So far, 20 municipalities have participated in the Democracy Reloading trajectory, a collaboration between the Netherlands Youth Institute (NJi) and Erasmus+. During this trajectory, they explored how young people can play an active role in municipal decision-making, what is needed for this, and how this can be sustainably embedded. They share their experiences, insights, and key lessons.
What did municipalities want to learn about youth participation?
Many municipalities started the Democracy Reloading trajectory from a shared awareness of the importance of youth participation, but with questions about how to give this concrete form. Already at the beginning, it became clear that an overview was often lacking: in some municipalities, a lot was already happening, but without coherence, while in other municipalities, less was happening than expected. An analysis gave municipalities better insight into what was already happening and where opportunities still lay. This helped to give more direction to their approach.
Practical example municipality of Breda
“It was helpful to first get a good overview of what is already happening, so that we could take a targeted step.”
How do you get your colleagues and organisation on board with youth participation?
Although many employees recognise the importance of youth participation, views differ on the practical implementation. In some municipalities, there is a clear mandate from the municipal council, but this does not automatically lead to broad involvement within the organisation.
Support and commitment vary per department or employee. Therefore, municipalities emphasise that youth participation should not be imposed, but requires facilitation and making its added value visible.
“You have to keep showing what it delivers, otherwise it easily fades into the background.”
Policy advisor social domain, municipality of Lelystad
To increase involvement within the organisation, municipalities describe different approaches:
- Increasing visibility by regularly bringing youth participation to attention, for example in the staff magazine, during regular meetings, or at the coffee machine.
- Organising working sessions in which employees work together. These sessions often attract enthusiastic employees, who can act as ambassadors within the organisation.
- Ensuring clear ownership, with a contact person for youth participation who answers questions and supports colleagues.
- Actively engaging in conversation with colleagues to explore objections, doubts, and motivation.
In addition, tools were also developed during the trajectory to support conversations within the organisation and to make colleagues more aware of their role. For example, the municipality of Tilburg describes how a handbook for youth participation helps to reflect on the why and how of participation. Part of this is a “pseudo-participation mirror”: a tool that invites policymakers to critically examine their own projects.
“It helps colleagues reflect on the question: does the idea come from young people themselves, or is it something we impose on them?”
Programme secretary Lively Democracy, municipality of Tilburg
When and why do you involve young people?
During the trajectory, it became clear that it helps to consciously reflect at the beginning on the question of whether and how to involve young people, and with what purpose. By clarifying this in advance, it becomes clearer what you want to achieve with youth participation and prevents it from becoming a standalone activity.
“The biggest risk is that youth participation becomes a checklist. Then you can say you have done something, but it says nothing about real participation.”
Policy advisor social domain, municipality of Lelystad
If that direction is lacking, it also proves difficult to involve young people properly.
“If you yourself are not clear about what you want, you also don’t know what you are asking of young people, and then responses fail to come.”
Advisor parenting and upbringing, municipality of Hoeksche Waard
To make more conscious choices in this, the municipality of Vijfheerenlanden developed a tool for colleagues.
“I developed a decision tree that colleagues can use at the start of a project. It begins with the question: do you want to involve young people, and if so, which target group and with what goal?”
Youth policy advisor, municipality of Vijfheerenlanden
How do you reach and involve young people?
Reaching a broad and diverse group of young people proves in practice not to be self-evident. Often it is not clear where young people are and how they can best be approached.
During the trajectory, municipalities explored different ways to reach young people. For example, young people were sometimes approached broadly and in a low-threshold way.
“We approached 4000 young people with a card containing a QR code to contribute ideas about the design of their living environment. 1000 young people responded.”
Youth project leader, municipality of Breda
Other municipalities chose instead to actively seek out young people, for example through existing networks and key figures.
“I know a number of young people whom I approached personally. We also looked for young people through key figures. I start with one key figure and then ask: who should I speak to next time? In this way, the network keeps expanding further.”
Advisor parenting and upbringing, municipality of Hoeksche Waard
In addition, it differs per young person which topics appeal to them and in what way they want to contribute.
“One prefers to just see a flyer and another a video with the mayor or posters or social media. And why wouldn’t we just let them have a say in how they want to be involved in those topics?”
Youth participation staff member, municipality of Emmen
It is not always obvious which form of youth participation fits best. This requires exploration and experimentation, and aligning with what young people themselves prefer.
In addition, it appears that one fixed form, such as a youth council, often only reaches a specific group of young people. Young people who participate are often already motivated or interested, while other groups remain out of sight. By combining different forms of participation, municipalities reach a broader and more diverse group of young people.
How do you ensure that young people stay involved?
According to participating municipalities, youth participation becomes more sustainable when this is worked on carefully. This does not mean that everything goes well at once, but rather that:
- investment is made in personal contact with young people
- young people are not only asked for their opinion, but also how they want to give it
- young people are given a realistic picture in advance of the frameworks within which their input takes place, such as what has already been decided and where there is still room for influence
- young people receive feedback on what has been done with their input, even if (as yet) nothing is done with it
If these elements are missing, it is more difficult to keep young people involved. Practical factors, such as time, school, and the required effort, also play a role. In addition, sustainable youth participation requires continuing to involve new young people, for example by approaching them broadly and letting them think about how they want to be reached.
Five points of attention for municipalities that are just starting with youth participation
Several points of attention emerge from the trajectory that help municipalities to shape youth participation in a more targeted way.
- Insight into the current practice. Municipalities indicate that it helps to first map out what youth participation looks like within the municipality.
- Critical view of the approach. It helps to critically examine current practice, for example using tools such as the participation ladder. This makes visible where participation already works well and where there is still room to strengthen or better embed participation in the organisation.
- Reaching different groups of young people. Mapping which young people are already being reached and which groups remain structurally out of sight helps to work more targeted and be more inclusive.
- Link to existing decision-making. Youth participation gains more meaning when it is connected to moments where actual decisions are made, for example at the start of policy or within working groups.
- Continuing to learn and develop. Municipalities indicate that it helps to make use of examples, tools, and concrete guidelines to further develop youth participation step by step.
“The biggest lesson I have learned is that you just have to start doing it! You just have to keep going, you just have to do it, and learn, and you can simply adjust your process.”
Programme secretary Lively Democracy, municipality of Tilburg