An insight into young people's democratic participation across European cities

• Pages: 9-10

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An insight into young

people’s democratic

participation across

European cities

Recent youth-led climate protests across Europe and beyond are a serious reminder for

decision-makers: Young people are an integral part of our democratic system, and they

want to have a larger say in Europe’s future. As such participation starts at the local level,

the PARTISPACE project investigated its existing forms in eight cities across Europe.

Existing research suggests that political participation starts with

influence and involvement at the local level. But what exactly do

we know about this involvement, and how does it differ from one

Member State to another? The PARTISPACE (Spaces and Styles

of Participation. Formal, non-formal and informal possibilities

of young people’s participation in European cities) project led

the investigation in eight European cities, to broaden the under-

standing of local youth participation, identify problems and help

facilitate such participation.

“Our initial observation was that most formal forms of participa-

tion for youth do not have much weight and are essentially token

CORDIS Results Pack on elections and democratic participation

Understanding turbulent political times through innovative EU-funded research