Civic Society Democracy Lessons, Bringing Youth Perspective in the EU Policymaking in Line with Youth Strategy

Short title: D-EFFECT

Funding reference number: STHB.04.01-IP.01-001/23

Project period: Jul 2024 – Jun 2027

Project budget: 200 €

Research focus:

Focus 1 (since 02/2024): Knowledge Society, Sustainable Mobility and Value Creation in the Global Transformation

Structural unit:

Wismar Business School

Project management:

Prof. Dr. math. Gunnar Prause

Funding:

European Union (EU - Interreg)

In a conference room with a wooden ceiling and chandeliers, a man in a suit is giving a presentation. Participants are seated at a U-shaped table, listening and with microphones and documents in front of them. A slide with text and a map is visible on the screen. The scene appears formal and professional. — Young people presented their ideas during the kick-off for the “D-EFFECT” project.
Source: Wismar University of Applied Sciences/Elizaveta Diatlova

With partners from five countries, the project develops local participation strategies, tests new formats for democratic dialogue, and compiles the results in a practical toolbox. The goal is to create a resilient, value-oriented, and youth-friendly civil society in the South Baltic region.

The “D-EFFECT” project promotes the cooperation of youth-oriented stakeholders in the South Baltic Area and contributes to building the problem-solving capabilities of stakeholders from Sweden, Danmark, Germany, Poland and Lithuania. Thus, it adds a new element to capabilities of better youth participation, engagement, and increased education of democratic values that can make local societies more sustainable and resilient and the entire region a more youth-friendly place.

Local engagement and activism strategies for selected model regions that combine measures for civic participation, democratic and EU values engagement and promoting multisectoral stakeholder and youth acceptance, understanding, and long-lasting cooperation will be developed. As well as a set of complementary pilot measures for democratic engagement and dialogue that depict typical use cases, and that adapt, test, and validate concrete solutions for the transferability of experiences in the South Baltic Area which will enable of participation of a wide range of stakeholders.

The results are processed into a “D-Effect Toolbox” which will be promoted and disseminated by the newly established “SB Youth-oriented Helpdesk”, which will serve local communities with experience and support. It gives other local authorities, and youth specialists concrete guidance on how to foster youth policies/actions and is pro-actively and widely disseminated to them. The project will put into practice the local perspective of new methods and tools of democracy promotion based on democracy festivals as open platforms that unite different actors, groups, experiences, and dimensions. Based on the assumption that democracy is more than democratic institutions and written rules, but a culture to be nurtured by creating spaces and platforms where people can physically meet, talk to each other, get inspired, exchange opinions, and debate their ideas.

“D-EFFECT” turnes towards networking activities at the local level. In this regard, it steers towards the practical dimension of building engagement with different communities, and fosters active civic engagement, a culture of discussion, and critical thinking in response to the alarming rise of authoritarianism and nationalism.