Booklet on Action 1.3 Youth Democracy projects - SALTO-YOUTH

Put your
imprint
on society
Action 1.3 Youth in Action Programme
Salto Youth Participation 2008

Put your
imprint
on society
This document does not necessarily express the official views of the European Commission or the organisations and persons cooperating with the Youth
in Action institutions. Put your imprint on society aims to be a practical youth work publication and not an official policy document.

Youth In Action Programme
A C T I O N 1 . 3
Throughout Action 1.3 Youth Democracy projects, the
Youth in Action Programme aims to support young people
who want to play an active role in society and get more
involved in its democratic processes. Since the launch of
the programme, there has been a huge need expressed by
different stakeholders to promote this action, to clarify how a
Youth Democracy project should look and to define its main
pedagogical framework.
Based on the activities developed by SALTO-YOUTH
Participation Resource Centre since 2007, this publication
intends to define what a Youth Democracy project is, gives
some examples of realised projects and provides tips to
support their implementation. Furthermore, it is aimed at
transferring the concepts of the training courses and seminars
“Get Involved” and “Let’s meet for Participation” initiated by
the Resource Centre to support the development of projects
and partnerships under Action 1.3.
SALTO-YOUTH Participation Resource Centre hopes that
you will enjoy reading this publication and find it practical and
inspiring.
Fatima LAANAN,
Coordinator
SALTO-YOUTH Participation Resource Centre
Put your
imprint
on society
CONTENTS
Foreword _4
What is a Youth Democracy Project? _6
Examples of Youth Democracy Projects _12
Salto Youth Participation’s Activities_22
Project planning : It’s your turn_26
Glossary_30

4
Put your imprint on society
F O R E W O R D
Youth In Action Programme
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
THE YOUTH IN ACTION
PROGRAMME 2007-2013
With a total budget of 885 million euros for seven years, the Youth in Action Programme aims to inspire a
sense of active European citizenship, solidarity and tolerance among young Europeans and to involve them
in shaping the Union’s future by boosting their participation in democratic life.
The programme promotes non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue among European youth, and it
encourages young people’s mobility within and beyond the EU borders, thus giving them the opportunity
to expand their horizons and gain valuable life and work experiences.
The Programme is open to all young people aged between 15 and 28 (in some cases exceptions are
foreseen to involve young people aged between 13 and 30). The involvement of young people with fewer
opportunities is one of its key priorities.
To achieve its objectives, the programme funds a large variety of activities through five actions. These activities
include youth exchanges, youth initiatives, transnational voluntary service as well as training and networking
opportunities for youth workers and youth organisations.
OVERVIEW OF THE ACTIONS OF THE PROGRAMME
_Action 1
Youth for Europe
aims at encouraging young people’s active
citizenship, participation and creativity
by supporting youth exchanges, youth
initiatives and youth democracy projects.
_Action 3
Youth in the World
aims at promoting partnerships and
exchanges among young people and
youth organisations across the world.
_Action 2
European Voluntary Service
helps young people to develop their sense
of solidarity by participating, either individually
or in group, in non-profit, unpaid
voluntary activities abroad.
_Action 4
_Action 5
Youth Support Systems
Support for European
Co-operation in the Youth field
supports youth policy co-operation at
European level, in particular by facilitating
dialogue between young people and policy
makers.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME
includes various measures to suppor t
youth workers and youth organisations
and improve the quality of their
activities.
The Programme is mainly implemented in a decentralised way through a network of National Agencies,
which have been established in each Programme Country in order to ensure a closer contact with the
national reality of beneficiaries. The Programme Guide of the Youth in Action Programme, available on the
Youth website at http://ec.europa.eu/youth/ includes detailed descriptions and eligibility criteria of each
action.
5
Put your imprint on society

6
Put your imprint on society
C H A P T E R 1
WHAT IS A YOUTH DEMOCRACY PROJECT?
Youth Democracy Project is the new sub action 1.3
of the European Youth in Action programme (2007-2013).
It gives young people the opportunity to be directly
involved in society by planning and carrying out a project, which is an
important non formal learning experience.
It encourages young people to consider their contribution
and involvement in a local, national and European context.
OBJECTIVES
Youth Democracy Project supports young people’s participation in democratic life.
Concretely, it :
DEFINITION
_Promotes the involvement of young people in participatory structures
_Develops dialogue between public authorities and groups of young people
_Facilitates dialogue between public authorities and young people who are not members of
organisations
_Creates structures or strategies to bring young people closer to political decision-making
_Identifies and overcomes obstacles to the participation of young people in democratic life
CRITERIA
Who can realize a Youth Democracy Project?
√ Promoters
_A non profit organisation
_A local or regional public body
_An informal group of young people (one of the members of the group
assumes the role of representative and takes responsibility on behalf of
the group)
_A body active in the youth field at European level
A project should involve at least 2 countries with 2 local partners per country.
Who can apply?
√ Participants
Young people aged between 13 and 30 and legally resident in a
programme country
The group should consist of a minimum of 16 young people.
The activity must take place in the country of at least one promoter.
The project can last between 3 and 18 months.
One of the promoters assumes the role of coordinator
and applies to the relevant National Agency for the whole
project on behalf of all the promoters involved.
When to apply?
_1 st February
_1 st April
_1 st June
_1 st September
_1 st November
7
Put your imprint on society

8
Put your imprint on society
ELIGIBLE COSTS
QUALITY OF PROJECT DESIGN
Quality of the partnership/active
involvement of all promoters in the project
Promoters must demonstrate the ability to establish
and run a cohesive partnership with the active
involvement of all partners and with common goals
to be achieved. The setting-up of a partnership composed
of promoters from different backgrounds
may facilitate the implementation of the Activity.
Quality of the preparation phase
During this phase, the promoters should agree
on the common theme of the Youth Democracy
Project. They should think about the division of
tasks, the activity programme, working methods,
profile of participants, practical arrangements (venue,
transfers, accommodation, support material,
linguistic support).
Quality of Activity programme
The Activity programme should be clearly defined,
realistic, balanced and linked to the objectives
of the project and of the Youth in Action
Programme.
Quality of the evaluation phase
Promoters and participants are expected to include
a final evaluation process. The final evaluation
should make it possible to assess whether
the objectives of the project have been achieved
and the expectations of the promoters and participants
have been met. The evaluation should also
highlight the learning outcomes.
9
Put your imprint on society

10
Put your imprint on society
Themes of common interest and relevance
to the group of participants
The project should have a clear thematic concept,
which promoters wish to explore together. The
theme has to be translated into the concrete daily
activities of the Youth Democracy Project.
Non-formal learning methods applied
The project should follow the principles of nonformal
learning. In general terms, the project
should be based on an intercultural learning process
stimulating creativity, active participation and
initiative.
Active involvement of participants
in the project
The Activity programme and working methods
applied should involve the participants as much
as possible.
QUALITY OF PROJECT CONTENT
AND METHODOLOGY
Promotion of social and personal
development of participants
The project should enable the participants to acquire
self-confidence.
Intercultural dimension
The Youth Democracy Project should increase
young people’s positive awareness of other cultures
and support dialogue and intercultural encounters
with other young people from different
backgrounds and cultures.
European dimension
The Youth Democracy Project should contribute
to the young people’s education process and increase
their awareness of the European/international
context in which they live.
Impact, multiplying effect and follow-up
Promoters should try, as much as possible, to
involve other people (from the neighbourhood,
local area, etc.) in the project activities. Multiplication
is obtained for instance by convincing other
actors to use the results of the Youth Democracy
Project in a new context.
Promoters and participants are called to reflect
systematically upon possible measures to ensure
a follow-up of the Youth Democracy Project.
Visibility of the project/visibility of the
Youth in Action Programme
_Visibility of the project: SMS mailing; prepare
posters, stickers, promotional items (t-shirts, caps,
pens, etc.); invite journalists to observe; issue ‘press
releases’ or write articles for local papers, websites
or newsletters; create an e-group, a web space, a
photo-gallery or blog on the Internet, etc.
_Visibility of the Youth in Action Programme: use
of the official Youth in Action logo, seminars,
conferences, debates organised at different levels
(local, regional, national, international).
QUALITY OF PROJECT REACH
Dissemination and exploitation of results
Organising public events (presentations, conferences,
workshops…); creating audio-visual products
(CD-Rom,DVD…); setting up long-term collaboration
with media (series of radio/TV/press
contributions, interviews, participation in different
radio/TV programmes…); developing information
material (newsletters, brochures, booklets, best
practice manuals…); creating an Internet portal,
etc.
11
Put your imprint on society

12
Put your imprint on society
C H A P T E R 2
EXAMPLES OF YOUTH DEMOCRACY PROJECT
YOUNG PEOPLE, ACTORS AND
RESOURCES IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Celine GOMEZ Universite du citoyen 66, avenue Gambetta 83500 La Seyne sur Mer ucvar@aol.com
Title Les jeunes, acteurs et resources dans 1’espace public/Young people, actors and
resources from the public sector
Duration
Beneficiary
Partnership
From the 1 st July 2007 to the 31 st July 2008
Partner l University of Citizen (France)
28 participants took part in the project: - 14 young people elected from
the Consultative Council of Arles - 14 young actors from the participative analyse
of the City of Rome
Partner 2 Ville d’Arles, service animation - public local authority(France)
Partner 3 Municipio di Roma - public local authority (Italy)
Partner 4 Association ARETES «sviluppi possibiti» (Italy)
How did you come up with the idea?
The partnership between Arles and Rome has
existed for a long time. The project initiated by
the «Citizen University» based on long term experience
in the field of participation of inhabitants
especially in the field of democracy. The idea was
to extend this knowledge to the partnership and
encourage young people from 15 to 30 to collaborate
in a European experience.
Objectives
_Gather experiences and exchange analyses of
young people in the field of participative process
in both countries;
_Identify needs to improve existing processes or
create new ones;
_Launch the debate on participation processes of
young people without discrimination;
_Establish a think tank and make proposals for the
collective interest.
Strong points of the project
The experience of the Citizen University in the
field of participative methodology was definitely a
strong point. This experience could be shared and
was the starting point of the Youth Democracy
project.
The cooperation between the two Town halls
was also a good point. The mobilization of local
authorities helped to encourage the awareness of
young people that they are real resources for the
collective policy.
Budget
Total amount: 30 840€
60% Youth in Action programme
40% City of Aries (human resources, food, bus
and cultural visits)
Brief description and aim
of the project
«This project offered the chance to propose an
European experience between young people
from both countries. It aimed to use the experiences
of the «Citizen University» of Arles in participative
processes. Through this common project,
we wanted to help young people interested in
developing their capacity for exchange and reflection,
improve and valorize their European identity
and train them to have their say. At the end of this
cooperation participants should be fully aware of
their role as resources within the public sector
and be able to use their skills to become actors
at local level.»
Difficulties the partnership faced and
advice to give other associations
«We encountered difficulties with the planning of
the project. It was hard to find availability at the
same time in both countries. Language was also a
problem at the beginning but was naturally overcome
through different means of communication
and by the synergy of the group which became
stronger and stronger with time. If we had to give
advice to another association eager to run such
an initiative, it would be to develop a clear and
precise methodology and think carefully about
how they intend to develop the project in order
to facilitate an efficient participative approach.»
13
Put your imprint on society

14
Put your imprint on society
GOOD PARTICIPATION
BETTER COMMUNICATION!
Title
Duration
Beneficiary
Partnership
Good participation - Better communication!
From October 2007 till March 2009
Partner 1 Jugend und Familienstiftung des Landes
Berlin Foundation under public law
Partner 2 Drehscheibe Kinder und jugendpolitik
Berlin Foundation (Germany)
Partner 3 Jeugd en Stad vzw (JES)
NGO (Belgium)
How did you come up with the idea?
For many years «JFLB» has been supporting projects
in 2 areas:
1) promoting media skills among children and
young people
2) strengthening participation of youngsters.
The foundations are already used for collaborating
with many partners in the network and the JES
and Drehscheibe partnership is only one example.
Thus the idea of uniting participatory youth
work and media education in a project was born.
Objectives
_Favorise bilateral exchange of ideas and experiences
through workshops and meetings;
_Raise awareness within policy and public administration
for participation and to support
local structures/projects in public participation;
_Find skills to improve daily living conditions for
young people;
_Develop better opportunities for social integration
and active participation in their
surroundings;
_Open public spaces giving young people the opportunity
to get actively involved in
democratic and social processes which influence
their living conditions;
_Elaborate media products for facilitating communication
with political decision makers as well
as between the different project groups to promote
better understanding;
_Develop new concepts for the future
_Elaborate media supports
Budget
Total amount: 50 495€
27 500€ Youth in Action programme
21% JFLB + drehscheibe
19% JES
Brief description and aim
of the project
«The main objective of our project is to design a
child and youth friendly city with newly designed
public spaces by and for young people. Special
attention will be paid to young people with migration
backgrounds. Participants will develop and
implement projects according to their needs. The
political aims of these guidelines are: good participation
- better communication»
Difficulties the partnership faced and
advice to give other associations
«A growing gap between their desire to be a child
and youth friendly society and reality (e.g: neighbours
complain about the noise in children’s playgrounds).
Interests of children and youngsters being excluded
from the design of public spaces etc… Policy
responds only to request. Consideration of the
interests of children and youngsters is still not
regarded as a crucial issue. Children and teenagers
are often seen through their problems and
not their skills. But... they are experts in their own
matters!»
Strong points of the project
For the first time, two areas of youth work get
together: participation and media education.
The project uses existing youth projects and helps
them in their work.
The project helps young people to communicate
their interests to third parties.
The project promotes media-competences and
thereby strengthens the opportunities to participate
in the democratic processes of society.
15
Put your imprint on society

16
Put your imprint on society
Title
Duration
Beneficiary
Partnership
Damian PAYTON DigitalME Radiowaves 30-34 Aire street Leeds - The UK
Voice It Europe
VOICE IT EUROPE
From September 2007 to March 2008
Partner l DigitalME - (the UK)
Sixteen young people aged between 13 and 19 - half from the UK, half
from :
Latvia are collaborating on this project.
Partner 2 iEARN UK - association (the UK)
Partner 3 Youth dub «Lingua» - public local authority (Latvia)
Partner 4 NGO «Lingua.» - association (Latvia)
How did you come up with the idea?
The first group is from the UK and already involved
in Voice It - a project supported by the Ministry
of Justice to increase democratic engagement
in the UK. Their partner group is an English Club
at a high school in Latvia.
The UK group will bring its experience of Voice
it in the UK, which has already completed a successful
pilot phase. The second group will bring
its own outlook as a recent EU entrant. They will
exchange and share ideas about European democratic
structures.
Objectives
_Get to meet and interview their elected representatives
at each of these levels;
_Explore how media tools can be used to make
them active citizens;
_Find a way to access politicians whose decisions
affect their lives;
_Plan, produce and publish programmes based on
interviews with their peers and elected representatives;
_Upload the edited pieces to their own space on
the global Radiowaves website;
_Make them available as podcasts to a worldwide
audience of people who need and want to know
how young people think.
Strong points of the project
The most outstanding characteristic is the use
of the very latest self-publishing technology to
discuss serious issues. Podcasts, blogs and social
networking are enormously influential new movements,
especially for young people.
Brief description and aim
of the project
«Voice It Europe is about young people using
the power of podcasts to report on issues that
matter to them. They use their own web space
to investigate and campaign on local, national and
European topics.
Participants are working together using «Web
2.0» technology: self-publishing, voting in polls,
sharing content. Thanks to this project, participants
can be trained in journalistic skills and given
the confidence to arrange and conduct interviews
with influential people who might normally
appear «out of reach».
Difficulties the partnership faced and
advice to give other associations
«The young Latvian participants have more limited
access to technology than their UK counterparts.
While this has not prevented the project
from running as planned, it has required careful
organisation to ensure that the tools are available.
Another obstacle has obviously been the geographical
distance between the participants. While a
key aspect of Voice it Europe is bridging the divide
between people using technology, it is inevitable
that people will always work more easily together
if they have more opportunities to meet face to
face. A final obstacle worth mentioning is the
other demands on the participants’ time. They are
at busy stages in school, so have limited time to
devote to this activity».
Budget
Total amount: 36 053€
60% Youth in Action programme
40% digitalME and IEARN (in-kind contribution)
17
Put your imprint on society

18
Put your imprint on society
Mara GEORGESCU Association ARCIRAGAZZI Liguria Salita MontebeUo, 7/12 16126 Genoa Georgescu.mara@gmail.com
Title «Take action»: a European ABC to youth participation!
Duration
Beneficiary
Partnership
TAKE ACTION: A EUROPEAN ABC
TO YOUTH PARTICIPATION!
From November 2007 to January 2009
Partner l ARCIRAGAZZI Liguria (Italy)
The project is run by two countries (Italy and Romania). Within the partnership,
there are 2 youth associations and 2 local public bodies. 30 young people are
participating in this project.
Partner 2 Town Hall of Genoa - association (Italy)
Partner 3 Town hall of Bucharest, Office for Educational Activities -public local
authority (Romania)
Partner 4 Association APSS «Agenda 21» - public local authority (Italy)
How did you come up with the idea?
The idea of the project was developed during
several meetings with young people. There was
a pooling of ideas about youth participation projects.
The Italian National Agency guided us in the
definition of the final idea.
Brief description and aim
of the project
Our aim was to create stronger and more sustainable
bonds between the three main actors of
youth participation: young people, associations (civil
society in general) and public bodies, according
to the principles of representative democracy.
All the projects create spaces and opportunities
for favorising the exchange of ideas and good
practices, actively reflecting on the future of Europe
and youth policies in Europe- including from
the perspective of a new EU country, and establishing
the basis for improving public dialogue.
Objectives
_Recognize and support youth participation activities,
projects and initiatives developed
at local and regional level in partner countries;
_Develop a strategy to reinforce democracy in 2
countries through a non-formal learning process
with young people, institutions and associations;
_Find skills for helping young people to use the
existing opportunities at local, regional, national
and European level on youth participation;
_Elaborate a youth-friendly guide to participation
and citizenship concerned with activities at both a
local and European level.
Budget
The Youth in Action programme: 60% of the project
18% Agenda 21 Bucharest and the City of Bucharest
15% Arciragazzi Liguria (in kind co-financcment)
7% Town hall of Genoa
Town hall of Bucarest
Arciragazzi and other associations: in kind contribution
Strong points of the project
The project has several features that make it special.
First of all, young people have been involved
in each phase of the elaboration process of the
project in Italy as well as in Romania. Moreover,
the project involved 2 countries with a different
«tradition of democracy» which may for us
be one step towards wider tolerance, the fight
against cultural stereotypes and a step toward
mutual knowledge and understanding. Finally, the
final product of the project is innovative and useful.
We will elaborate a guide of good practices.
Difficulties the partnership faced and
advice to give other associations
«One of the most important obstacles was to
understand the rules and assessment of the new
European Youth in Action programme. It was not
easy to have a clear idea what kind of expenses
this sub action could cover or not. There is still
some confusion...The bureaucracy and the delay
were also a bit frustrating sometimes. Then we
have to admit that finding co-funding is maybe the
hardest part of the project. Especially if 2 organisations,
from two different countries work together
and don’t have the same system of fundraising.
In the end we were able to find co-funding but
we were not able to valorise enough the work
of volunteers here in our organisation. Cultural
differences were also an obstacle sometimes. If in
one country, everything is organised on time, in
the other country there can be «cultural delays».
Finally there is still an overall lack of social investment
in youth. Sometimes, you may think no one
really wants young people to be empowered.
«First of all, read the Programme Guide. Read
it ten times and understand every single word,
because it is written for professionals of project
management, not for average young people...
Second, find someone that can help you in keeping
to the cost plan.
Third, find reliable partners. You may not always
get the city in the project, but whoever you get,
make sure they are a sustainable partner.
Ask the national agency every question that comes
to mind before answering it yourself. Sometimes,
the National Agencies understand things differently
to us. Take a lot of pictures and document
every single activity. You may need them in order
to show your results.»
19
Put your imprint on society

20
Put your imprint on society
Albert FUCIK Rennweg 29 6020 Innsbruck - Austria Albert.fucik@chello.at
Title Future city
Duration
Beneficiary
Partnership
From March 2008 till September 2008
How did you come up with the idea?
Albert Fucik, the manager of the project, went to
Feldkirch in Vorarlberg which is in Austria. There
he saw die Kinderstadt «City of Children» which
fascinated him. So he decided to do something similar
in the Tyrol. He extended the idea and created
this innovative project for young people.
FUTURE CITY
Partner 1 Dachverband der Jugendgemeinderate Baden-Wurtemberg
association (Germany)
Partner 2 Kreisjugendring - regional public authority (Germany)
Partner 3 Jeugendgruppe Ainet - informal Youth group from Eastern Tyrol
(Austria)
Brief description and aim
of the project
The «zukunftsstadt» is a fictitious city invented by
and for children and young people. In this fictitious
city, young people are able to make their
own decisions and are actively involved in the
democratic process. Through their contribution
they influence the development of the project. In
this city children have for example the chance to
study at university, start a business or a political
career. They can assume any role which exists in a
real city. There will be political elections. They can
present themselves as candidates or vote for each
other. The keeping of the election pledge and its
consequences directly affects both the children
and young people. Everyone is faced with migration
almost daily. They have to deal with different
languages, cultures and religions. Special attention
will be paid to the integration of young people
whose mother tongue is not German.
Objectives
_Bring together the ideas of young people from
different European regions
_Give young people an understanding of participation
_Support different competences
_Support political education
_Get our theme across to children, young people
and adults
_Sensitize young people to Policy and Economy
_Support integration (culture, people with disabilities,
generations)
_Impact political and economic awareness.
_Give young people the possibility to experience
the sustainability and consequences of
decisions.
Budget
Total amount: 76 442 €
32.2% Youth in Action programme
19.63% Land Tirol
19.62% sponsors
15.70% entrance fee
12.35% donation
Difficulties the partnership faced and
advice to give other associations
It’s very difficult to keep to the time schedule because
only the youngsters themselves make the
decisions. Having to decide everything is difficult
for them. New steps can only be taken if a decision
is made.
Strong points of the project
This is one of the few projects which really
concerns democracy. In our city, everything is determined
by young people. Adults only make sure
that the basic conditions are provided. Moreover,
we set a high value on integration. For example
you can see different languages (Serbian, Croatian,
Bosnian, and Turkish) on our webpage. Languages,
cultures or religion should not be a barrier to participating
in our project.
21
Put your imprint on society

22
Put your imprint on society
C H A P T E R 3
SALTO YOUTH PARTICIPATION’S ACTIVITIES
SALTO YOUTH PARTICIPATION
Since SALTO-YOUTH Participation has been in
charge of the European priority of PARTICIPA-
TION, it has developed support, information and
training on Youth Participation, with the aim of
encouraging young people to involve themselves
in their communities and to promote two essential
sub actions of the European Youth in Action
programme: Transnational Youth Initiatives (1.2)
and Youth Democracy Projects (1.3):
_Sub action 1.2: Youth Initiatives : follow
up and transfer of good practices to National
Agencies, focus on active participation of young
people
_Sub action 1.3: Youth Democracy
Project: This is a new action. SALTO-YOUTH
Participation has the task of promoting and
enhancing its development.
SALTO-YOUTH Participation works with National
Agencies and youth trainers to enhance the
quality of projects within these 2 sub actions.
METHODS USED
Through its experience of seminars and training courses, SALTO-YOUTH Participation
has developed a wide range of tools and concrete tips, in order to clarify and
support the implementation of action 1.3 of the Youth in Action programme. You
will find below a summary of the results of all activities organised by the resource
centre in this regard. You will also see how useful these elements are for realizing
your own Youth Democracy Project.
Get involved TC concept
application
YiA
Generating &
developing ideas
check planning
23
Put your imprint on society

24
Put your imprint on society
Salto’s methodological approach
_Principles and practice of non formal education taking into
account participant’s needs, expectations, motivation and previous
experience as a starting point for the planned activities.
_Balance of information brought by the team (instruction, transmission)
and participants (experience sharing, ideas, remarks).
_Diversity of methods in a way that fits all learning styles and
combines action and reflection, speculation and creativity.
_Work on concrete projects in order to create the necessary basis
for future development and application.
_Integrated consultation and feedback on the project ideas so
that these become more “realistic” and comply with the Action’s
specificities.
_Resource table with brochures, books and other materials useful
for participants.
_Facilitated reflection at the end of each programme day, so that
learning is ensured and participants “have a say” in the way the
activities are done and the content within them.
_Energizers, ice-breakers, mood lifters as a means to achieving
this way closer bonds between participants, well being during the
course and the necessary empowerment to go on afterwards.
Working principles
_Group dynamics developed through different activities and getting
to know each-other on an individual, personal and professional level
as well as understanding cultural differences/similarities through
different forms of presentation, problem solving, intercultural party
and different teams contributing to good group and working
atmosphere.
_Information about the seminar, its objectives, team and methodology
used contributed to the orientation, trust development and
building of a safe environment.
_Introduction of the concepts of Youth Participation and Youth
Democracy Projects by experts and different stakeholders in the
field (SALTO Ressource Centre, European Youth Forum, and
Council of Europe) and debating with them was necessary to
achieve common basic knowledge and to provoke questions and
interest.
_Developing common understanding about essential terms of Action
1.3: partnership, participation and authority.
_Quality elements in Action 1.3 and good practices were explored
through work on the participant’s prior experiences, role playing,
discussions and getting to know participation projects.
_Seminars also had a contact making component allowing participants
to present their project ideas and encouraging them to find
partners and develop their ideas.
_Evaluations were ongoing with daily reflections and evaluation
on the “Open Team Meetings”. The success and accomplishment of
the learning objectives were measured by pre- and post-evaluation
questionnaires.
_Group spirit was an essential element. The team and participants
contributed constantly in formal and in-formal time by participating
in Open Team Meetings, proposing and leading some programme
activities, initiating parties, organising teams for cleaning, developing
group stories and memories.
The ladder of
participation
3.Tokenism
2.Decoration
1.Manipulation
7.Child initiated
and directed
6.Adult initiated shared
decisions with kids
5.Consulted
and informed
4.Assigned but
informed
8.Child initiated shared
decisions with adults
w w w . s a l t o - y o u t h . n e t / P a r t i c i p a t i o n c o u r s e s
25
Put your imprint on society

26
Put your imprint on society
C H A P T E R 4
PROJECT PLANNING : IT’S YOUR TURN
After reading this section, you should be aware that the most important part in a project and
especially in a Youth Democracy Project is to work seriously on the preparatory phase, including,
in all phases, a participative process.
_Step 1
Analysis of the needs of your territory and target group
This is the starting point of your project (e.g. strong points, weaks points, opportunity
and threat in a situation).This analyse justifies your action, shows that this
is something necessary.
_Step 2
Define the aims of your project
The aim is a perfect situation you would like
to reach. You need to fix precise objectives :
Specific – Measurable – Achievable – Realistic
– Timed
_Step 3
Develop your idea and check
if the quality criteria are
taken into consideration.
_Step 4
Your partners will be from different backgrounds and cultures, you might strengthen
your par tnership, ensure everybody has a role and share common objectives.
_Step 5
Make your own timetable : this step will help you to ensure that the
methodology you decided to implement is coherent with the objectives of
the partnership. For that reason, paying special attention to the methodology
and to the calendar is recommended.
_Step 6
Share your outcomes/results, keep in mind you are acting in a democratic process !
_Step 7
Evaluate precisely the financial costs of your project ; this is the
star ting point of a request for co-funding : in order to show your
sponsors or financial par tners that your project is well implementable.
If you want to know more about project management, especially for Youth Democracy Projects or
you simply need international partners for your projects, take a look at our toolbox or better still,
participate in one of our Training courses.
w w w . s a l t o - y o u t h . n e t / P a r t i c i p a t i o n c o u r s e s
27
Put your imprint on society

28
Put your imprint on society
Participative working methods
Is there clear evidence of young people’s involvement
in the project?
Does the project answer their needs and interests?
Do the groups of young people plan and realise
the project themselves?
Non-formal learning experience
Does the project follow the principles of non formal
learning?
Does the project contribute to young people’s
education process?
Does the project offer young people the possibility
to better understand the context in which
they live and, in particular, the operation of national
and European representative democracy
structures?
Quality Criteria
C h e c k l i s t
Diversity of Actors and
networking dimension
Is a diverse variety of actors from different areas
of activities (e.g. local authority, NGO, local initiatives...)
represented in the partner groups?
Is there clear evidence that the project was prepared
in co-operation with all the partners?
Does the project allow partners to exchange
methods, ideas, and share practices in the field of
youth participation?
Impact
Does the project meet the specific needs or interests
of the partners’ local communities?
Will the project have a long term impact at local
and European level?
Will the project raise the awarness of the concept
of active citizenship and participation of young
people?
European dimension and Youth
in Action Priorities
Does the project help participants to understand
their role as part of the present and future of
Europe?
Does it tackle a theme of European interest or
promote values of European priority? Does it reflect
a common concern for European society or
use experiences from other European countries?
Does the project reflect one of the general
priorities of the Youth in Action Programme (i.e.
participation of young people, cultural diversity,
European citizenship and social inclusion or the
specific priority themes of this Action which are
the future of Europe and the political priorities
identified in the field of European youth policy)?
Innovation
Is the project about something new for the groups
of participants?
Is the project about something new for the local
communities involved?
Does the project implement /practise new participative
methods?
Evaluation and follow up
Do the partner groups/participants regularly (ongoing
process) evaluate the implementation of
the project?
Does the project foresee any activity or measure
to be taken after the project implementation?
Visibility and dissemination of
the project results
Does the project foresee any measure to highlight
the support of the Youth in Action Programme?
Does the project include a communication plan
to disseminate the achievements of the projects
to a wider audience (i.e via press conference,
production of multimedia tools, publication of the
results on a Blog, etc.)?
Learning experience
Does the project follow the principles of non formal
learning?
Will the project allow participants to learn something
and to increase their awareness of the
international context in which they live?
Will the project help participants to understand
European democratic processes and more particularly
the mechanisms of national and European
representative structures?
29
Put your imprint on society

30
Put your imprint on society
C H A P T E R 5
Dissemination and Exploitation of results
Disseminate means to “spread widely”. Disseminating
project results means spreading these results far and
wide. Exploiting means “making use of and deriving benefit
from (a resource)”. A project should therefore be seen
as a resource that can be useful for other potential beneficiaries.
In other words, disseminating and exploiting the
results of a project means making a project and its results
known and useful for other people
Coaching
Salto-youth participation together with National
Agencies has had a European coaching strategy
over the past few years developing tools,
publications and training activities focused on
Youth initiatives such as the coaching guide. The
guide supports youth workers and youth leaders
in coaching youth initiative projects. “Coaching
should not be promoted as a means of increasing
the quality of projects but as a way to promote
the participation of young people and to support
the process of the project.”
Peer learning
A method where people at the same level teach
and learn from each other, e.g. from young people
to other young people.
GLOSSARY
European Youth Pact
A political instrument adopted by the European
Council in 2005 as part of the revised Lisbon Strategy.
The Youth Pact aims to promote participation
of all young people in education, employment and
society. More information in the section «Social
and occupational integration of young people».
European Youth Week
The aim of the European Youth Week is to promote
the Youth in Action Programme and European
Youth Policies and to contribute to the
structured dialogue between policy makers and
young people. Events targeting a large number of
young people are organised all over Europe.
White paper
Commission White Papers are documents containing proposals
for Community action in a specific area. It presents a
detailed and well argued policy for discussion and decision
and can lead to an action programme for the Union in the
area concerned. In 2001, the Commission launched a White
Paper on Youth, which laid the basis for increased European
cooperation in four youth priority areas: participation, information,
voluntary activities and a greater understanding
and knowledge of youth. The White Paper also proposed to
take the youth dimension more into account when making
other relevant policies.
Non-formal learning
Learning which takes place outside a formal educational
curriculum. Non-formal learning activities
involve people on a voluntary basis and provide
them with opportunities to acquire a wide range
of skills and competences. The activities are carefully
planned, to foster the participants’ personal
and social development. The skills acquired
through non-formal and informal activities in the
framework of the Youth in Action programme are
recognized through a certificate called Youthpass.
Structured dialogue
Instrument to improve communication between
young people and EU policy makers. It is structured
in terms of themes and timing.
Evaluation meeting
A meeting to evaluate past projects or activities
and plan potential follow-up. Evaluation meetings
can be supported by the Youth in Action Programme
under action 4.3 “Training and Networking
of those active in youth work and youth organisations”.
Youthpass
Recognition instrument that enables participants
in the Youth in Action Programme to receive a
certificate describing and validating their non-formal
learning experience.
Feasibility visit
A short meeting with potential partners to explore
the possibility of developing a project. Feasibility
visits can be supported by the Youth in Action
Programme under action 4.3 “Training and
Networking of those active in youth work and
youth organisations”.
Programme Countries
In the Youth in Action Programme: the EU Member
States, the EFTA/EEA countries and candidate
countries.
Lisbon strategy
To compete with other major world players, the
EU needs a modern efficient economy. Meeting
in Lisbon in March 2000, the EU’s political leaders
set it a new goal: to become, within a decade,
«the most competitive and dynamic knowledgebased
economy in the world, capable of sustainable
growth with more and better jobs and
greater social cohesion.” The EU’s leaders also
agreed on a detailed strategy for achieving this
goal. The ‘Lisbon strategy’ covers such matters as
research, education, training, Internet access and
on-line business. It also covers reform of Europe’s
social protection systems, which must be made
sustainable so that their benefits can be enjoyed
by future generations. Every Spring the European
Council meets to review progress in implementing
the Lisbon strategy.
SALTO Youth Resource Centres
SALTO stands for “Support and Advanced Learning
and Training Opportunities”. The Salto Youth
Resource Centres are structures established within
the Youth in Action Programme to provide
training and information on a specific theme or
regional area for youth organisations and National
Agencies.
Youth participation
“participation & active citizenship is about having
the right, the means, the space and the opportunity
and, where necessary, the support to participate
in and influence decision making & being
engaged in actions & activities so as to contribute
to building a better society”
31
Put your imprint on society

support
SALTO YOUTH PARTICIPATION
support
advanced
learning
What do we do?
training opportunities
-> Strengthen and promote active participation
-> Collect and disseminate information, projects and articles on active
participation
->Support the management of youth initiatives and Youth Democracy
Projects (sub action 1.2 and 1.3)
>Sub action 1.2: Youth Initiatives: follow up and transfer of good
practices to NAs, focus on active participation of young people
>Sub action 1.3: Youth Democracy Project: This is a new action.
SALTO Youth Participation has the task of promoting and enhancing the
development of this sub-action.
w w w . s a l t o - y o u t h . n e t / p a r t i c i p a t i o n
How do we do it ?
website magasine
www.salto-youth.net/participation
practical guide
organisation
database of events
of projects
www.salto-youth.net/static/yic
newsletter
training courses
www.salto-youth.net/Participationcourses
find
a partner
www.salto-youth.net/partners-request!!

Editorial Info
Published in December 2008 by
SALTO-YOUTH Participation
(Support & Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities
within the Youth in Action Programme)
SALTO-YOUTH Participation
hosted by the Bureau Interantional Jeunesse
20-20 Rue du Commerce
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel +32 (0)2-219.09.06 Fax +32 (0)2-548.38-89
participation@salto-youth.net
Coordination & editing : Fatima Laanan
Proofreading: Alex Lever Webber
Layout: & writing Claire Morvan
Printing: Gillis Imprimerie
Special thanks to Veronika Remisova (European Commission, DG EAC-Unit D2, Youth in Action programme) for her
valuable feedback.
Reproduction and use for non commercial purposes is permitted
provided the source «Put your imprint on society» SALTO-YOUTH Participation is mentioned
and participation@salto-youth.net is notified.
www.salto-youth.net/participation
Notes