Real youth participation starts with young people

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 happening in young people’s lives, what they need, which barriers they face, what is on their minds, and what perspective they bring to their surroundings, their city, and society as a whole.

Too often, we still see young people being involved only at a late stage. There is already an assignment, a direction, or a framework, and only then are they asked what they think. On paper, that may look like participation. In reality, many young people experience it very differently. We often hear things like, “They’re asking something from us again,” or, “Another survey?” or, “Nothing is going to happen with it anyway.” Sometimes young people tell us that the same issue is being explored within an organisation for the third or fourth time, only by a different person each time. And once again, they are expected to give their time, energy, and experiences. Those reactions do not come from indifference. They come from experience. From disappointment, fatigue, and the feeling that their voice is being collected, but not truly valued.

That is exactly why we believe youth participation needs to be approached differently. Less as a tool, less as a box-ticking exercise, and much more as a process built on trust, relationships, and shared ownership. Not a commissioner arriving with a fixed question that young people are allowed to answer within pre-set boundaries, but a way of working in which young people can also help shape the direction themselves. A space where they are not only responding to what is already there, but can also name what really matters to them. A space where they can raise their own questions, bring in their own themes, offer different perspectives, and think beyond the usual lines. Very often, that is where the most honest, surprising, and valuable insights emerge.

For us, this is not just a theory. It is something we see again and again in practice. Young people often know very well what is happening in their lives, at school, in their neighbourhoods, online, in their social circles, and in the city around them. They are often incredibly sharp in sensing where policy, projects, or organisations do and do not connect with reality. But if you want those insights to truly come forward, you have to create the right conditions. Not just a seat at the table, but an environment in which young people feel safe, taken seriously, and able to express themselves in a way that feels natural to them.

That also asks something of organisations, municipalities, and other involved partners. Real participation does not simply mean inviting young people into the conversation. It also means being willing to truly listen, to share some of the control, and to remain open to outcomes that may not have been expected beforehand. Of course, guidance remains important, and so does supervision where needed. But within that support, there must also be room for ownership. For trust. For recognising that young people are not only capable of offering valuable input, but of genuinely helping to think, shape, and build.

This is also why we believe it is so important not to keep hearing from the same group of young people over and over again. Young people are not one homogeneous group. Their realities, worries, opportunities, barriers, and experiences differ greatly. That is why it matters to involve young people from different educational backgrounds, socio-economic situations, cultural backgrounds, genders, and lived experiences. Not only the young people who already find it easy to speak up or who already know how to navigate participatory spaces, but also those who are less likely to step forward on their own. If only the most visible or outspoken voices are heard, you end up with only a partial picture of what is really going on. Real participation therefore also means consciously making room for diversity in the broadest sense of the word.

At Bildung Nijmegen, we try not only to speak about this vision, but to give it real shape in the way we work. An important example of this is Jeugdverbinden 2.0: Our City, Our Voice. Through this project, we bring together young people, partners, professionals, and others involved in the city around themes that genuinely matter. Not to ask young people to simply respond to an existing plan, but to explore together what they find important, what they feel is missing, what could be better, and what they believe truly deserves attention. Themes such as safety, housing, financial security, opportunities, and connection do not emerge because they were neatly decided in advance, but because they are genuinely present in the lives of young people themselves.

That is the heart of it for us. Not starting with the question of a commissioner and then asking young people to respond, but starting with the lived reality of young people. Their concerns. Their ideas. Their experiences. Their way of seeing the city around them. Of course, concrete questions, projects, and collaborations can grow from there, but for us the foundation always lies in taking their perspective seriously. That is exactly what makes conversations and processes more relevant, more genuine, and more meaningful.

The way we work is just as important as the content of a project. We believe in encounter, in dialogue, and in building trust step by step. Sometimes that starts with a conversation in a small setting. Sometimes through a creative workshop. Sometimes through sharing a meal, creating something together, or simply being present. For us, participation is not only about formal consultation moments or carefully worded questions. It also lives in the way you approach young people. In the time you take. In the sincere interest you show. And in the willingness not to lock everything into place before the conversation has even begun.

You can see that same approach reflected in our other projects as well. Whether it is about art and creativity, dialogue and connection, heritage and storytelling, global citizenship, or international exchanges, we keep trying to create spaces where young people are not only participants, but can also become co-creators. Places where they can develop their voice, test their ideas, take responsibility, and build something together with others that is bigger than themselves. Not because young people are only the future, but because they already are valuable thinkers, makers, connectors, and changemakers right now.

There is also an important opportunity here for organisations, municipalities, schools, and other partners. Policies, projects, and initiatives become stronger when they are not developed only for young people, but with them, and even better, from their lived reality and perspective. That takes time, care, and sometimes the courage to guide less and listen more. To avoid fixing everything in advance and instead leave room for what can emerge in the conversation. That is not always the fastest or easiest road, but it is often the road that leads to greater support, greater authenticity, and more lasting impact.

At Bildung Nijmegen, this is exactly the space we try to work in: the space between young people and systems, between lived reality and policy, between ideas and practice. We want to help build places where young people are not simply consulted, but are truly involved. Places where something is not constantly being asked of them without anything being built with them in return, but where something meaningful can grow together. A space for their voices, their questions, their ideas, and their direction. Because when young people feel seen, heard, and taken seriously, something happens that goes far beyond participation alone. That is where ownership, trust, and real movement begin.

If you are a young person who wants to speak up, think along, or become involved in what we do, we would love to hear from you. And if you work within an organisation, municipality, school, or initiative and want to shape youth participation in a more genuine and meaningful way, you are equally welcome to reach out. Whether you are still exploring, have a first idea, or simply want to exchange thoughts about what might be possible, there is always room for conversation. Very often, that is exactly where something valuable begins.