In the heart of Palermo, Sicily, a garden dedicated to Ninni Cassarà, a victim of the Mafia, had fallen into quiet neglect. Recently, however, it was restored, not by city contractors, but by a group of young people under state care. For these teenagers, often marginalised by society, planting trees and repainting benches was not a punishment; it was a policy proposal they designed and executed themselves.
This small garden in Italy illustrates a quiet revolution happening across local municipalities in Europe. While headlines often focus on youth disenchantment with traditional politics, a different trend is emerging on the ground. Young people are moving beyond "consultation", where they merely voice opinions, to "co-creation," where they physically build the solutions they need.
Solving the "Rural Void"
In rural communities, the challenge is often a lack of infrastructure. In the French town of Mourenx, rather than waiting for local authorities to guess what they needed, local teenagers took over the planning for the city stadium.
Instead of asking for repairs; they redesigned the space to be intergenerational, budgeting for new benches, picnic tables, and children’s play areas. The result was a new community hub that serves everyone from toddlers to seniors. This shift from passive users to active town planners is transforming how rural municipalities allocate their budgets.
Combating the Loneliness Epidemic
Further north, in Finland, youth participation is being used as a tool to tackle a more invisible crisis: loneliness. In the city of Kokkola, young people identified that exclusion was driving their peers away. Their solution was a massive cultural intervention.
They organised "KoaCon," a cosplay, anime, and gaming convention designed to create a "safer and inspiring space" for outsiders. The event attracted over 500 visitors, proving that when youth are given the keys to the city, they can manage complex logistics and create support systems that adults might overlook. As one participant noted, it allowed them to create a "sense of belonging" in a community where they often felt like outsiders.
The Tool: Democracy Meets the Hackathon
The engine behind these changes is a methodology known as the "IDEATHON. " Adapted from the tech industry’s "hackathons," this approach replaces rigid town hall meetings with dynamic, time-limited challenges where youth and local officials co-create solutions.
Instead of just voicing complaints, participants work in teams to design concrete prototypes—whether physical spaces or cultural events—that address specific local needs. The results show that when youth move from "consultation" to "implementation," the outcomes are often faster and more inclusive than traditional planning.
Institutionalising the Change
The success of these initiatives is forcing local governments to change how they operate. It is no longer about one-off projects, but permanent shifts in policy.
In Murska Sobota, Slovenia, the local municipality was so impressed by the outcome of these youth-led "Ideathons" —which included a Japanese cultural festival that revitalised the local youth center—that they have committed to funding these youth-led innovation cycles annually.
"We see that this is the right way for young people to feel that they are part of the community," said Lidija Hrovat, a representative of the Municipality of Murska Sobota. "Without their co-creation, it is not possible to achieve what we want.".
These stories from Italy, France, Finland, and Slovenia share a common thread: when barriers to participation are removed, young people do not just show up—they step up. They are proving that the most effective local governance isn't done for the youth, but by the youth.
This article is based on the outcomes of the "Add Something Meaningful" initiative, an Erasmus+ project dedicated to developing new methodologies (IDEATHONs) for youth participation in local democracy.
Details
- Publication date
- 19 December 2025