Democracy Reloading is a strategic Erasmus+ Youth/European Solidarity Corps National Agency cooperation programme that started in 2015 with the aim to empower municipal workers to engage young people in decision-making.
The programme, based on research and feedback from various professionals, identified the competences needed by the municipality staff involved in or related to youth policy to successfully engage young people in decision-making, and thereby reload and re-engage local and regional democracy.
These competences, included in a reference framework, form the basis of the online Toolkit that Democracy Reloading has developed.
This online Toolkit aims to support municipalities and local authorities in successfully engaging young people in decision-making. Democracy Reloading is grounded in the values and principles of human rights, equality, democracy and the rule of law. The Toolkit is based on a set of 24 competence elements (attitudes, values, knowledge and skills) that will help a local (municipal) or regional government design, implement and evaluate a successful youth participation structure. This is aimed at engaging young people in the local/regional council’s decision-making process. A number of Erasmus+ Youth National Agencies have cooperated and worked together with practitioners and experts, through research and collective learning/sharing activities, to identify these competences. Each competence is described in detail and includes a variety of resources that will help you understand theories and concepts, learn about related practices and improve your implementations skills.
The Toolkit aims to help municipality staff, involved in or related to youth policy, become empowered, competent and ready to encourage young people to become involved in decision- making, thereby improving active citizenship and democracy in local communities. The Toolkit is also in line with the European Youth Strategy 2019-27, which aims to actively engage young people, youth organisations and other organisers of youth work in policies that affect their lives at all levels. It also aims to support youth representatives at local, regional and national level and to recognise young people’s rights to participate and self-organise. The competences are explained via three notions: values and attitudes, knowledge, and skills.
Fattoria Pugliese Diffusa APS, after the realization of one large-scale event in 2021 at the “De Viti De Marco” Institute in Casarano, is now implementing the 2022 campaign, with a tour in several municipalities in the Salento Area (Puglia region, South Italy).
more info at: https://democracy-reloading.eu/
Some articles on the 2021 Campaign:
