Study Visits
The ethos and the theory of the Democracy Reloading program are based on European values. Still, the practice and implementation of youth participation might differ in every municipality depending on several factors, such as national legal frameworks, the size of the settlement, the level of acceptance of youth work, financial conditions, etc. Therefore, we find a huge learning potential at international study visits, where municipality officers can also discover various existing practices.
What to expect from such study visits?
During this 3 day activities youth policy officers can discover various practice examples of the visited municipality or region, and to reflect on the strengths and challenges in light of the four key steps of the Democracy Reloading program.
Study visits organised before: Lisbon (2018), Brussels (2019), Trencin (2022), Kristiansand (2023), Paris (2023), Strasbourg (2024)
What is happening during such a study visit?
The methodology is based on non-formal learning which require active interaction of participants. The participants will:
- understand how the visited municipalities(s) manage local youth policy, with a particular focus on youth participation and youth councils,
- share experiences and practices among participants,
- explore ways to involve local youth in municipal policy-making decisions,
- reflect on the quality aspects of local youth work and municipal youth participation based on the tools of the Democracy Reloading, and other relevant tools of Europe Goes Local (Charter of Local Youth Work) and the Council of Europe (Charter on local youth participation).
Who is the study visit for?
These visits are designed for youth policy officers and their partners of local and regional municipalities in Europe, who want to learn and get inspired by practices of other municipalities.
When and how can I apply?
Such study visits are organised 1-2 times every year in different European countries, hosted by an Erasmus+ Youth national agency. You can find the calls for participants for the upcoming editions in the News section, and you can sign up for the Newsletter to receive up-to-date information about calls.
The study visits lasts 3 full days, plus an arrival and a departure day. The participation is free of charge, accommodation in single hotel rooms and meals from dinner of the arrival day to the breakfast of the departure day are covered by the host agency. Travel costs are reimboursed by the sending Erasmus+ Youth national agency, you should contact them for details. You have to submit your application through the SALTO website, the link is included in each call for participants in the News secttion.
The study visit is based on non-formal education principles, that requires your active participation and interaction with the other 20-25 participants. It is a safe learning space where all participants have similar profile and represent a local or regional municipal authority. The activity is facilitated by two Democracy Reloading trainers who are trained for the program and experienced in the field of democratic youth participation.
I really appreciated the discussion with the other participants, the exchange of ideas and the information (new to me) I received to activate a space for discussion, democracy and active citizenship for young people in my municipality.
A great valuable moment was the understanding of how the Égalité Space was created in Strasbourg. It is a very good example of how to create something great with baby steps, from an yearly activity to an always-open institution.
I have learnt about the importance of youth participation not just for the future but also for now. Young people may involve in the decision making in all stages. Ladder and Clear exercises were quite good in terms of understanding the core of the visit.