Youth Assemblies
Mural board used for one of the online YA workshops
One of the most important aspects of the GreenSCENT project is youth participation. Youth involvement promotes democratic citizenship and engage and empower young people to actively influence the conditions under which they live. Young people are often under-represented in more traditional participatory processes, which are generally designed to include citizens of all ages. Therefore, it requires targeted efforts to include young people in decision-making.
This is where the Youth Assemblies (YAs) come in!
The YAs are divided into four assemblies with a total of 56 young people (14 in each), with participants aged between 15 and 25 from seven European countries – Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy, Romania, Serbia, and Spain. Since September 2022, these dedicated young people have convened and participated in online workshops facilitated by GreenSCENT project managers and partners every other month to discuss a wide variety of important topics that are central to the state of our planet and society.
Excerpt from the Mural board used in one of the online YA workshops
Our approach is action-oriented: the goal is to empower young people to become drivers of the green transition by co-developing tools and processes anchored in their needs, expectations, and ways of being in the world. Therefore, each workshop revolves around one or more of the project’s pilots and demonstrators. The young participants test apps and tools under development, provide feedback, and generate ideas and suggestions for the design and implementation of these tools in educational settings They have both assessed prototypes, suggested features to make technologies like the GreenComp and other educational tools more relevant and targeted, and developed intricate user journeys. Thus, the young people are actively and concretely supporting our partners in the innovation processes.
The YA workshops are productive – in one workshop, the participants generated 150 ideas on how to implement a range of apps in educational settings! But, they have also demonstrated the transformative power of participation and co-creation. Working with real-life solutions to environmental challenges gives the youths agency and a sense of ownership, which is crucial to cultivate and strengthen hope and optimism for a greener and brighter future.
Excerpt from a report produced after one of the YA workshops. The page presents ideas generated by the young participants.
OVERVIEW OF WORKSHOPS |
|
October 2022 |
Introduction to the YAs |
November 2022 |
YAs generated ideas and provided feedback on the first draft of the GreenComp |
February 2023 |
YAs developed ideas on the use of 4 demonstrators: |
May 2023 |
YAs will work with the demonstrator Clean Air@Schools |
June 2023 |
YAs will provide feedback on prototypes of 4 GreenSCENT demonstrators: |
In-person events: |
Each assembly will focus on a specific domain |
November 2023 |
Currently being planned |
January 2024 |
The YAs will provide their final feedback on the Competence Framework |
Our blog articles:
- A once-in-a-lifetime experience: Learning about Clean Energy in Copenhagen with the GreenSCENT Youth Assembly
- Bringing the real world into the classroom: The 4th YA workshop
- Let’s start influencing each other in a positive way
- The GreenSCENT Youth Assemblies spark hope for a brighter future!
- Shaping the Future of Green Skills:How Youths are Collaborating to Develop the GreenScent Competence Framework
- Citizen engagement – what’s the point?
- The GreenSCENT Youth Assemblies are on!
- Co-creating the GreenSCENT apps: Seeing the results – Report – 5th Workshop – June 2023
- Co-Creating GreenSCENT Apps – Report – 3rd Workshop – February 2023
- Full analysis of the empirical data on Youth Assembly meeting 2 on the GreenComp – Analysis – 2nd Workshop – November 2022
- Curriculum Development Through Youth Involvement Providing Feedback on the GreenComp First Release – Report – 2nd Workshop – November 2022