Challenge: Is there a recipe how to build a youth friendly municipality?
Objectives: Identify local communities where young people are not involved in the process of building their own local community; Help them and local communities to connect and establish measures on their way to adulthood; Share examples of good practice in establishing Young friendly municipalities. Target group: young people (age 15-29) in local communities with less opportunities for participation and active citizenship.

Project identifies 3 municipalities per region with lack of youth participation and a. citizenship.

(a) According to most indicators of active citizenship, Slovenia ranks below the EU average. The low level of normal (and unconventional) political participation of young people makes them one of the most vulnerable social groups, often not defending their interests.
(b) Lack of youth research in local communities, which enables the implementation of measures in various areas of local youth policy, based on the real needs of young people and meeting the challenges of the time.
(c) Local community is close to young people and can therefore respond quickly and effectively to their challenges. At the same time, it can offer a positive experience of participation that increases level of active citizenship of young people in general.

a) Representatives of local authorities: Despite the Local Self-Government Act, which places young people among the municipality's original tasks, the area of local youth policies remains relatively underdeveloped. This demonstrates the lack of knowledge and competencies of staff in municipal professional services to effectively tackle the challenge of young people.
b) Youth structures that need knowledge in advocating young people interests and appropriate mechanisms to enable their participation. Co-creation of the society in which they live. Appropriate measures (at local level) to enable them to operate and develop and transfer knowledge.
c) Young people (aged 15 - 29) who need appropriate advocacy organizations / participation mechanisms.

a)Research on participation and regulation in the field of youth to map and identify “desert zones” and collecting examples of good practice.
b) Support (young people and local authorities) in selected municipalities. Guiding municipal administration through participatory process of regulating the field of youth, while strengthening participation among young people. Access local authorities in cooperation with the SOS, and young people mainly through youth councils, youth centres, schools and (local) media.
c) Workshops will be held to: establish regular meetings between young people and decision-makers, obtain proposals from young people to tailor the environment and establish a dialogue between young people and decision-makers.

Analyse of existing measures in the field of local youth policies in Slovenia. Empowering young people and local community representatives to participate in shaping the local environment. Proceedings of Local Youth Policy with examples of good practices. Increasing the number of municipalities with a system regulated by the adopted strategy for young people. Young people will become co-creators of the environment in which they live. At least 30% of young people from each selected municipality will actively participate by making suggestions. 36 municipalities that are the weakest in the field of youth will establish a dialogue with young people and tailored the measures for young people and the municipality.
The level of participation of young people in public affairs will increase.

a)Offering support in the participatory establishment and development of youth policies in selected local communities identified in the research (36).
b)Prepare measures of local youth policies based on young people needs: in cooperation with local organizations, young people and representatives of the local community conducting workshops to obtain proposals from young people to design measures in areas such as employment, leisure, housing, health, participation, education.
c)Establish a mechanism for regular participation.
All activities will be based on the cooperation between young people and representatives of the municipality. Examples of measures will provide young people and municipalities with guidelines for further cooperation in creating a youth-friendly environment.

We see enormous power in empowering youth and their local authorities on the matter of active citizenship and participation. Only local communities which strive for better lives of today’s youth, will prosper in coming years, since today’s youth can be tomorrows leader. We would like to contribute to establish better conditions for youth in their local environment and we would like to pass all the good practices on to the local authorities and young people.
We want to offer young people with fewer opportunities to participate in society a positive experience of participation and co-creation of their own environment. We believe that this is the most effective way to increase the level of youth participation not only at the local level, but also at the national and European level.

1. Cost of personnel: 31590 eur

2. Travel costs:3800 eur

3. Events (workshops in municipality and closing conference): 5.600 eur

4. Postal costs: 600 eur

5. Office costs: 100 eur

6. Book costs: 7180 eur

TOTAL COSTS OF THE PROJECT: 48870 eur

We’d like to know what the Civic Europe online community thinks about the project, how to further improve it, ideas and suggestions on how to encourage young people to actively participate at the local level. It would also be good to know what is being done in this area elsewhere in Europe.