Advantages of running your own project
A 'Co-Creating Our City' project has benefits for young people and cities, in the short and long term.
For Young People:
- promotes civic engagement and trust in city institutions and inspires young people to feel more connected to their city;
- increases democratic literacy, understanding, and efficacy: belief in being able to shape public life and policy;
- develops scientific literacy and leadership and communication skills.
For Cities and Communities:
- creates opportunity to gain deeper insight into youth needs and experiences and to discover new intergenerational pathways for youth engagement within the city;
- generates collaborative solutions that tend to have greater longevity and rates of success, as they incorporate both lived experience and practical considerations;
- strengthens democratic processes by bringing young people's perspectives to local issues and increasing the city's capacity to design inclusive and sustainable policies;
- builds trust and connection between young residents and the city, making cities equitable and sustainable communities and places where people want to live.
A theory of change: Co-Creating Our City
A theory of change is a strategic tool that outlines how and why a project like 'Co-Creating Our City' is expected to lead to the desired change. Providing clarity on the assumptions and kinds of change you expect to see helps you communicate, plan, and implement the project and evaluate its impact.
| If... | Then... |
|---|---|
| Young people are given structured, supported opportunities to collaboratively research and reflect on their voice in local democracy | Young people will develop a stronger sense of civic agency, understanding their ability to shape public life and policy |
| Young people are meaningfully engaged in co-designing solutions with local officials, not just consulted after the fact | City officials will gain deeper insight into youth needs and experiences, increasing their capacity to design inclusive policies |
| City officials are willing to engage in open dialogue and see youth as partners in governance | Trust and communication between young residents and city institutions will improve, deepening participatory democracy and making it more sustainable |
| The city will be better equipped to institutionalize youth participation beyond one-off projects, creating a change in the culture of how youth engagement is viewed and practiced |
Ultimately, we are the future. And I feel like making sure that our voices are heard and that we feel well educated and have the opportunity to bring change and bring an impact to our own communities, and forming communities that want to stay connected, is important. It's just better for our future and it's better for forming strong communities.
Kayleigh Mayhew
Citizen Scientist, Charlotte
Youth are so insightful and so wise. It really benefits us to incorporate youth in our planning and design of programming that we're thinking about as a city.
LaKeeshia Fox
City of Charlotte
Other projects on youth engagement in communities
The Reinventor Collective - Brings together young people within Teach For America to co-create, amplify youth voices, and collaborate with adults in designing educational experiences.
By/With/For Youth - A research and development initiative that partners with public media organizations to engage tweens and teens as co‑creators of content and media experiences.
Jugend entscheidet - Empowers young people to choose and vote on real municipal decisions, giving them a direct voice in local governance.
Partnership for Young London - Brings together youth voices, policymakers, and organizations to co-create solutions that improve the lives of young Londoners.
Jugend checkt Düsseldorf - Involves young people in reviewing and assessing city policies to ensure they reflect youth needs and perspectives.
ALDA (European Association for Local Democracy) - Engages young people in creative, cross-border problem-solving sessions to co-design ideas for better local democratic participation.
BeeWell Greater Manchester - Measures and responds to young people's wellbeing through youth-led research to shape education, health, and community policies.
Berkeley's Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) Hub - A collection of resources and guidance on empowering young people through Youth Participatory Action provided by the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco Peer Resources.