P4EUcitizenSHIP Erasmus+ project 2022-3-PT02-KA210-YOU-000095504

TEMPLATE – P4EUcitizenSHIP – EN

Booklet – Study on Civic Participation Tools for Youth Involvement in Local Governance

SUMMARY:

The Erasmus+ project 2022-3-PT02-KA210-YOU-000095504 – „PARTNERSHIP FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FULL EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP”, an 18-month „Small-scale partnerships in youth” project, was promoted and coordinated by CARAVELA- Associação Para a Cidadania Europeia.
This project included 4 online preparation/follow-up events and 2 „in situ” events that took place in Malta from April 18 to April 23, 2023 and in S. Miguel/Açores from April 9 to April 14, 2024.

With this partnership, we sought to interact with new audiences, especially young youth workers with fewer opportunities, as well as to create synergies in a group of 7 entities from 6 European countries, made up of less experienced organizations and small entities.
Our action was focused on increasing the promotion of active citizenship and the participation of young people,

especially young people with fewer opportunities, in decision-making processes at European level, by training youth workers.

We note that the distance between young people and European policies has been a weakness throughout the EU’s existence, with the result that the participation and involvement of young people in European decisions is quite incipient. We are convinced that this paradigm must change, because the European Union constantly needs the fresh and innovative ideas that young people always bring, since young people are the „engine of the future”.

EVENT IN MALTA

The program began with a „welcome dinner”, which provided an opportunity to get to know Maltese cuisine and traditions, as well as a first moment of interaction between the various delegations. The second day continued with a public presentation of the project at Dingli Town Hall, attended by Mayor Raymond Schembri and the local press, followed by some cultural visits in the region. The following day, the „INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP – european youth strategy” was held at Qrendi Town Hall, followed by a study visit to the city of Rabat and a working meeting in this municipality, which was attended by various public bodies, including the Mayor of Rabat, Alexsandro Craus, the President and Vice-President of Regjun Punent, Sandro Azzopardi and David M. Schembri, as well as the Mayor of Zurrieq, Rita Grima. In the following days, the project was also presented in the Municipality of Siggiewi, in the presence of Mayor Domnic Grech. In the conference room of this municipality, a „SEMINAR – Under-representation of young people in EU decision-making processes that affect them” was held in the morning and a „ROUND TABLE – Local strategies and intervention tools to promote active citizenship” in the afternoon. Other cultural visits were also made, namely to the cities of Mdina and La Valleta, as well as a farewell dinner, which made it possible to take stock of the project and look ahead to the next project event to be held in Portugal, Azores, S. Miguel.

EVENT IN S. MIGUEL

The program for this second event, which concluded the project, began with a „welcome dinner”, providing an opportunity to get to know Azorean cuisine and traditions, as well as a first moment of interaction between the various delegations. The following morning, the project continued with a public presentation of the project at Ribeira Grande Town Hall, attended by the local press and the Councillor for Culture, José António Garcia. This was followed by a guided tour of the city and various social institutions. In the early afternoon there was a „Workshop: The European Youth Strategy”, after which there were some cultural visits around the region.

The project continued the following day with a visit to the Professional School of Ribeira Grande, where we were shown the facilities, facilities and courses taught by the Pedagogical Director, Dr. Paula Teodoro and the Financial Director, Dr. Rui Maré. This was followed by a „Seminar: Active European citizenship and participation in European elections”, attended by 50 of the institution’s students and all those directly involved in the project.

There were also other cultural visits, including a guided tour of the city of Ponta Delgada, as well as a farewell dinner, which made it possible to take stock of the project and plan future collaborations and projects among the partners.