Portugal
Valongo City Council
Since 2014
15th.
As part of the "More enlightened community, more participatory community" project, the YPB was used as a tool for participation to allow children and young people to reflect on their community and defend their proposals for improving it.
This project aims to:
- stimulate the involvement of young people in a more constructive and participatory way in the community through the creation of a dynamic and critical thought in the territory of Valongo, this by promoting active participation and democratic values.
- bringing generations together, in constant dialogue, in a daily learning process, constituting a very powerful tool to listen directly to the population, to teach democratic processes and healthy coexistence between communities.
- promote the personal and social development of young people within the framework of citizenship education, by strengthening participatory processes, by instilling in young people an active and inclusive participation in democracy.
- bring youth closer to the center of power and give voice to projects that have meaning for those who actually live in the community. In parallel, they seek to link this process to others with similar objectives so that they gain strength, efficiency and sustainability. This allows them to be more aware, to grow with possibilities of choice and participation, in a logic of personal and community empowerment.
- contribute to social and geographical justice and the reduction of social asymmetries.
- inclusion: in the first editions, before the digital platform, there were ballots in Braille and all the tutorials adapted to the deaf community.
- strengthen the sense of mutual responsibility between citizens, elected representatives and their communities, so that everyone knows what role they play in the community, what their duties and rights are.
- increase citizens' confidence in elected representatives and other public institutions.
General objectives achieved:
- Achieve higher levels of equality in terms of participation and integrate diversity as a criterion for inclusion.
- Community empowerment
- Empower unorganized citizens
- Increase citizens' rights in terms of political participation
- Connecting different participation tools within an "ecosystem" of participatory democracy
- Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of participatory democracy mechanisms
- Improve the quality of public decision-making through the mechanisms of participatory democracy.
- Improving the evaluation and accountability of participatory democracy mechanisms
The project has an exclusive format including citizens aged 6 to 35, and the whole community that participates indirectly. The elderly population is particularly favored by this practice since projects in the "generations" category are necessarily dedicated to them. There are two other categories, one school and the other extra-curricular, so that young people can give their opinion on any area they consider important to develop.
The project team meets with children and young people and helps them reflect on the municipality and how they can come up with ideas and proposals for implementing change.
In the project children are targeted from the age of 6, the age from which they enter school and begin to play an active role in the community. Indeed, we consider that learning the gestures of citizenship is as important and fundamental as knowing how to read and write, which makes this project a true school of citizenship.
The methodology implemented is adapted to the target audience and as it concerns children aged 6 and over, the languages and tools are adapted to the age groups.
In terms of gender representation, out of 680 projects, 341 were presented by women and 308 by men.
There is a great involvement of partnerships and strategic networks, in a growing register of sharing and dialogue, allowing external evaluation, with international perspectives and visions.
The municipality of Valongo, which has about 100,000 inhabitants and an area of 75.12 km², is located on the outskirts of the city of Porto. In Valongo, the YPB already has 8 editions practically concluded, a completion rate of 100% of the winning projects and a very high degree of satisfaction on the part of the public. This project contributes to the construction of an active and interested citizenship, based on democratic ideas which allow a sustained and sustainable growth. The idea is that the effectiveness of public policies increases with informed and participatory citizens, which implies a communicative, transparent, open and inclusive position of power. The YPB has helped instill in promoters habits of transparency and accountability associated with a more rational use of resources and the implementation of more effective policies. The YPB made it possible to listen directly to the wishes and desires of the population and was a real school of citizenship. It has increased citizens' confidence in elected representatives and the public institution, stimulating their participation in a common decision-making process.
There have been hundreds of project dissemination sessions, where, through training, dynamics and various methodologies (theaters, videos, trainings, exhibitions, talks, conferences), the team assigned to the project meet groups of young people and helps them reflect on the municipality, their needs and how they can suggest ideas and proposals to implement change.
The main communication strategy is to go directly to meet children and young people where they are and to talk face to face, promoting active listening and helping to present proposals. All the child/young person needs to have is an idea to be able to participate.
The dissemination of the practice is carried out through press releases and electronic platforms (facebook, Instagram, official page of the municipality) and is complemented by informative leaflets, posters and billboards. This proximity methodology makes it possible to explain the format of participation and to elucidate its advantages. There is also a platform open to the population, where all citizens can access the projects and the budget proposals associated with them.
The essential condition for the success of the BP process lies in the degree of commitment of local decision-makers and their political dynamism, as well as in their degree of transparency, constant dialogue and proximity to citizens.
The winners are present at all stages of the process and are invited to make a pitch which is presented on social media. By participating, they guarantee their identity in the process and stimulate the growth of the whole procedure. Bidders are encouraged to be communication agents for the project themselves, through their own means.
In all editions, an evaluation is carried out with all the stakeholders of the project, through evaluation surveys, and two stages of preliminary hearing are organized, after there is the evaluation of the proposals and finally the vote. 153 proposals were made and 71 were approved and voted on. The number of votes, representative of the active and interested participation of young people in the county, also increased. The municipal executive has increased the available budget each year, as well as the number of winning projects.
The success and dedication given to the project led to the formation of a definitive team, the Citizenship and Youth Division of the Municipality of Valongo. This project, which started with one person, eventually led to the creation of a permanent team.
The YPB benefits from this continuous renewal process. Indeed, several projects have been reproduced: roofing in schools, installation of interactive panels, playgrounds and rooms of the future in all municipal public schools.
The "generations" category aims exclusively to create innovative activities that promote interaction between the elderly and children/young people.
With regard to the procedure: this is perfectly reproducible as long as it is adapted to the reality and needs of the community, municipality or entity.
Several municipalities implement participatory budgets and invite support for the creation of these projects and the renewal of existing projects.
Valongo has participated in several meetings, trainings, studies, national and international projects dedicated to the discussion of PBs, in order to present lessons learned and to share and disseminate practices and knowledge. There has been the implication for national and international studies where this process is carefully analyzed, namely a European research project on participatory action "Porque é que Alguns cidadãos não Participam", a book in which Valongo participated "Pressupuestos Participativos" and several international studies prepared by an expert from outside the municipality, Professor Yves Cabannes.
The purpose of these evaluations is to allow growth and a critical analysis of the work carried out in accordance with the objectives of the municipality. This cooperation provides the municipality with work and participation that keeps it active, up-to-date, transparent and at the height of its citizens, resulting in a 100% completion rate for winning projects.
Sources (in Portuguese)
Facebook page of the Town Hall
Project website
Youtube channel of the project
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