Involving target groups within Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps: Participatory decision-making

“Talking to [and having a dialogue with] the people that we provide services for, makes better the services we provide” – Cristina Bacalso, keynote speaker at the SALTO Participation Forum 2024

The practice of involving target groups (such as learners, students, young people, educators, or teachers) in decision-making processes can be argued as something important and of added value in creating more impactful and relevant programmes. The right of people to participate and express their views in relation to matters affecting them has been increasingly central in modern democratic systems across Europe, in particular through the promotion of dialogue and participatory mechanisms at all levels of decision-making (UNESCO’s Education 2030 Framework for Action, Youth Participation Strategy). By involving target groups, diverse stakeholders can ensure that their initiatives align with beneficiaries’ needs while also strengthening democratic participation by essentially recognizing their right to be involved in decision-making.

In the field of Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, National Agencies (NAs) and other similar organisations therefore have the potential to introduce and integrate more participatory frameworks into their structures, either at a consultative or an advisory level or even with increased levels of (co-)decision-making.

Participatory Decision-Making: A democracy classic

Participatory decision-making is a cornerstone of democratic governance. When people, especially those directly affected by specific policies and programmes, are involved in decision-making, it can enhance the relevance, satisfaction, and sustainability of such processes. Within the EU Youth Strategy 2019–2027, the involvement of younger generations in policy-making and decision-making is an overarching topic under the Engage-Connect-Empower principle. Taking into consideration young people’s scepticism and distrust in the more traditional political institutions (Pickard, 2019), it appears even more imperative to meaningfully engage and involve younger generations in the topics that concern them. According to the European Parliament’s Youth Survey, conducted in June 2021, “the vast majority of young people do not think that they have much, or any, say over important decisions, laws and policies affecting them”—a situation that was also reflected in the European Year of Youth 2022 survey. This phenomenon of ‘voicelessness’ or the lack of impact of their voices has been a recurring phenomenon in youth research, and it leads to further scepticism, distrust, and even radicalisation. For NAs as public institutions, this translates into the importance of engaging and meaningfully involving target groups to design and implement programmes and activities that truly address their needs as not just a way to follow their right to participate in decisions that affect them but also as a way to respectfully increase trust in public institutions.

To put it simply, as happens in other areas of public or private life, if a person does not feel valued somewhere, they are more likely to go somewhere where they feel more valued and listened to. The right to speak up, be heard and have a say (in a word, to participate) fosters trust, inclusion, and mutual respect. Upholding this principle is not just a matter of fairness; it is the foundation for progress and co-existence.

Partners, not beneficiaries: co-management within the European Youth Foundation
The European Youth Foundation (EYF) of the Council of Europe (CoE), following the co-management model of the youth sector of the organisation, has in place a Programming Committee on Youth, composed of governmental representatives from its member states and non-governmental representatives from youth-led civil society organisations. Together, they co-manage and make joint decisions for the Foundation and its programmes and budget distribution and monitor its work.

The European Youth Foundation is perhaps the most similar funding programme to Erasmus+, using public funds provided by CoE member states and reinvesting them in younger generations to contribute to promoting CoE values and fulfilling the priorities of the CoE youth sector. It has been successfully operating since 1972. Throughout the decades, it is considered to have been instrumental in fostering meaningful youth engagement and participation and tangibly supporting initiatives across Europe, while at the same time ‘walking the talk’ by giving in-practice co-decision-making power to its core target group (young people and youth organisations).

Even though it is a work in progress and there are certainly differences between the two funding frameworks, this is certainly a case from which NAs and other institutions can draw inspiration and take good practices for their own work when involving their target groups.

Benefits of involving target groups:

Why National Agencies specifically?

NAs can play a critical role in fostering more participatory practices and involving their target groups within Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. By involving them, they can jointly create programmes that are more effective, inclusive, and aligned with the target groups’ needs. Drawing inspiration from participatory practices across Europe, NAs can ultimately play a key role in strengthening democratic engagement, active citizenship, and even institutional trust. You can read a few examples of youth involvement in decision-making of NAs here.

As said by a participant in the Participation Forum 2024 (SALTO PI):

“I think we don’t give enough credit to the voices of young people; they have very concrete ideas, and we should ask them instead of guessing what they need.”

Further exploration

Pickard S. (2019). Politics, protest and young people, political participation and dissent in 21st century Britain. Palgrave Macmillan.

UIL (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning) and APCEIU (UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding) (2019). Adult Learning and Education for Global Citizenship in Finland. Paper commissioned for the 2019 UIL/APCEIU publication, Addressing global citizenship education in adult learning and education: summary report. Hamburg, UIL.