Inclusive Participation in Democratic Life

Background and Rationale

Despite the increasing attention to youth participation in democratic processes and decision-making promoted by Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, many young people with fewer opportunities - due to social, economic, cultural, geographical, or educational barriers - remain underrepresented and unheard. 

For example, as indicated by the YPS monitoring (Dr. Dan Moxon, YPS Steering group, 2024), between 2021 and 2023, only 9.8% of participants in E+ Youth projects with participation themes were young people with fewer opportunities (YPFO) (considerably lower than the 30% of estimated participants in E+ Youth KA1 activities who are YPFO). 

Youth workers, educators, and trainers are key actors in supporting these young people, but they often lack practical tools and knowledge to address the specific challenges these youth face when engaging in democratic life.

This training course is part of a long-term project organised by SALTO Inclusion & Diversity and SALTO Participation & Information, which aims to strengthen competences to design and facilitate inclusive, accessible, and meaningful democratic participation processes with diverse groups of young people.

What do we mean by democratic participation?

The Youth Participation Strategy defines Democratic Participation as: Individual young people and groups of young people having the right, the means, the space, the opportunity and, where necessary, the support to freely express their views, contribute to and influence societal decision making on matters affecting them, and be active within the democratic and civic life of our communities. 

In simple terms that can mean: all the ways young people can influence decisions and shape the communities they live in. 

Democratic participation goes far beyond voting. In youth work, it can also mean:

• Co-designing projects and activities
• Participating in youth councils or consultations
• Engaging in advocacy and community campaigns
• Using digital tools, storytelling or arts to express views
• Taking part in civic dialogue with decision-makers
• Contributing to participatory budgeting or shared governance in organisations

Democratic participation also happens in everyday youth work practice - when young people help set group rules, share decision-making power, and reflect critically on issues affecting their lives.

Aims and Objectives

The training course aims to:

• Increase understanding of barriers to democratic participation faced by young people with fewer opportunities;
• Explore and practice concrete tools and methodologies for addressing barriers and working on democratic participation with diverse groups
• Create peer learning and international exchange among youth work practitioners

This training course is part of a long-term project on inclusive democratic participation, therefore participants are expected not only to benefit individually, but to contribute to the broader, long-term impact of this initiative. After the course, participants are expected to integrate inclusive participation approaches into their ongoing youth work practice and transfer and adapt the tools and methodologies within their organisations and local contexts.

Themes and methodology

This training course builds on a webinar series (February–May 2026) exploring obstacles faced by young people with fewer opportunities in democratic participation, and presenting good practices and strategies to foster inclusion, specifically when it comes to:

• Involvement in decision-making of young people in and after alternative care 
• Civic and political participation of rural young people
• Poverty, socio-economic background and its effect on democratic participation
• Democratic participation methodologies with and for neurodivergent young people and young people with intellectual disabilities

Priority will be given to applicants who work with these target groups and/or have participated in the webinar series.

A non-formal learning approach

Nobody is perfect, luckily! We can all learn from each other to improve our daily practices.  We will start by looking at what you already bring (knowledge, attitudes, practices) and through a mix of inputs and non-formal methods (learning by doing, trying out, time for sharing and reflecting, group work) we hope to empower you to get better in what you do. The course aims to be an example of an inclusive activity so that you can take inspiration from it for your own work.

You can find more information about the inclusion measures we have put in place for you at the end of this call.

Who is this for? 

We’re happy to welcome you if you have experience, expertise or a strong desire to learn and contribute to the main topic of the activity: ‘Inclusive Youth Participation’ in the framework of the EU Youth Programmes Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps. Ideally, if you identify yourself as belonging to one or more of the following groups:  

• Youth workers, volunteers, trainers, grassroots activists, members of informal groups, community leaders, and staff from youth organisations either:
  • working directly with young people facing fewer opportunities. with the desire to support their involvement in democratic processes.
  • working with the topic of democratic participation and its processes and willing to engage young people with fewer opportunities. 

We especially invite people to apply who identify themselves as having a lived experience of inclusion and overcoming barriers. This could mean, for example, but is not limited to, if you faced social, economic or geographic barriers, you have a disability, you are a single parent with a minority background, a young person living in an isolated, rural area, or a trans person going through the transition with a lack of emotional support. This activity will not be possible without you in the room. 

Also, important to know

The training is organised by SALTO ID and SALTO PI and hosted by the Romanian National Agency and funded by the Erasmus+ Programme.

The working language will be (international) English. Your English does not have to be perfect, but you need to be able to follow the program and voice your opinions in English. 

Accommodation, meals, and programme costs are covered - please note that participants should be available for the full duration of the training. 

All participants will be accommodated in single rooms. We can arrange rooms adapted for persons with reduced mobility. If you need a personal assistant, we can cover the costs of an extra room in the same hotel.

For environmental reasons, the food provided will be mostly vegetarian and vegan. The venue and hotel can adapt the menu to other dietary needs or preferences.

Travel costs are covered by your NA (or regional SALTO). We’re happy to inform you about accessible train stations and train connections in Romania. If necessary, we can arrange and cover adapted transportation from the airport or train station to the venue. More detailed information about the travel guidelines will be provided to the selected participants closer to the event.

This training targets mainly participants from Erasmus+ programme countries; however, there are a few places for participants from the neighbouring regions: Western Balkan countries, EuroMed countries (Southern Mediterranean) and Eastern Partnership countries.

The NA and SALTOs hosting this training will organise the accommodation and cover the costs for accommodation and food.

Erasmus+ Youth Programme countries, Partner Countries Neighbouring the EU

English

This project is financed by the participating National Agencies (NAs) of the Erasmus+ Youth in Action Programme. The participation fee varies from country to country. Please contact your National Agency or SALTO Resource Centre (SALTO) to learn more about the participation fee for participants from your country.

Please contact your NA or SALTO in order to know whether they would support your travel costs. If yes, after being selected, get in touch with your NA or SALTO again to learn more about the overall procedure to arrange the booking of your travel tickets and the reimbursement of your travel expenses.