Report: Young people’s participation in urban governance: An analysis of findings from four cities in Indonesia and Lebanon
This report presents findings from the first phase of the Co-producing Digital Platforms for Youth Inclusive Urban Governance (YUP) Project, which has explored how young people (aged 10-24) in Surakarta (Solo) and Denpasar in Indonesia, and Bar Elias and El Mina in Lebanon take action in their cities, and the barriers and supportive factors they encounter in doing so. The YUP Project research also specifically looked into the opportunities and challenges that digital platforms imply for young people’s participation in their cities.
Download the full report here.
The research was conducted through mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, including focus group discussions, interviews and a survey of 4,248 young people. A key component of the YUP Project was the active involvement of young citizen scientists, who were trained to conduct surveys, and to research case studies within their own communities, as well as to co-analyse the research findings. Their participation brought both valuable youth-led insights to the research, and also aimed to build local capacity for ongoing youth-led initiatives in the four cities.
Young people participating in the research expressed a deep interest in urban issues, with education, economic opportunities, health (including mental health), and environmental sustainability emerging as top concerns in common across the four cities. In Indonesia, some of the main themes that young people voiced concerns about were the quality and affordability of education, the intense competition for jobs, and the environmental consequences of rapid urban development and tourism. In Lebanon, youth participation was shaped by economic marginalisation, political exclusion, and the need to navigate governance structures heavily influenced by sectarian interests, and was also shaped in response to the war emerging at the time of the research.
The findings underscore the need for inclusive governance mechanisms that recognise and support youth participation and give some hints to the role that digital platforms could play. As the YUP Project moves into its next phase, the focus will shift toward co-producing digital platforms that bridge the gap between young people and urban stakeholders. By designing participatory tools that reflect young people’s needs and realities, the project aims to create sustainable models of engagement, enabling young people to collaborate with city stakeholders (such as municipal authorities, NGOs, and civil society actors) and to influence decision-making.
Download the full report here.
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