“Building Quality Local Youth Councils” training course

The International Training for Young Multipliers, Building Quality Local Youth Councils”, part of the “Local Youth Councils at International Scale” (LYCIS) project, was held from 21st – 27th May 2023 in Maia, Portugal.

The training aimed to explore tools and mechanisms that empower young people to engage in local decision-making processes by establishing or improving local youth councils. Participants from Portugal, Italy, North Macedonia, Morocco, Tunisia, and Palestine gathered to exchange experiences, insights, and good practices regarding different structures, instruments, and mechanisms used in local realities.

The participants assessed the state of local youth councils in their local realities and discussed the implementation of sustainable and inclusive engagement strategies in the local contexts. Through knowledge exchange, participants developed competencies and prepared to share them with their peers, acting as multipliers of knowledge and experiences—the training aimed to strengthen collective capacity and drive impactful youth engagement.

The sessions led by DYPALL Network trainers enhanced participants’ understanding and capabilities related to local youth councils. These sessions used non-formal education and multiple methodologies such as a ladder of participation, role play, snowball, barometer and other methods. 

During the sessions, participants were invited to engaging learning activities, including assessing local realities to inform tailored approaches, building effective advocacy campaigns, a workshop on content creation for impactful communication, and opportunities to discover local practices and innovative solutions implemented by youth councils in the area. Moreover, the participants were able to meet the Maia Municipality and get familiar with the youth strategies there.

Through the sessions, participants exchanged their aspirations, fears, challenges and possible solutions regarding implementing local youth councils in diverse and multicultural realities. 

The LYCIS training showcased a commitment to empowering local youth councils and fostering sustainable and inclusive youth engagement. By exploring tools and mechanisms, assessing the state of local youth councils, exchanging experiences, and preparing young multipliers, the training aimed to strengthen the capacity of participants to effect positive change within their communities. To achieve the ambitious goals within their communities, the participants contributed to developing the Quality Charter as an assessment tool for LYCs, which will be available soon. 

The training was co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and coordinated by the DYPALL Network with the support of the Maia Municipality. The project is being implemented together with Europiamo ETS (Italy), Youth on Board (North Macedonia), Student’s Forum Institute (Palestine), Forum of Young Moroccans for the Third Millennium (Morocco), and Farhat Hached Institute for Research and Democracy (Tunisia).

 

Related News