The Basque Government – through Ihobe, its environmental management agency – has been involved in preparing the European methodology catalogue for ambitious youth participation, developed as part of the Society Shapers – Transforming European Participation (STEP) project. This initiative is financed by the Erasmus+ programme and seeks to bolster young people’s real engagement in policy decision-making processes.
The catalogue is the outcome of several years’ collaborative work among three European Regions – the Basque Country, Gelderland (the Netherlands) and the Central Denmark Region; it has involved young people, policymakers and technical staff of different public administrations. Its goal is to act as a common knowledge base and as ground for reflection for those public organisations that wish to work on youth participation in a sustainable and strategic manner and in order for it have a real impact.
In contrast to other manuals, the document does not propose a single closed model or short-term fixes. Instead, it sets out principles, methods and hands-on learning based on real experiences; the emphasis is on the dilemmas, relationships and power dynamics running through youth participation processes.
The catalogue starts from a key idea: youth participation is not an optional add-on, but rather a democratic responsibility that must be integrated in the culture and in the structure of the public organisations.
The Basque Country and the experience shared in Bilbao
The Basque Country’s contribution to the STEP project has been channelled through Ihobe; it has contributed its experience in youth participation processes linked to complex challenges such as the green transition, climate change and environmental policies. In this vein, one of the in-person sessions of the STEP Erasmus+ project was held in Bilbao, which became a key exchange forum for young people and institutional representatives of the three participating regions.
The session was the opportunity to compare approaches, share experiences and reflect together on how to design youth participation processes that are understandable, relevant and significant for young people, even when addressing politically or technically complex areas. This approach has been particularly important for Ihobe’s work, where youth engagement is seen as a way to enrich the quality of public policies and bolster their social legitimacy.
Key points of the catalogue
The catalogue addresses in a structured way different fundamental aspects for first-rate youth participation, including:
The document stresses that youth participation only generates value when there is a clear relationship between the contributions made and the decisions adopted, and when institutions are willing to share influence and responsibility.
An invitation to progress further
The catalogue is a living document, designed to be read, reviewed and adapted to different institutional contexts. Rather than being an end in itself, it is an invitation to continue experimenting, learning and building new forms of democratic practice, where young people are not only recipients of the policies, but also active players in defining them.
Ihobe is thus bolstering its commitment to significant youth participation that has an impact, in line with the social and environmental challenges that mark the present and future of the Basque Country and of Europe.
Source: Ihobe
