and outcomes generated by the testing phase. An international laboratory and the mobility of youngsters and policy makers have supported, through engagement, the quality impact of the deliverables. The tested framework has been finetuned for future sustainability and transferability.
Trikala’s Youth Council with the support of the Municipality (Mr. StefanosVavylis, who is an elected Municipal representative and Mr, Michalis Lappas, who is the Vice Mayor of Education, Sports and Culture supported the youth council throughout this process), organized a very interesting event on the 12 of May 2023. Taking into consideration that the Greek National Elections will take place on the 21st of May, the youth council had a Parliamentary debate.
6 Representatives from 6 different political parties participated and were asked to give answers on questions prepared by the youth council and addressed by them during a discussion that lasted more than 3 hours.
Some of the topics that the youth council addressed are the following:
Thoughts and political framework on the existing admitting system for youngsters to enter Universities
Policies regarding the very high rent prices incities that house the country’s universities
In relation to the mental health issues that plague young people, inside and outside the school units. What policies are they considering to carry out towards this problem?
Policies towards resolving the problem of the undermine of the drama school of the national theatre graduates.
Young graduate’sunemployment in the city of Trikala has been galloping for several years. What are they thinking of doing to reduce unemployment among the city’s youth so they feel safe living in our city? Are they thinking of any interventions to solve the problem of unregistered/ black market employment?
Some of the effects of climate change in the region are an increase in fires and water scarcity. What policies do they plan to pursue in the direction of climate neutrality?
Since the period of the pandemic (Covid-19), the phenomenon of significant drug shortages has been observed. Thought and actions about possible ways to solve such a serious issue?
Some of the problems faced by people with disabilities are difficulty in accessing public spaces, public buildings and means of transport, discrimination in the working environment and difficulty in finding work. In the context of improvement, are there any policies that they intent to implement?
Their position and thoughts towards the term femicide. Do they have in mind policies that will address this matter? Are they planning to take measures towards reducing the time it takes for judicial decisions to be made?
Are they thinking of ways to reduce the phenomenon of police arbitrariness in Greece?
Do they intend to increase the awareness of the local communities on the issues of the LGBT+ community and, at the same time, do they intend to legalize civil marriage and adoption for same-sex couples in Greece?
There is a great disillusionment of young people towards the country’s political system after the tragic train accident in Tempe. What do they have to say to convince all the youth to come and vote in this election and what pledges can they give to prevent something so tragic from happening again in the future.
It goes without saying that all 12 questions were to the point. None of the political representatives was informed in advance about the topics of the questions and each one had 1,5 minute to make his/ her statement.
