The webinars were part of the project «Strenghtening the capacities of local actors to enhance the inclusion of vulnerable communities», financed by the Catalan Cooperation and Development Agency (ACCD), under which MedCities has been supporting the Tunisian Municipality of M’Saken in the creation of a Local Youth Council (you can see the animated video here).

The first seminar, held on June 10th, focused on «Methodologies for the creation of effective youth participation spaces at the local level». Ms. Hamich, an expert on youth participation, presented the principles, practical steps and challenges to put in place Youth Councils in Municipalities. This methodology is described in further detail in the « Practical Manual for the creation and animation of youth participation body at the local level in Tunisia ».

The second seminar, held on June 25th, was a knowledge exchange and capitalisation workshop to share experiences on the creation of youth participation bodies at the Municipal level. Local authorities from M’Saken, Sousse, Medenine (with the support of PNUD), Testour or Sidi Hessine (with the support of GiZ) took the floor to present their diverse experiences and lessons learned. Young leaders and members of Youth Councils from Sidi Hessine and Medenine were also present to share their thoughts on the process.

The participants identified several challenges in promoted youth participation in local affairs in Tunisia, such as lack of trust, lack of resources or communication difficulties, however it is clear that many local authorities and young leaders see the benefits of youth participation in local public affairs and remain committed to this process. With the support of ACCD, MedCities will continue to support the Municipality of M’Saken in the Local Youth Council project and will launch a fully-fledged training programme on youth policies for Tunisian municipalities during the coming months.

You can read the new in French. 

Vous pouvez lire l’information en Français ici.