Jeugdverbinden 2.0 brings young people together for an inspiring co-creation event
- Yavuz Goktas
- Jul 11
- 2 min read
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 invited to share their views on topics such as housing, mental health, safety, activities, meeting places and youth participation. Together with the input collected during earlier activities, the results will help shape the Youth Agenda that we will continue to develop with young people later this year.
Participants then moved into smaller groups to explore the different themes in more depth. They discussed what is already working well in Nijmegen, the challenges young people face, what could be improved and, most importantly, what meaningful change could look like. This led to open and valuable conversations about affordable housing, mental health, safety, places to meet and the visibility of activities for young people.
One message came up repeatedly: many young people feel that Nijmegen already offers a wide range of activities, but that these are not always promoted effectively. As a result, young people often do not hear about them, or only find out once the activity has already taken place.
This is an important signal for both us and our partners. It shows that the challenge is not only to create new activities, but also to make existing opportunities more visible and easier for young people to find.
Alongside the group discussions, we interviewed several young people about their experiences, concerns, ideas and hopes for the future of Nijmegen. These personal stories add depth to the survey results and help bring the experiences behind the numbers to life.
The event ended with a vegetarian and halal barbecue at Kouros Atelier. In a relaxed and informal setting, participants continued their conversations, met new people and built new connections. These moments are an important part of the process, as they create space for ideas, relationships and future collaborations to grow.
We look back on a successful and inspiring event and would like to thank everyone who joined us for their openness, enthusiasm and valuable contributions. Over the coming months, we will review all the input and continue working with young people to turn their ideas into concrete proposals for the municipality and other organisations.
Jeugdverbinden 2.0 shows that young people do not only want to share their views. They want to be involved, help shape solutions and play an active role in the future of their city.
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