There are a lot of factors to take into account when planning a participation project. Of course, what you have learned in any basic or advanced project management course will also apply in a youth participation project. You have to set clear goals and objectives, set up a logical sequence of activities and communicate well with partners and stakeholders.
A youth participation project can serve different objectives. In any youth project, the learning and empowering of the young people participating in the project is essential. Youth participation projects often aim to represent young people by making their voices heard, with the ultimate goal of contributing to policy development.
Often, the goal of the project consists of a mixture of different objectives. Clearly identify these different objectives for yourself when designing the project and, for every activity, identify what results you want to achieve at each level. Balancing the objectives well in the implementation phase of the project is the key to achieving the best results.
When you design a youth participation project, it is crucial to involve young people right from the start until the very end of the project: from the project design and implementation, right though until the dissemination of the results and the evaluation. This is true for any youth project, but when you are specifically working on youth participation in democratic life, everything starts with the decision-making about the project itself.
Think about your approach to participation in the project at the beginning to ensure that expectations are managed. What role do you want the young people to play? The level of ownership given to the young participants depends on several factors:
A first element you need to take into account is the experience and competences of the participants. Whilst being a learning experience, the responsibilities given should match the capabilities and the learning path of the young people.
When shaping the roles of the participants, it’s important to try and match their expectations and desires. What is the role they see for themselves and what are the areas where they would like to engage more? This obviously also depends on how much time they have available. The level of ownership over the project can also differ per phase of the project.
Giving full ownership to the participants can be limited by the expectations of external partners or the funders of the project. You might have agreed to work towards a specific result at the end of the project or to meet specific milestones along the way.
Finally, you need to take into account how the organisation, or group that is organising the project, will experience a participatory approach. Even from the perspective of an organisation, letting go of control is a learning process.
Robert Hart’s ladder of children’s participation is an interesting model that can help you reflect on your participatory approach. It ranks different practices of participation according to the level of control of the adults, the children or the young people involved. Many other models exist that can help you gain more insight.
If your project aims to contribute to a certain policy process, such as the European Union Structured Dialogue, this provides a specific framework which you need to work within. Make sure that you have a good understanding of the policy process. A first step is to align the timeline of the project with the policy process you want to participate in. For best results, plan your activities so that they line up with key moments to allow you to influence it and involve the key players.
It is crucial to provide continuous feedback throughout the process to everyone involved. Young people, experts and decision-makers who have been involved and asked to contribute with their opinions should be informed about the final outcome of the project and its impact. Let young people and other participants know what happened with their ideas. It’s essential to close the feedback loop for a quality participatory process.
A youth participation project can serve different objectives. In any youth project, the learning and empowering of the young people participating in the project is essential. Youth participation projects often aim to represent young people by making their voices heard, with the ultimate goal of contributing to policy development.
Often, the goal of the project consists of a mixture of different objectives. Clearly identify these different objectives for yourself when designing the project and, for every activity, identify what results you want to achieve at each level. Balancing the objectives well in the implementation phase of the project is the key to achieving the best results.
When you design a youth participation project, it is crucial to involve young people right from the start until the very end of the project: from the project design and implementation, right though until the dissemination of the results and the evaluation. This is true for any youth project, but when you are specifically working on youth participation in democratic life, everything starts with the decision-making about the project itself.
Think about your approach to participation in the project at the beginning to ensure that expectations are managed. What role do you want the young people to play? The level of ownership given to the young participants depends on several factors:
A first element you need to take into account is the experience and competences of the participants. Whilst being a learning experience, the responsibilities given should match the capabilities and the learning path of the young people.
When shaping the roles of the participants, it’s important to try and match their expectations and desires. What is the role they see for themselves and what are the areas where they would like to engage more? This obviously also depends on how much time they have available. The level of ownership over the project can also differ per phase of the project.
Giving full ownership to the participants can be limited by the expectations of external partners or the funders of the project. You might have agreed to work towards a specific result at the end of the project or to meet specific milestones along the way.
Finally, you need to take into account how the organisation, or group that is organising the project, will experience a participatory approach. Even from the perspective of an organisation, letting go of control is a learning process.
Robert Hart’s ladder of children’s participation is an interesting model that can help you reflect on your participatory approach. It ranks different practices of participation according to the level of control of the adults, the children or the young people involved. Many other models exist that can help you gain more insight.
If your project aims to contribute to a certain policy process, such as the European Union Structured Dialogue, this provides a specific framework which you need to work within. Make sure that you have a good understanding of the policy process. A first step is to align the timeline of the project with the policy process you want to participate in. For best results, plan your activities so that they line up with key moments to allow you to influence it and involve the key players.
It is crucial to provide continuous feedback throughout the process to everyone involved. Young people, experts and decision-makers who have been involved and asked to contribute with their opinions should be informed about the final outcome of the project and its impact. Let young people and other participants know what happened with their ideas. It’s essential to close the feedback loop for a quality participatory process.
Resource:
Overview of participation models (http://www.youthpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/library/Participation_Models_20121118.pdf
Erasmus+ - How to design your participatory approach
Reviewed by sdfdr
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March 22, 2018
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Reviewed by sdfdr
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March 22, 2018
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