MedCities accompagnies the Municipality of M’Saken in launching a participatory process with local youth to establish venues for dialogue and to promote the implication of youth in local affairs. The project results in the creation and consolidation of the M’Saken Youth Council, which was officially inaugurated after the election process in February 2021.

1. Description

MedCities provided technical assistance to the Municipality of M’Saken in two consecutive phases:

Activities carried out during project phase 1 (August 2019 – June 2020)

• Methodological support in order to facilitate youth participation in municipal affairs. This activity resulted in the publication of a Practical Manual “Creation and animation of a youth participation body at the local level in Tunisia”.
• Organisation of a knowledge and experience sharing mission between the Municipality of M’Saken and several municipalities of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, with an exchange on youth participation policies and initiatives.
• Youth capacity building workshops on democratic participation and promotion of soft skills.
• Organization of a youth forum to define local actions in the neighborhoods; in February 2020, more than 60 young participants gathered at this Forum, which objective was to set the bases for collaboration between the municipality and young citizens, and initiate a Local Youth Council as a space for dialogue and concertation.
• Definition of the modus operandi of the Local Youth Council and its competences and strategic lines.
• Needs assessment in several neighborhoods newly adjacent to M’Saken and identification and iimplementation of small scale interventions targeting the youth and aiming to reinforce their sense of belonging the city.
• Organisation of a training of Tunisian local authorities on setting up youth participation organs and a seminar for the exchange of similar experiences in Tunisia.

Activities carried out during project phase 2 (July 2020 – May 2021)

• Definition of the Statutes of the Youth Council and the electoral process for its formal constitution. Organisation of the electoral campaign and elections day with allowed to finalise the constitution and functioning of the Youth Council of M’Saken.
• Training of the elected members of the Youth Council on the municipal administration system and on institutional communication techniques.
• Technical support to the Youth Council for the definition of a partiicptory diagnosis relating to youth in M’Saken. The diagnosis carried out allows the Youth Council to subsequently define is Action Plan as well as three “rapid-implementation” projects.
• Promotion of the communication of the Youth Council by the development and launch of the M’Saken Youth council official website, Facebook page and internal communication tools.
• Preparation of a short video showcasing the creation of the M’Saken Local Youth Council
• Implementation of an online training program on the role of municipalities in launching youth policies and youth-related projects, addressed at technical and elected municipal officials in Tunisia.

2. General Objective

• Phase 1: Strengthen the inclusion and democratic participation of the youth in local affaires in Tunisia.
• Phase 2:  Consolidate and capitalize Tunisian municipalities’ experiences concerning youth consultation and youth participation policies and initiatives.

3. Beneficiaries

• Municipality of M’Saken, Tunisia.
• Young citizens of M’Saken
• Elected and technical municipal staff from M’Saken and other Tunisian cities

4. Main SDGs addressed

• SDG 10 reduced inequalities
• SDG 11 sustainable cities and communities
• SDG 16 peace, justice and strong institutions