Youth Participation for Developing Sustainable Green Cities
▶Summary
Primary Objectives GreenCities encourages municipalities to collaborate with youth to develop sustainable smart green cities. It aims to build a youth-led NGO network addressing environmental chal...
▶Objectives
Primary Objectives GreenCities encourages municipalities to collaborate with youth to develop sustainable smart green cities. It aims to build a youth-led NGO network addressing environmental challenges and raising awareness about smart green cities. Measurable Objectives Creating a platform on the Smart City. Equipping youth with green training, project writing, SEO, and NGO leadership. Establishing youth-led green NGOs. Realised Training 578 youth in R3 , and 167 in R2 362 ME participants Conducting interviews and pilot tests with 110 youth and 12 experts. Engage youth in green NGOs. Building a green city network connecting NGOs, municipalities, and stakeholders. Priorities Environment and Climate Change Promotes youth-municipality collaboration to create sustainable urban environments. Training and green networks help combat climate change. Digital Transformation SEO, online platforms, and training enhance organisational and youth capacity for digital adaptation. Youth Engagement and Social Entrepreneurship Empowers youth (active citizenship). Supports NGO creation and leadership training. Alignment with Broader Priorities It fosters youth participation, entrepreneurial spirit, and municipality-community collaboration.
▶Activities
Kean led the development of the training framework, ensuring it fits with youth needs and municipal input. CIP developed a training platform to host modules focused on sustainability and smart city concepts. It was complemented by guidelines for trainers, which ensured a pedagogical approach to teaching. Partners conducted pilot sessions, gathering feedback to improve the learning materials. TOG organised activities to select motivated community members (contests and webinars on volunteering and active citizenship). L4Y and Kean train participants on project writing, SEO, and green. Establish youth-led NGOs in partner cities. It included training on managing NGOs and designing websites for them for accessibility and dissemination purposes, reflecting the project's emphasis on practical, long-term impact. L4Y added German and English songs to the training materials, recognising that music appeals to younger audiences and offers an alternative to traditional learning methods. Partners created SEO-friendly websites and managed social media channels to share updates and results. MEs in each partner city provided opportunities to showcase achievements, gather feedback, and strengthen networks with local stakeholders.
▶Impact
A comprehensive training module centered on Smart Cities. This module was hosted on a purpose-built training platform, providing an accessible resource for participants to enhance their knowledge and skills in green urban solutions. Partners empower participants in sustainable city planning, project writing, SEO, and managing youth-led organisations to effectively address environmental challenges and contribute to their communities. Partners formed Youth-led NGOs and their networks, each equipped with the tools and knowledge to operate independently and address local green city challenges. These organisations also form the core of a broader green city network, connecting municipalities, young people, and experts. Through interviews, pilot testing, and structured training sessions, the project engaged a diverse group of participants, including young people and experts, to ensure the relevance and quality of its outputs. The project also prioritised raising awareness about the importance of smart green cities. It created opportunities for young people to work with municipalities, learn about urban challenges, and propose solutions. All of them encourage youth to become active contributors to their communities.