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 GreenSCENT Competence Framework |
February 2023 | YAs developed ideas on the use of 4 demonstrators: |
May 2023 | YAs worked with the demonstrator CleanAir@Schools |
June 2023 | YAs provided feedback on prototypes of 4 GreenSCENT demonstrators: |
September – October 2023 | In-person events: |
November 2023 | Wednesday 22nd of November, 16:00-19:00 (UTC+1) (YA 1+2) and Thursday 23rd of November, 16:00-19:00 (UTC+1) (YA 3+4): The topic was Taking action! The YAs had the honor of meeting the Danish Youth Delegate to UN on Climate & Biodiversity, Lise Coermann Nygaard. We discussed how to take action and make a change for the Climate and the Environment. The GreenSCENT partners ECQA and CSRC participated in the workshop where they hosted a feedback session on Skill Cards. The Youth Assemblies tested, discussed and fine-tuned the Skill Cards and provided valuable insights. |
January 2024 | Wednesday 17th of January 16:00-19:00 (UTC+1): For the final January meeting, the topic was Celebration and goodbye, as we celebrated the participants’ engagement in the YAs for the past 1,5 years (!). We looked back at what we had learned and experienced, and finally the YA participants received the GreenSCENT Youth Assembly Certificate. We also revisited the GreenSCENT Competence Framework, which has been amended and finalized according to feedback from the YAs. This final meeting was a joint meeting where all four YAs participated together. |
Our blog articles:
- Let’s change our habits together!
- How does circular economy look in Serbia?
- Participating in the Youth Assembly in Person Meeting in Barcelona. A Beautiful Setting For a Vital Conversation
- Exploring Air Quality and Diverse Cultures: The Youth Design Assembly in Barcelona
- 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!
Our reports:
- Testing the GreenSCENT Citizen Journalism App – Youth Assembly in person workshops – Report – September and October 2023
- Co-creating the GreenSCENT apps: Seeing the results – Report – 5th Workshop – June 2023
- Initiating Behavioural Change Towards Cleaner Air – Report – 4th workshop – May 2023
- Co-Creating GreenSCENT Apps Report – 3rd Workshop – February 2023
- Curriculum Development through youth involvement – Report – 2nd Workshop – November 2022