From learning to leading: Empowering young leaders to transform citizen engagement – Insights from YEPs

​Building on the success of the 2024 Winter School, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is once again inviting young elected politicians (YEPs) to enhance their citizen participation skills at the upcoming conference and training, taking place from 11-13 March in Brussels.

This capacity-building programme, is designed to equip local and regional leaders with practical tools methods to bring citizens into the decision-making process, fostering trust and stronger democratic engagement. It is carried out with partners including the Bertelsmann Stiftung, the Federation for Innovation in Democracy – Europe, the European Commissions' Joint Reseach Center and the Council of Europe.

But what impact did last year's training have? We reached out to some 2024 Winter School YEP participants to hear about their experiences and the projects they have implemented since completing the programme.

Putting learning into practice

For many YEPs, the Winter School was a turning point in their political work, giving them the skills and confidence to launch citizen-led initiatives in their municipalities.

Several YEPs successfully introduced participatory budgeting initiatives, empowering citizens to directly influence public spending. Anton Dijev, City Coucillor of Kohtla-Järve in Estonia  (Renew Europe) introduced a project where residents submitted ideas for local improvements, followed by a public vote. "Techniques [learned during] the Winter School, like mapping stakeholders and setting clear participation goals, were vital", he underlined. According to Mr Dijev, the initiative strengthened trust in local governance because of the real-time voting and transparency of the process. However, the challenges remained in ensuring accessibility for older citizens which led to the introduction of physical voting stations. His advice? "Start small to build trust and momentum. Transparency and outreach are key!"

From his side, Benedek Farkas, City Councillor of Budaörs in Hungary and now CoR Alternate with the Renew Europe Group, credited the Winter School for helping him push through a long-advocated participatory budget in his town, which is set to launch in March 2025. Inspired by the programme, he is also organising a citizens' assembly on parking policies.

The training has not only inspired Mr Farkas​ to create citizen assemblies aiming to tackle key local issues. Bas van der Reest, City Councillor of Middelburg in Netherlands (Renew Europe), also spearheaded a citizen assembly in his city focused on redesigning New Year's Eve celebrations. Traditionally, fireworks-related property damage, injuries and conflict with emergency services, have plagued the festivities, and the municipality is now engaging citizens to rethink how to celebrate safely. Addittionally, he emphasized the importance of setting clear expectations in participatory processes: “Participation can be an amazing way to activate citizens and improve trust in government. But it's essential to set clear expectations and secure commitment to the process. It's better to disappoint participants before a project starts than to let them down afterward when their ideas aren't implemented".

Overcoming challenges

Not all participants were able to apply their knowledge immediately. Andrés Villa Fernández-Mayoralas, City Councillor of Collado Villalba in Spain (PES) shared that as an opposition member in his city, he lacked the opportunity to initiate projects. However, he found the Winter School's exploration of different engagement methods to be the most valuable aspect of the programme. Others, like Mr Farkas, faced bureaucratic hurdles: “Our town hall refuses to hire experts or full-time employees to run participation initiatives, leaving the responsibility on a few politicians and proactive civil servants. We need more institutional support to make participation truly effective", he underscored.

Despite these barriers, the 2024 cohort demonstrated that even small actions can drive meaningful, democratic and lasting change.

Join the Winter School 2025 kick-off conference

The Winter School 2025 kick-off conference, taking place on 11 March in Brussels, from 14:30 to 17:30, is open to all those interested in strengthening citizen engagement across Europe.

This high-level public event will serve as a platform to assess the current state of trust and legitimacy in the European project, bringing together experts, policymakers, and engaged citizens to explore the challenges and opportunities ahead.

The conference will also officially launch the capacity building initiative for Young Elected Politicians (YEPs). As past participants have shown, small steps can lead to significant democratic advancements. Whether you are an elected representative, a  practitioner, or simply eager to contribute to the debate on building trust in the EU, this conference is an opportunity to exchange ideas, network, and help shape the future of democratic participation in Europe.

Register now to secure your spot!

 

This news item was written in framework of the CoR Young Elected Politician Programme.