Written by Bernard Moreau and Giulia Bartolini (trainers)
For the first time a special edition of the Municipalities4Democracy training course took place in Belgium, bringing together participants from 8 different countries. A total of 27 participants attended the training course, for the first time involving Swiss representatives. Held in Mons from November 18 to 22, the event was organized in partnership with the municipality and, for the first time, involved both youth policy officers and local youth representatives. Each municipal representative attended with two young participants—one particularly motivated young person even joined alone after their youth officer had to cancel at the last minute.
While the core objectives remained unchanged from previous editions, the methodology was significantly adapted to accommodate this new mix of participants, ensuring the training retained its organic process. The approach aimed to train municipal youth policy officers and young representatives simultaneously, allowing them to reflect together on their current youth participation practices and explore ways to enhance them. Additionally, the structured half-day sessions, each dedicated to a specific key competence - covering knowledge, skills, and values & attitudes—were changed and adjusted to place greater emphasis on empowering young people. The training course had program elements when the officers and youth representatives worked together, and elements when they worked separately.
Participants explored various forms of youth participation, exchanged experiences, and built networks while learning from challenges and good practices in different municipalities. Tools like the ladder of participation and the Democracy Reloading Cards helped them understand diverse realities and identify key focus areas in meaningful youth engagement in municipal decisions.
Key takeaways included gaining new perspectives on youth councils and participation strategies, recognizing the need for support, safe spaces, and effective youth policies, and deepening their understanding of Erasmus+ opportunities. Presentations from different municipalities, visiting local youth council reality of Monss, and informal networking enriched the learning process. Overall, the training strengthened participants' motivation and provided valuable insights to enhance youth involvement in local decision-making.
The impact of this learning journey became especially evident during the ALPHA CITY simulation exercise. Informal conversations following the activity highlighted how the game enabled young participants to step back, reflect on the week’s experiences, and apply the knowledge and insights they had gained in a practical context.
Participants engaged in the final exercises with enthusiasm and a strong desire to translate their learning into concrete actions once back in their municipalities. Municipal representatives highlighted the value of sharing this experience alongside young people, emphasizing how it allowed them to truly grasp their perspectives. Meanwhile, the young participants expressed deep satisfaction in having their voices heard and in playing a central role throughout the training process.
After piloting this mixed training module, we concluded that it is important to continue with this format, and based on the evaluations Democracy Reloading will organise a next edition of Youth&Municipalities4Democracy training course in autumn of 2025 in Portugal. If you are interested the call for participants will be published here in the News section of the website in March.