This activity is for participants taking part in the Cities of Learning study visit for Networking and Advocating.

• Municipal Youth Policy Officers: Civil servants working for local or regional authorities, responsible for youth policy and youth participation.
• Political Representatives: Elected politicians of local or regional councils/self-governments, whose priority and policy focus is youth and youth participation.
• Youth Representatives: Members of local youth councils or other types of youth participation structures that can influence municipal decisions, who represent the young people of their municipality, organization, or school.
• Youth Workers: Youth workers who facilitate and support municipal youth participation, or coordinate the work with the municipal youth council.

• Supportive Municipality: Achieving sufficient political support and ensuring municipal staff are ready.
• Empowered Youth: Knowing where to involve young people and having empowered youth ready to participate.
• Strategy and Structure: Having asked young people what they needed and established a clear structure and strategy for youth participation.
• Managing Youth Participation: Providing optimal resources for youth participation and ensuring the municipality is publicly committed to govern with youth.

• Tools for Development: Constantly producing tools (assessment tools, development tools, workbooks) to help municipalities reflect on and improve their practices.
• Training Courses and Meetings: Organising training courses for municipality staff, political representatives, and youth representatives on how to design, realise, and develop municipal youth participation and local democracy.
• Testimonials and Interviews: Collecting video interviews with youth policy practitioners about their experiences, challenges, and achievements for inspiration.
• Community of Practice: Creating and managing a European community of municipal youth policy officers, providing a safe space for sharing experience, mutual learning, and partnership building.

• Youth Voice and Participation: Democracy Reloading's core mission directly supports the Cities of Learning Network's aim to empower young people and ensure their voices are heard, not just in learning but also in civic life.
• Non-Formal Learning for Civic Engagement: The skills developed through Democracy Reloading’s tools and trainings (e.g., critical thinking, communication, collaboration, understanding democratic processes) are often acquired through non-formal and informal learning, which the Cities of Learning platform is designed to recognise and validate.
• Networked Approach: Both initiatives operate as networks, fostering collaboration, peer learning, and knowledge exchange among diverse stakeholders (municipalities, youth organizations, youth workers).
• Advocacy for Recognition: Democracy Reloading advocates for the recognition of youth participation in decision-making, complementing Cities of Learning's advocacy for the broader recognition of non-formal learning outcomes.
• Strengthening Local Ecosystems: By promoting youth participation at local and regional levels, Democracy Reloading helps strengthen the civic dimension of local learning ecosystems, which is a vital aspect of a thriving City of Learning.

• To understand Democracy Reloading's mission, target audience, and the tools/services they offer to support youth participation in municipal decision-making.
• To explore the concept of an "Ideal Organisational Environment for Youth Participation" and reflect on its applicability to participants' own contexts.
• To identify concrete strategies and good practices for engaging young people in local democratic processes.To learn how to advocate for and develop structures that foster meaningful youth participation in governance.
• To identify potential synergies and opportunities for cooperation between Cities of Learning initiatives and Democracy Reloading's programs.

• Participants should familiarise themselves with Democracy Reloading's core mission and offerings as outlined above.
• Prepare 1-2 questions for Democracy Reloading representatives, focusing on their practical tools, successful youth participation models, or challenges in engaging municipalities.
• Consider how your local Cities of Learning initiative currently supports youth voice or how it could integrate more civic participation elements.

• Actively listen to the presentation by Democracy Reloading representatives.
• Engage in discussions, asking your prepared questions and sharing insights from your own experiences in supporting youth participation.
• Pay attention to the tools and frameworks they present, considering how they might be adapted or applied in your context.
• Observe examples of how youth are empowered to influence decisions and how different stakeholders collaborate.

• Reflect on what key learnings you gained from the visit regarding meaningful youth participation and democratic processes.
• Consider specific ways that Democracy Reloading's approach or tools could enhance your local Cities of Learning activities, particularly in fostering civic engagement.
• Note down any potential concrete follow-up actions or partnership opportunities identified that could benefit both Democracy Reloading and the Cities of Learning Network, especially concerning youth voice and civic competences.