Up 2 You(th) Project: Empowering Youth to Engage in Civic Life

The “Up 2 You(th)!” project was a transformative Erasmus+ initiative designed to address a pressing issue: young people in Slovakia, North Macedonia, and Armenia feeling disconnected from politics and community involvement. Recognizing that many young people felt ignored by policymakers and lacked trust in local authorities, the project aimed to empower youth by strengthening their role in civic life and inspiring them to participate actively in their communities. With a grant of €42,375, the project spanned from September 2020 to August 2023, providing valuable insights and practical tools for increasing youth engagement in public life.

Background: The Need for Youth Engagement in Civic Life

Across Europe, young people increasingly feel marginalized from political and community decision-making processes. This detachment is particularly evident in Slovakia, North Macedonia, and Armenia, where youth surveys have shown a deep-rooted skepticism about the impact they can make in their communities. Young people in rural areas, especially young women in Armenia, feel the weight of this exclusion. In response, the Up 2 You(th)! project aimed to help young people realize their potential to influence change and bridge the gap between themselves and decision-makers. By fostering a sense of agency and trust, the project sought to inspire civic engagement among the younger generation.

Project Objectives

The Up 2 You(th)! initiative set forth a series of targeted objectives to engage youth effectively:

1. Capacity Building for Youth Workers: Train 15 youth workers, educators, and project managers across partner countries to reach out to disengaged youth and foster community involvement.
2. Exploring New Forms of Civic Engagement: Encourage innovative forms of youth participation, including digital channels, to make civic engagement more accessible.
3. Equipping Organizations with Tools and Methods: Provide youth workers and youth organizations with the tools needed to conduct high-quality workshops on active citizenship.
4. Identifying Barriers to Youth Engagement: Conduct surveys to understand the main obstacles youth face in participating in community life.
5. Exchanging Best Practices: Facilitate the exchange of methods and best practices on youth participation among partner organizations.
6. Incorporating Civic Engagement Values: Encourage youth workers to embed principles of civic participation into their organizations’ frameworks, ensuring long-term engagement.

Key Activities and Implementation

The Up 2 You(th)! project executed a range of activities to meet its objectives:

1. Learning Teaching Training Activity (LTTA): Held in Armenia, this training brought together 15 youth workers and leaders to enhance their skills in fostering youth participation within their communities.
2. Up 2 You(th)! Survey: Conducted among 807 young people from Slovakia, Armenia, and North Macedonia, this survey aimed to gather insights into the challenges youth face in community participation.
3. Focus Groups: Engaging 140 young people from the three countries, these focus groups provided a deeper understanding of survey findings and youth perspectives.
4. Local Workshops: Fifteen local workshops addressed issues identified through surveys and focus groups. These workshops reached 353 young people, including 134 with fewer opportunities, promoting active civic involvement.
5. Dissemination Events: Held in all partner countries, these events shared project results with youth workers, NGOs, educational institutions, local government representatives, and community activists.

Results and Resources

The Up 2 You(th)! project generated several key resources and reports to support future efforts in youth civic engagement:

1. Desk Research on Youth Engagement: An extensive review of existing data on youth participation, providing context and background for project activities.
2. Country Surveys Summaries: Summaries of surveys conducted across partner countries, offering valuable data on youth perspectives and barriers to engagement.
3. Focus Group Reports: Detailed reports from focus group discussions, capturing nuanced insights on the challenges young people face in participating in civic life.
4. Local Workshops Reports: Documented outcomes of local workshops, including key findings and recommendations based on direct interactions with young participants.
5. “Engage and Empower” Recommendations: A set of recommendations based on research, surveys, and workshops, offering actionable insights for local authorities to improve youth participation in civic life.

Impact and Future Implications

The Up 2 You(th)! project has made a significant contribution to fostering youth engagement in civic life across Slovakia, North Macedonia, and Armenia. By offering young people a voice and equipping youth workers with effective engagement tools, the project has laid a strong foundation for ongoing youth involvement in community and political processes. The resources developed provide a roadmap for other organizations and local authorities looking to cultivate responsible citizenship and active participation among young people.

For further information, resources, and insights into enhancing youth engagement in your community, visit the Up 2 You(th)! website.

Keywords: Youth Engagement, Civic Participation, Erasmus+ Projects, Community Involvement, Responsible Citizenship

The Up 2 You(th)! project shows how strategic partnerships and community-focused approaches can empower young people to become active, responsible citizens who shape the future of their communities. Through these tools and findings, the project offers a replicable model for strengthening youth participation and civic engagement across diverse cultural and regional contexts.