On Tuesday 7 July, around 45 young people and 10 other guests, including representatives from several partner organisations, came together at Kouros Atelier for a new Jeugdverbinden 2.0 co-creation event. It was an afternoon and evening filled with meaningful conversations, fresh ideas and new connections, all centred around one important question: what really matters to young people in Nijmegen? The event began with the Jeugdverbinden 2.0 youth survey. Participants were invi

On 16 June, young people came together again for Jeugdverbinden 2.0. During the meeting, we discussed the challenges young people experience in Nijmegen, as well as their ideas, concerns and hopes for the future of the city. The meeting started with an online survey. Afterwards, we discussed the results together using different statements. This led to open conversations, recognisable stories and a variety of perspectives. Young people shared what matters to them, what they st

Recently, we had a warm and meaningful conversation with Cees de Beer, city councillor in Nijmegen. We spoke about Bildung Nijmegen, our work with young people in the city, and why we believe it is so important that young people are not only listened to, but are also truly given the space to think along, speak up, and help shape their surroundings. It was a valuable exchange about what young people are experiencing, the challenges they face, and the importance of creating roo

At Bildung Nijmegen, we believe youth participation only becomes truly meaningful when young people are not brought in once a plan is almost finished, but are taken seriously from the very beginning. Not as a target group something is created for, and not simply as a group that is invited to respond to a question, a survey, or an idea that has already largely been decided. For us, it starts somewhere else. It starts with listening. With genuinely wanting to understand what is