Practice
20/06/2023

Raising the age limit in the Youth City Council

Young People

Strategies

Kamil

Starachowice is a small town in central-eastern Poland, where there are no higher education institutions. After graduating from school, young people most often go to study in larger cities (Warsaw, Krakow, Lublin) and very rarely return to Starachowice. Therefore, the biggest problem is the depopulation of the city and the aging of the population. In 2021, changes were made to the statute of the Youth City Council, raising the age limit for Councilors to 25, so that after graduation they would not relinquish their mandate and continue to engage in youth activities. Thanks to this, these people do not lose contact with the city and can use their experience in working for the city. Of course, raising the age itself is a purely technical activity - everything depends on the attractiveness of the activities of the Youth City Council, so that these people want to come back to it. However, having an official presence at Youth City Council is important and builds a sense of empowerment and community.