Youth Engagement Index

Every Generation Needs a New Revolution

Every Generation Needs a New Revolution

Youth Engagement Index pg 5

The youth, why?

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YEI mission statement

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The methodology

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Workshops Valencia Medellin Bucharest London

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Coming up Rome

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YEI partners

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URBEGO

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Youth Engagement Index | URBEGO

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Youth Engagement Index | URBEGO

The youth, why?

Young people, a resilience source for evolving cities

the ancients referred to the action of climbing on overturned boats with the verb resalio; and it is with this word that we identify those with the ability to adapt to and transform in disruptive events of traumatic experiences- the act of being resilient.

A resilient city is an urban system that does not only adapt to changes to which cities are increasingly vulnerable, but is a community that is continually being modified through social, economic and environmental innovation that enables it to resist the stresses of history and the environment in the long run.

Civic participation has become a crucial part of all urban programmes and initiatives of the European Commission, such as the Covenant of Mayors and URBACT, demonstrating that in Europe’s villes durables the youth are the source of the ideas, insights and inspiration that provokes change among the models of urban governance.

Giulia Maci, URBEGO

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Youth Engagement Index | URBEGO

YEI mission statement

Urbego believes that in the light of the recent events in the Arab States, Turkey, Brazil, India, Romania and other parts of the world the missing link in urban governance on the whole is the involvement of the young generations. For this reason, Urbego is developing a global Youth Engagement Index (YEI) that aims to assess the involvement of young generations (ages 18 to 34) in urban governance. The YEI with its collaborative process aims to unveil weaknesses and opportunities of cities in terms of engaging their youth in the city making and managing process, and highlight the value of having an active and participating youth in city life in general.

The YEI looks at engagement at the social, political and economic aspects of governance, and the discrepancies in expectations of the various actors involved. It is these discrepancies that have led to social unrests spearheaded by the young. This shows that there is a willingness of the youth to participate in governance, but for one reason or another, there is an obstacle to their actual involvement. It is imperative to try to understand and overcome these obstacles. A mixed methods approach, the YEI methodology has been developed in collaboration with universities from cities around the world, and involves different stakeholders ranging from the local governments, to the middle-fround agents, to the civil society.

Urbego believes that by brining municipalities, academia, non-governmental organisations and - of course - the youth to the table, cities that have been successful in establishing good and effective communication among these actors will encourage leaders in other cities to share knowledge and obtain new ideas to act on.

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Youth Engagement Index | URBEGO

The methodology

#1 Measurement/ city profile

The first level of analysis looks at finding the appropriate proxy indicators to reflect the involvement of young generations at the civic, politic and economic level. This first stage of the methodology will allow for a general understanding of involvement in these spheres and also for a preliminary ranking to be made.

This stage is based on the methodology developed by UN Global Compact Cities Programme for the Circles of Sustainability -Urban Profile Process.

Local, national and international databases will be researched for appropriate indicators that are relevant at the city scale. The local insight of municipalities and local partners will be crucial in identifying and obtaining access to all possible sources of data.

#2 Measurement/ questionnaires

The second stage of the preliminary city profiling will involve testing the perception regarding involvement at the local level.

At this stage we should be able to highlight initial discrepancies in expectations and perception as well as capturing any trust issues between the municipalities and their young urban dwellers.

Extensive questionnaires are conducted with the support of Urbego’s partners that will circulate the questionnaires in their networks and collect responses into a common database.

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Youth Engagement Index | URBEGO

#3 Interpretation Using the profiling exercise as a basis, the third step consists in scaling the results based on a collaborative workshop approach.

vibrant

good

highly satisfactory

+ satisfactory

satisfactory

- satisfactory

highly insatisfactory

bad

critical

During this workshop, participants are asked to evaluate from 1 (critical) to 9 (vibrant) each perspective of the profile components.

#4 Knowledge sharing The third level of the analysis will use specific case studies to understand different ways in which the general picture laid out in the previous two stages has translated into engagement/disengagement.

The cases are “how-to/not to” examples to help other municipalities explore and learn from others’ experiences.They should have some elements of flexibility that enables context sensitivity.

The selected cases focus on local level issues in the spheres defined previously and will be mainly proposed by partner cities or organizations. They will be reviewed by the Urbego team and international experts involved in the project to ensure coherency and high quality. They will be used as part of a learning process to test and, if necessary, reshape the previous two phases of the research.

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Cultural and civic engagement Cultural policies Education and knowledge Community based organizations Audiences & users Cultural amenities Public | free | third spaces

Preconditions Safety Tolerance Living conditions Trust Mobility Technology

vibrant

bad

good

highl insat

highly satisfactory

- satis

+ satisfactory

satisf

satisfactory - satisfactory

+ sati

highly unsatisfactory

highl insat

bad critical

critic

Political and institutional engagement Participatory policies Networks of collective action Consultation and permeability Civil society Decision making Democratic vitality

good

Economic engagement Economic independence Entrepreneurship Careers Policies Funding opportunities Training

Workshops Collaborative workshops are organized over two days in different cities , applying the methodology across as many geographies, economic and political systems as possible. Participants from relevant local institutions and organizations, are asked to evaluate from 1 (critical) to 9 (vibrant) the economic, politic-institutional and civic-cultural aspects of the participation in their cities.

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workshop participants:

Econcult Universitat de València La Ciutat Construïda Inndea Wayco Crearqció Inndea Lambda

Valencia

Carpe Vi

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Youth Engagement Index | URBEGO

Cultural and civic engagement Cultural policies Education and knowledge Community based organizations Audiences & users Cultural amenities Public | free | third spaces

Preconditions Safety Tolerance Living conditions Trust Mobility Technology

vibrant

bad

good

highl insat

highly satisfactory

- satis

+ satisfactory

satisf

satisfactory - satisfactory

+ sati

highly unsatisfactory

highl insat

bad critical

Political and institutional engagement Participatory policies Networks of collective action Consultation and permeability Civil society Decision making Democratic vitality

good

Economic engagement Economic independence Entrepreneurship Careers Policies Funding opportunities Training

Valencia

March 2014

critic

The assessment shows a clear dichotomy between the factors of youth engagement that directly depend on public policies and the ones that are mostly influenced by other agents (civil society and private business). Valencia is considered a city with a great potential for youth in terms of location, size, tolerance, quality of life and cultural life; but engagement is clearly undermined by the negative economic conditions related to the ongoing crisis, partially overcome by the entrepreneurial spirit, and the governance framework that does not give room to participation in decision-making; while most of the territorial engagement is going on with a do-it-yourself ethics.

partner:

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workshop participants:

AIESEC Centro de Desarrollo Cultural de Moravia Corpoemprende El Puente Lab Fundaci贸n Pazamanos Fusion Latina La Ciudad Verde

Medellin

Mi Barrio Proyecto NN Secretaria de la Juventud Sistema de Biblioteca Publica de Medellin Talentos Culturizzarte Un Litro de Luz Universidad Bellas Artes

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Youth Engagement Index | URBEGO

Cultural and civic engagement Cultural policies Education and knowledge Community based organizations Audiences & users Cultural amenities Public | free | third spaces

Preconditions Safety Tolerance Living conditions Trust Mobility Technology

vibrant

bad

good

highl insat

highly satisfactory

- satis

+ satisfactory

satisf

satisfactory - satisfactory

+ sati

highly unsatisfactory

highl insat

bad critical

Political and institutional engagement Participatory policies Networks of collective action Consultation and permeability Civil society Decision making Democratic vitality

good

Economic engagement Economic independence Entrepreneurship Careers Policies Funding opportunities Training

Medellin April 2014

critic

Civic and political participation have been scored relatively high, especially the public space, the cultural offer and the civil society organization network sub-dimensions. Although participants were very well aware of the existing room for improvement, they somewhat wanted to send a positive message about their city. Participant recurrently insisted to acknowledge the significant improvement and transformation Medellin went through in the last decade and finally wanted send a message of support and gratitude to the city’s authorities. “We have been having the right approach, made huge improvement and should continue in that same direction�.

partner:

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workshop participants:

Active Watch Arhitext Design CeRe Funky Citizens Komunitas

Bucharest

MakeBetter Metaspace OPTAR Poiana lui Iocan România în Tranziţie - Grădini Comunitare The Ministry of Regional Development The Municipality of Bucharest Urban 2020 Urbasofia

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Youth Engagement Index | URBEGO

Cultural and civic engagement Cultural policies Education and knowledge Community based organizations Audiences & users Cultural amenities Public | free | third spaces

Preconditions Safety Tolerance Living conditions Trust Mobility Technology

vibrant

bad

good

highl insat

highly satisfactory

- satis

+ satisfactory

satisf

satisfactory - satisfactory

+ sati

highly unsatisfactory

highl insat

bad critical

Political and institutional engagement Participatory policies Networks of collective action Consultation and permeability Civil society Decision making Democratic vitality

good

Economic engagement Economic independence Entrepreneurship Careers Policies Funding opportunities Training

Bucharest May 2014

partners:

critic

The results show there are a series of areas where interventions needs to be prioritised. The discussions have also shown there is a great interest and level of understanding of the various issues related to the governance of the city among the young generations and it would benefit both the youth and the local institutions to have a more constructive dialogue. Most of the results have scored below satisfactory. Many of the issues underlined during the workshop have been attributed to a combination of factors, some having to do with the not so distant communist past that still requires years of adjustment but also to a weak framework and institutional support and coordination that fails to recognize the contribution that the civil society can make to the development of the city.

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workshop participants:

LondonYouth TFL Urban Design Planning Aid (PAS) Mama Youth Project InterLanD - Aston University

London

LSE

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Youth Engagement Index | URBEGO

Cultural and civic engagement Cultural policies Education and knowledge Community based organizations Audiences & users Cultural amenities Public | free | third spaces

Preconditions Safety Tolerance Living conditions Trust Mobility Technology

vibrant

bad

good

highl insat

highly satisfactory

- satis

+ satisfactory

satisf

satisfactory - satisfactory

+ sati

highly unsatisfactory

highl insat

bad critical

Political and institutional engagement Participatory policies Networks of collective action Consultation and permeability Civil society Decision making Democratic vitality

good

Economic engagement Economic independence Entrepreneurship Careers Policies Funding opportunities Training

London

October 2014

critic

The quality and quantity of what London can offer for the young is perceived as relatively high across most dimensions (e.g. funding, education, job, mobility opportunities). However, the question of access represents and serious issue, especially when considering specifically the 18-34 years old group. Participants have pointed out a deterioration of the situation in London for young people across most of the dimensions and explicitly wanted to transmit a message of urgency through their sometimes harsh comments and low scores. “We are harsh on ourselves and our city, we expect a lot but it is because we want it to be better�.

partners:

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Rome

Youth Engagement Index | URBEGO

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Coming up:

Rome

May 2015

The goal of the workshop sponsored by Urbego is to share the methodology and research results of YEI - Youth Engagement Index, which measures the level of involvement of young people in different cities in Europe and the world, in relation to the project Roma Resiliente launched in December 2014. Together with local actors and experts we intend to build an action plan to review the participation of youth in Rome, with the long-term goal of building a profile of the city highlighting problems, opportunities, and possible actions on the issue of participation of young people and contribute actively to building a strategy for urban resilience.

The workshop will be an opportunity to share tools, practices and experiences of participatory planning in the Rome area, giving visibility to those young people who are committed to their community by participating actively, not only through the traditional channels of politics but also in associations, in voluntary organizations and citizens’ committees in demonstrating how the contribution of youth in social, cultural, economic and political life of the city is a major contribution to the development policy.

partners:

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YEI partners

International Federation for Housing and Planning (IFHP) is a world-wide network of professional institutions and individuals active in the broad fields of housing, urban development and planning. www.ifhp.org

The Global Compact asks companies to embrace universal principles and to partner with the United Nations. It has grown to become a critical platform for the UN to engage effectively with enlightened global business. www.unglobalcompact.org

Econcult is the Cultural Economics and Tourism Research Unit of the University of Valencia. Their research focuses on the relationship between culture and development. www.uv.es/econcult

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URBEGO

Urbego is a multidisciplinary platform of young, motivated and skilled professionals from all around the globe. Urbego wants to provide Rapid responses for specific challenges in cities by applying an in situ approach collaborating with local partners, ranging from civil society representatives to research institutions and decision makers.

Urbego’s members have a wide range of expertise, going from urban governance, planning, economics, architecture and culture to communication and engagement. Through workshops, these skills are combined with local knowledge from citizens, students and decision makers to find the best solution for the individual case.

www.urbegoyei.com www.urbego.org contact: team@urbego.org

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Every Generation Needs a New Revolution

Colophon Concept by:

URBEGO Simona Dobrescu, economist, London Giulia Maci, urban planner, Copenhagen Farah Makki, architect, Paris Ramon Marrades, economist, Valencia Filipa Pajevic, economist, Montreal Olivier Woeffray, sociologist, Geneva

IEY partners:

United Nations Global Compact IFHP International Federation of Housing and Planning EconCult

Workshop partners: Valencia

University of Valencia

Medellin

Un Habitat - World Urban Forum 7

Bucharest

London Rome

Graphic design:

MKBT Uniunea Arhitectilor din Romania Asociatia Profesionala a Urbanistilor din Romania Ion Mincu University UCL Urban Lab Roma Capitale 100 Resilient Cities Biennale Spazio Pubblico Interazioni Urbane

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