Youth Participation in Local Governance: Co-designing in the Democracy Reloading Initiative

This paper investigates co-design methodologies aimed at enhancing local democracy practices through stakeholder engagement and direct cooperation between children and/or young people and municipal workers. The authors introduce their approaches to implementing the Democracy Reloading framework in their respective regional/national practices. Democracy Reloading, launched in 2015 as an initiative between Erasmus+ Youth and European Solidarity Corps National Agencies, is a comprehensive programme that identifies 24 essential competencies for effectively involving young people in decision-making within municipalities. The authors emphasise the significance of capacity building and mentorship for fostering long-term intergenerational collaboration, highlighting key findings from their co-design practices in Belgium, Norway, and Portugal. The paper underscores the collaborative efforts of Erasmus+ Youth National Agencies, practitioners, and experts, aiming to contribute to structural changes in local governance. The co-design approach aims to ensure setting up the foundations of the necessary changes in a systematic way. By exploring this topic, the paper sheds light on the relevance of this initiative for social innovation at the European and national scales.