The Online panel as a kick-off event was held on the 19th of March 2024 on Zoom. The purpose of this online panel was to introduce the project and to provide a platform for stakeholders from various countries to come together and exchange their ideas and experiences regarding models and mechanisms of youth engagement. It brought together a diverse range of stakeholders in the youth field, including non-governmental organizations, municipality representatives, researchers, youth workers, and youth leaders.

The study visit in Bodø, Norway will be held in August 2024, gathering 10 international participants from the project consortium. It will be organized in combination with the AER summer academy 2024, which is an activity aiming at bringing youth leaders, policymakers and youth leaders together for a few days of sharing, learning and creation of new initiatives and partnership building.

As Bodø is one of the European Capitals of Culture this year, the main focus will be on youth, culture and participation.

The study visit in Bratislava (Slovakia) and Vienna (Austria) from October 7 to 11, 2024, brought together 12 international participants from six countries as part of the consortium project.
The visit offered an opportunity to learn from best practices in youth engagement, participatory budgeting, and youth-centered policies. The aim was to observe and engage with youth leaders and policymakers involved in participatory budgeting and youth-centered policies, utilizing innovative participatory mechanisms.

The activity was conducted through meetings with policy-makers, diplomats, youth delegates, think tanks, and national youth councils, by engaging in interactive sessions with our twelve participants, sharing best practices and lessons learned from the programs and models they implement on youth engagement.

Developed and designed within the Climbing the Ladder project activities, the third and last study visit of the project was specifically structured to observe and learn how the EU institutions are addressing the youth engagement topic and how many institutionalised structures and mechanisms of youth engagement there are at the EU level and the national level in Belgium. It gathered 10 international participants from December 2nd to 6th.

The study visit to Brussels was a hands-on experience for participants to connect with relevant EU institutions active in the field of youth engagement while also meeting important stakeholders such as different regional authorities, the European Youth Forum – a focal point in advocating for youth participation and engagement – and a representative from one of the three Belgian Youth Council, the ‘Conseil de la Jeunesse’.

The itinerary included tours and interactive sessions at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), the Committee of the Regions (CoR), and the Council of Europe liaison office in Brussels. Participants gained insights into how these institutions address youth issues and promote active participation, while acquiring new connections with external stakeholders to foster cooperation in the field.

DYPALL Network will organize a Training course for youth facilitators for democracy in Portugal, designed for young people aged 18-25, motivated to become youth facilitators for democracy. It will have several digital preparatory steps, including webinars and coaching sessions, before the residential training course in person in Portugal. Combining digital and residential educational elements will ensure the training can equip participants with valuable knowledge, skills and attitudes, which are needed for the role they wish to cover.

After the completion of the Training for youth facilitators for democracy, at least 16 young people will continue working online and prepare the strategic meeting, which will take place in Italy, a few months later. There they will be able to plan new opportunities of trainings, and design their first actions in the field to support local and regional authorities in revitalising democratic processes, focusing on the active role that young people can play. During that meeting, they will elaborate a strategic plan, containing the next steps (goals, activities and targets) they agreed upon.

In-person meeting for elected officials at local and regional levels will be organized in Strasbourg, gathering people under 35 years old, elected at city/provincial/regional level in public administrations, preferably with an interest and policy expertise in public governance, democratic participation, youth policies, citizens engagement (with some flexibility in the selection process, to ensure diversity of profiles). The meeting will be anticipated by a preparatory phase, consisting of logistical preparations, recruitment of participants, design of the official program of the event and the delivery of preparatory materials (including the outputs developed in this project) to all participants selected.

Through this in-person meeting and an online event, an informal network of elected officials (at local and regional levels, in public administrations) will be created. This network will offer great value both to them, having a chance to network and connect with fellow city/provincial/ regional councillors, but also to the partnership and interested stakeholders, as they will have at disposal around 30 policymakers from different European countries, with an interest in youth policies and committed to engage young people in policy-making processes.

An international online multiplier event for at least 100 participants will be organized to share the key outcomes and outputs of the project and allow stakeholders from different countries, beyond the local level reached through the local multipliers, to meet and exchange. They will have a chance to share their experiences with the project results, their views and actual use of the tools, guidelines and mechanisms for the engagement of young people in policy-making and decision-making processes.

The final international conference in Portugal is set to bring representatives from partners’ organisations and different stakeholders to participate in the event and present their views and contributions on the topic. Officials from relevant organisations and institutions will be invited, together with representatives from all partner organisations. The conference will also serve to discuss different participation approaches and present project results. It further aims to develop synergies and further actions as well to support relevant activities and to enrich the formal network of the project. The final event and the partner’s meeting will be organised by DYPALL Network, in Portugal. A minimum number of 50 people is expected to attend the Conference.

Each partner will implement a local multiplier event to share the main outcomes of the project and the produced outputs (Collection of models/mechanisms, good practices and case studies, qualitative guidelines, digital platform).