This appeal went to the politicians of the Alpine countries at the final conference of the GaYA project in Chambéry/F. The extent to which the topic gets people moving was shown by the participation of numerous young people and representatives from politics and society throughout the Alps.

Actively promote a political culture of participation, anchor the participation of young people in decision-making processes, and make youth participation a must, not just a nice extra! The partner organisations of the Interreg GaYA project brought these political recommendations to the politicians of the Alpine countries.
How can youth participation in cities and rural areas be promoted? What innovative ideas and projects are there? What can politicians and decision-makers do? More than 200 participants from all Alpine countries travelled to the GaYA conference in Chambéry, France, to answer questions on youth participation. In interactive sessions, young people, politicians and interested parties from various Alpine countries exchanged ideas. In addition, the event offered music and Alpine cuisine as well as films produced by young people, which were presented as part of an Alpine-wide film competition.

The conference also marked the end of the two-year EU GaYA project. Besides the international exchange and the political recommendations, the project partners presented a toolbox for youth participation and a comparative study on participatory democracy in the Alps.

As a GaYA project partner, ALPARC is also committed to involving the younger generation more closely in political decision-making processes especially in the rural areas and in the protected areas municipalities. For two years ALPARC was responsible for the coordination of the pilot activities and a video presenting the main project achievements and innovative results was developed by the network and presented at the GaYA final event. 

Source: GaYA Press release 17.12.2018

Information on GaYA project: www.alpine-space.eu/projects