Young people in Nijmegen sit down with city councillor Cees de Beer
- Yavuz Goktas
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
On Thursday 13 August, around fifteen young people and people closely involved in our community came together at Kouros Atelier for an evening with Nijmegen city councillor Cees de Beer.
The meeting was organised as part of Jeugdverbinden 2.0 (Youth Connections 2.0), an Erasmus+ youth participation project led by Bildung Nijmegen. Rather than organising a large public event, we deliberately kept the group small. This created an open and personal setting where everyone had the space to speak, ask questions and share their own experiences.
The conversation built on the results of our earlier survey of 135 young people in Nijmegen. Five key themes formed the basis of the evening: housing, mental health, places and activities for young people, safety, and opportunities related to work and internships.
The survey gave us a broad picture of what young people are experiencing in the city. This evening gave us the opportunity to go one step further. Young people could explain what sits behind those results, share examples from their own lives and talk directly with someone involved in local decision-making.
Making local politics more understandable
The evening was not only about raising concerns. It was also an opportunity to better understand how local democracy works.
Cees spoke about his role as a city councillor, what responsibilities the municipal council has and where the role of a councillor differs from that of the municipality and the municipal executive. Young people were able to ask practical questions about who is responsible for particular issues, how concerns can reach the political agenda and what a councillor can realistically do with the issues that are raised.
That made the conversation especially valuable. Participants were not simply invited to give their opinion; they also gained a clearer picture of how decisions are made and where their voices can have an impact.
The discussion was open, constructive and personal. There was room for different experiences and perspectives, as well as for honest questions about what can and cannot be changed at local level.
Cees indicated that he would take the issues raised during the evening back to Stadspartij Nijmegen and bring relevant points into discussions within the municipal council.
From listening to political dialogue
The evening is part of a wider process within Jeugdverbinden 2.0.
We started by listening to young people through our survey and follow-up activities. We then used meetings and co-creation sessions to explore those experiences in greater depth. This conversation with Cees provided another important step: bringing young people and an elected representative together in the same room.
For Bildung Nijmegen, youth participation is about more than asking young people what they think. It is also about creating opportunities for them to speak directly with decision-makers, understand how democratic processes work and see what happens with the issues they raise.
The response from the young people taking part was very positive. The smaller setting made it easier to speak openly, ask questions and have a genuine conversation rather than a formal political debate.
We would like to thank Cees for taking the time to listen, explain and engage with the group, and of course all the young people and others who contributed their experiences and ideas.
Through Jeugdverbinden 2.0, Bildung Nijmegen will continue to create opportunities where young people can make their voices heard and take an active role in shaping the city they live in.
Jeugdverbinden 2.0 is an Erasmus+ youth participation project coordinated by Bildung Nijmegen.
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