A second year of Summer Camps for IYTT Youth Fellows

Malmö, Saint-Martin-Boulogne, and Skive. The thing these places have in common is that they hosted an edition of the IYTT Summer Camp last summer. Local partners of the Speak Up project hosted dedicated Youth Fellows — Elena, Luca, James, Jessica, Joe, Mathes, Sara Maria and Sophia — for three days to lead local youth in workshops and activities centered around their ideas about democracy.

The Summer Camp format combines the IYTT method Open Chair Democracy Talks (OCDTs) with the structured deliberation method of the annual IYTT youth conferences — two powerful tools for generating ideas and practical proposals for democratic innovation.

The camps start with OCDT sessions in the host city, hearing out the local inhabitants’ feelings and thoughts about democracy in their hometown. This activity provides valuable inspiration to ensure that the Summer Camp is firmly rooted in its location. The local youth have consistently been enthusiastic about running OCDTs, as this is often their first opportunity to engage with their communities in this way. Conversations, with the help of the OCDT format, once again confirmed themselves to be the best way to understand other people’s concerns and create an empowering and inspiring opportunity for local inhabitants and the interviewing youth alike. The positive energy was matched by the interviewees, who were curious about and impressed by the youths’ commitment to the cause of democracy and political participation.

Thanks to the inspiring opportunity to run OCDTs, and with the help of Youth Fellows, Summer Camp participants worked on the results of the OCDTs to create policy proposals that would have a direct, positive impact on their communities and offer solutions to common problems. This process has been a crucial part of the camps. Coming up with concrete and applicable solutions enables local youth to recognize their ability to contribute to public life in a meaningful and productive way. In this phase, the Youth Fellows’ help is important in turning the work into tangible actions that are reasonable to implement and produce a real, visible impact.

The final presentation of the policy proposals to local leaders is the culmination of three intense days of activity. It is also the main way in which IYTT’s work is presented to the local community. With the help of the Speak Up representatives, local youth Summer Camp participants have the privileged opportunity to present their ideas to people who can make them a reality. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for growth, as participants must put their presentation and debate skills to the test against professional politicians. Local leaders in the Speak Up cities have consistently acknowledged and cherished the significance of the Summer Camp activities. Moreover, they have expressed appreciation of the contribution of local youth and their engagement with local democracy.

The collaboration and support of the Speak Up project partners are essential to the success of the Summer Camp format. This is particularly important for the success of the camps in delivering value to local communities, while also ensuring that the democratizing and empowering effects can be transmitted trans-nationally. We are therefore grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Speak Up project’s work.

Overall, the Summer Camps establish a method of empowering local youth and channeling ideas and solutions, while also providing a means of sounding out views among citizens. They provide a service to citizens and politicians, satisfying the continuous need for democratic care and revival.