Throughout 2025, the Democracy Reloading organised a series of four webinars exploring the key dimensions of municipal youth participation. Between April and November, more than 100 participants, youth policy officers, decision makers and youth workers, joined these online sessions to exchange ideas, explore tools, and strengthen their competences in engaging young people in decision-making.
The series combined short inputs, interactive discussions, and peer learning moments. Each webinar focused on one of the four key competences of the Democracy Reloading reference framework:
- Creating a supportive environment within the municipality to involve young people in decision-making
- Empowering young people and their organisations and communities to participate in municipal decision-making
- Developing policy, strategy and structure for youth participation in decision-making
- Managing youth participation in decision-making and validating its impact
Each session followed a consistent rhythm, a short reflection on the topic, the guest practitioner’s presentation and introduction of the tools and resources provided by Democracy Reloading. Participants had the opportunity to relate their experiences to the framework and explore ways to strengthen local cooperation between municipalities and young people.
Guest speakers shared valuable experiences and local examples of how municipalities are building more inclusive and sustainable participation ecosystems:
Mr. Robert Simcic (Municipality of Viškovo, Croatia), Ms. Lobke de Roon (Municipality of Lelystad, Netherlands), Mr. Hannes Vanmeenen (City of Kortrijk, Belgium), and Mr. Gil Nunes (Municipality of Gaia, Portugal) each offered unique perspectives on how to translate principles into daily municipal work. Their contributions enriched the collective reflection and provided concrete examples of how youth participation can take shape at local level.
A key component of each session was a guided presentation of the Democracy Reloading website. Participants were guided through the platform, explore its tools and resources, and reflect on how these could support their own municipal strategies. This familiarisation aimed to help participants continue their learning independently after the webinars and apply the model within their local contexts. Beyond knowledge-sharing, the webinars became a space for connection and community. They offered a chance for practitioners to exchange realities, challenges, and successes, and to find new ideas for improving youth participation structures back home.
The Democracy Reloading team warmly thanks all guest speakers and participants for their openness and the generosity of their sharing. The insights, experiences, and practices presented throughout the year form a solid basis for learning and inspiration, showing that municipalities across Europe continue to experiment, innovate, and learn together. These webinars also served as a bridge between online and face-to-face learning. All practitioners who took part are invited to continue their journey by joining the upcoming in-person activities of the Democracy Reloading an opportunity to deepen their knowledge, strengthen cooperation, and co-create future practices in local youth participation.