About The Project

Social media has fundamentally changed the way activism is conducted in the modern age. Young people are at the forefront of that change, having grown up with technology and having the skill to use it effectively. Social media will continue to inspire large-scale movements across the globe. At present, politicians are forced to respond at least verbally to these movements when they occur, but it remains to be seen whether those words will be translated into concrete policy action. Activism has continued to evolve since the emergence of social media, and today, social media is a strategic means for activism. Like-minded people in the social media communication environment can easily come together and facilitate collective action to change society or social problems.

That’s why youth need real opportunities to participate in political processes and contribute to practical solutions that advance development. When given an opportunity to organize, voice their opinions and play a meaningful role in political decision-making, young people consistently demonstrate their willingness and ability to foster positive, lasting change. They also become more likely to demand and defend democracy and gain a greater sense of belonging. When it comes to the participation of young people in democratic life, Europe has no borders. Young people's patterns of participation in society vary in line with different cultural norms, history and geography. But across Europe, the concept of youth participation is shared. The conclusions and recommendations of this project are therefore not only relevant to the member states of the European Union but equally to other countries in the wider European context (which would in practice include non-EU members of the Council of Europe).

With this project, we will develop new and innovative forms of youth participation. It focuses on young people’s participation in decision-making processes at national, international and local levels. The results and recommendations in the project are intended to inform the youth sector’s future work in this field and its strategic objectives to support young people’s attitude to influence decisions in democratic processes and increase their involvement in the development of inclusive and peaceful societies. Young people and youth workers/leaders (along with other relevant stakeholders) will be able to exercise their digital citizenship without surveillance, data profiling and algorithmic manipulation. This approach will additionally contribute to the ongoing dialogue between the stakeholders, European bodies and the private sector and will ensure that all technological changes are youth-centred/people- centred and do not entail any risks to young people’s human rights to participation, privacy and self- determination.