Reporting from Speak Up Summer Camp in Malmö

In true IYTT fashion the purpose of the camp was to engage young people in discussions about local (and larger!) issues, reflect on democracy, and empower them to be the voice for the community. By way of introduction we handed out the Handbook for Innovative Democracy and explained what the IYTT was all about.

Using the format of OCDT we initiated conversation about democracy and having power as a citizen. The young people used mentimeter to submit their answers after discussing in pairs. The most popular responses for three words which came to mind when considering democracy, were equality, human rights, freedom and politics, although other answers included protest and inclusion. 64% of the participants felt free to choose their own path, however 57% felt they did not have power as a citizen.

When asked what they needed to be more powerful the most common answers were freedom, education and money. This led to a fruitful discussion about the intertwined nature of democracy with politics, and our individual struggles and needs.

We then explained to the group that they would be going out onto the streets of Malmö to ask the same questions to strangers on the streets. They would use the answers and their own ideas to explore three local issues. The young people would then build creative solutions and later pitch to some local decision makers.

I was proud to see how comfortable they felt taking to the streets and discussing what issues people in the local area felt passionate about. They had additional questions about environmental issues, specific to Malomö. It was inspiring to watch young people rise to the challenge of having conversations (sometimes difficult ones) about the issues which affect them and the people around them.

At the end of the workshop the young people pitched three solutions, informed by these conversations, to local decision makers. They worked closely with each other to overcome disagreements amongst themselves, so the solutions truly represented the range of opinions within the group in a truly democratic manner.

The first solution tackled the negative side of social media, it aimed to focus on misinformation and overuse of mobile phones. The solution included a tax on scrolling as they understood the dangers to mental health that excessive phone exposure caused.

The second solution gave people a voice on the allocation of taxes, it included an online form where voters can show that they want their taxes spent on and they can then compare this to decision makers. Although it would not have a direct impact on decisions it felt it would better inform citizens, and it would give representation to their wishes which decision makers would have to take into consideration in the name of democracy.

The final solution was covering the issue of discrimination. The group came up with a system of negative points for people who were caught carrying out discriminatory acts, which would make it difficult for them to get jobs in public services such as teaching or the police.

Overall the workshop had clear value for the young people involved, with fruitful and eye opening conversations which they felt they were not normally involved in. I think it taught them that they knew more about democracy than they initially thought and had the capacity to formulate ideas and opinions about complex topics.

Alice Smith, Youth Fellow, IYTT