ABOUT YOUROPE

Visionary Roadmaps: Crafting an Inclusive and Participatory European Democracy with Youth and Communities (Youth for Europe / YOUROPE)

Introduce innovative methods to bring young people into decision-making.

Work with 6,300 community members to create local action plans.

Train and support young leaders to connect directly with European policymakers.

Test new ideas for participation in universities and communities.

Share results and create long-term strategies for change.

Community-Led Research and Action (CLRA)

What is CLRA?

CLRA is the methodology at the heart of YOUROPE. Rather than researching about young people, we research with them. We are giving communities the tools to identify what matters, design solutions, and drive action themselves. From university campuses to neighbourhood squares to policy chambers, CLRA ensures young people aren’t consulted as an afterthought. They’re in the driving seat.

Why CLRA?

Because traditional approaches to decision-making weren’t built with young people in mind, to the detriment of us all. CLRA flips that logic. Instead of solutions handed down from above, it builds them from the ground up, rooted in real experience and led by the people most affected.

In practice this means:

  • Young people own the process, not just participate in it
  • Trust between communities and policymakers is built, not assumed
  • Solutions reflect lived reality, not assumptions about it
  • Change is sustainable because it comes from within

Objectives

Help (underrepresented) young people take part in democracy.

Build inclusive spaces where everyone can have their say.

Connect young people with decision-makers to influence real change.

Equip universities and communities with innovative approaches to foster democratic engagement.

Create action plans for fairer and better policies.

Values

Inclusivity

Making sure everyone’s voice counts.

Empowerment:

Giving people the tools to lead change.

Democratic participation:

Working together to shape decisions.

Fairness:

Creating systems that work for all communities.

Sustainability:

Building ideas that last into the future.

Framework and Toolkit

Youth-informed theory and a practical EU Citizenship Toolkit
 
Where the road leads: a grassroots-informed theoretical framework on European citizenship and democracy, built from the ground up on youth perspectives, and a youth-centred EU Citizenship Toolkit that turns these insights into practical resources for educators, youth workers and young people themselves. Results are expected in 2027.
Coming Soon

Main Survey

Measuring what matters, in language grounded in youth voices
 
The findings of the exploratory survey feed directly into the design of the main survey: a larger instrument grounded in young people’s own language, experiences and priorities. Instead of asking young people to respond to researchers’ categories, the main survey measures what matters in terms young people themselves have shaped.
Coming Soon

Exploratory Youth Survey

Learning from young people in their own words
 
Rather than starting from predefined assumptions, YOUROPE wants to learn directly from young people in their own words. This exploratory survey invites young people across Europe to share their views and experiences on citizenship, democracy, participation, inclusion and digital life. It is anonymous, voluntary, available in nine languages, and takes 10–15 minutes: an important first step in a co-creation process that places youth voices at the centre of the research.
JISC Survey

Research Foundations

Policy analysis and systematic literature review

Every roadmap needs a starting point. WP3 began with two parallel strands of research: a policy analysis mapping how youth citizenship and democratic participation are addressed across Europe, and a systematic literature review of what existing research tells us about young people, democracy and participation. Together, these form the evidence base of WP3 and are published as part of the WP3 report.
WP3 report

Dialogue Map

Turning findings into conversations on the dimensions of democratic life 
 
Building on the research findings, the team in Augsburg developed the Dialogue Map: a tool that turns what we learned into conversations. It is organised around key dimensions of democratic life, from youth voice and European citizenship to participation, inclusion and digital citizenship, each with a key question and discussion prompts to open up dialogue with and among young people.
Dialogue Map

D6 · Dimension

Digital Citizenship

Digital environments as civic and political space

KEY QUESTION
What does it mean to be a citizen online?
DISCUSSION PROMPTS
  • What do you do online that could influence others or public issues — even in small ways?
  • Do you feel that what you see online is shaped by algorithms or platforms? Can you give an example?
  • Where online do you feel like an active citizen — and where do you feel like just a user?

D5 · Dimension

Inclusion and Justice

Structural inequalities and intersecting identities

KEY QUESTION

Do you think everyone has equal opportunities to participate in society?

DISCUSSION PROMPTS
  • Who is often excluded or overlooked in your community — and why do you think that is?
  • What rules, habits, or systems make participation harder for some people than others?
  • What would need to change for participation to be fairer and more inclusive?

D4 · Dimension

Participation and Power

Procedural vs. substantive participation

KEY QUESTION

When does participation actually make a difference in your life?

DISCUSSION PROMPTS
  • Describe a situation where you participated — in a council, survey, protest, vote — but it led to no change. What did that feel like?
  • Where do you feel you genuinely have influence? At school, at home, online, in your city?
  • What is the difference between being asked for your opinion and actually having a say?

D3 · Dimension

European Citizenship

Europe as lived democratic space

KEY QUESTION
What does ‘Europe’ mean to you in your everyday life?
DISCUSSION PROMPTS
  • What does 'European Citizenship' mean to you? Describe it in a few words — or say what it doesn't mean to you.
  • Do you feel connected to Europe? Why, or why not?
  • What would need to change for Europe to feel more real or relevant to you?

D2 · Dimension

Youth Voice & Knowledge

Young people as knowers, not just learners

KEY QUESTION

Do you feel that young people’s voices and experiences are taken seriously?

DISCUSSION PROMPTS
  • Are there things you know or experience that are not taken seriously in school or in society?
  • When do you feel your opinion is genuinely valued — and when is it ignored?
  • Think of a moment when you were heard. What made that possible? And a moment when you weren't — what got in the way?