Youth Participation and Democracy Award category

Know Your Rights!

Title of the Project

Know Your Rights!

Organisation

Young Europe Society

WEBSITE

https://www.yesngo.eu/activities/know-your-rights

Project link

https://www.yesngo.eu/activities/know-your-rights

https://shorturl.at/G7kmM

Project dates

2023-01-01

2024-01-01

What is it about?

Our project responds to the lack of accessible information and real opportunities for democratic participation in rural communities in Harghita County. The project aimed to strengthen youth participation and civic engagement among young people by helping them better understand their rights and by creating dialogue with decision-makers.

-O1: To empower youth to become active citizens by increasing their awareness of European rights and participation mechanisms.
 -O2: To develop the competences of youth involved in the project coordination team to design, facilitate, and lead youth participation activities.
 -O3: To strengthen organisational capacity to promote structured dialogue, youth participation, and access to European opportunities at the local and national levels.

The primary target group consisted of 407 young people aged 15–19 from nine rural high schools. A secondary target group included local, county, and national decision-makers, who engaged directly in dialogue with young people.

Activities:

-Ten local youth participation events in rural schools, reaching 333 young people and 35 local decision-makers, where participants explored European rights, identified local challenges, and drafted and voted on local Calls to Action.
-A structured dialogue event at the Prefecture of Harghita (50 young people and 6 decision-makers) to finalise the joint Youth Call to Action.
-22 young people took part in a participation visit to Bucharest, engaging in dialogue with the Romanian Senate, the Government of Romania, the Presidential Administration, the Representation of the European Commission in Romania, and the Erasmus+ National Agency.

Throughout all activities, participants were introduced to Eurodesk and informed about Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.

The project was initiated and implemented by an informal group of 11 young people, supported by Dan Vilcan, Eurodesk multiplier. Youth-led non-formal education methods such as street animation, role-play, forum theatre, debates, community mapping, and structured dialogue ensured meaningful participation and lasting impact.

How is this project relevant to the specific category?

“Know Your Rights!” corresponds fully to the Youth Participation & Democracy category because it enabled young people to move from learning about democracy to actively practising it. From the beginning, young people were not only participants but also decision-makers and initiators of the process.

The project was initiated and coordinated by an informal group of 11 young people, supported throughout by Dan Vilcan, Eurodesk multiplier. Together, they designed participation pathways that allowed young people to engage directly with democratic structures at multiple levels.

Through ten local youth participation events organised in rural high schools across Harghita, 333 young people facing fewer opportunities engaged in structured dialogue processes with local decision-makers (school directors, teachers, mayors, and local councillors). As a concrete result, participants drafted, debated, and voted on ten Local Calls to Action, which were then debated during Event 11—a county-level structured dialogue at the Prefecture of Harghita—where young people worked alongside county Prefecture representatives to finalise one consolidated Youth Call to Action, the main outcome of the project (https://shorturl.at/G7kmM).

The process continued at national level through a youth participation visit to Bucharest, where young people presented their proposals and engaged in structured dialogue with representatives of five national and European institutions: the Romanian Senate, the Government of Romania, the Presidential Administration, the Representation of the European Commission in Romania, and the Erasmus+ National Agency.

By opening clear, progressive participation pathways—from local dialogue to county and national institutions—the project empowered young people facing fewer opportunities from rural communities to influence public discourse and strengthened their democratic competences.

What was the impact of the project?

Our project had a strong and measurable impact on young people and rural communities by turning youth participation from a theoretical concept into lived, democratic practice.

At an individual level, we reached 407 young people aged 15–19 facing fewer opportunities, many of whom were engaging for the first time in civic dialogue and democratic decision-making. Through youth-led activities and structured dialogue, young people increased their awareness of European rights, gained confidence to express their opinions, and developed the ability to communicate with decision-makers.
Reached indicators: 407 young people involved; 333 young people participated in local dialogue events; 22 young people engaged at the national-level visit.

At a community level, our project created concrete and visible outcomes. During 10 local youth participation events, young people drafted, debated, and voted on 10 Local Calls to Action, each reflecting the needs of their own community. These local results were consolidated into one final Youth Call to Action, validated during a county-level structured dialogue at the Prefecture of Harghita and presented to national institutions.
Indicators: 10 Local Calls to Action adopted; one final Youth Call to Action validated at county level.

Our project also strengthened cooperation between young people and institutions. In total, 35 local decision-makers, county-level representatives, and five national and European institutions took part in structured dialogue processes, increasing institutional openness towards youth participation and awareness of youth needs.
Indicators: 10 local structured dialogues; 1 county-level dialogue; 1 national participation visit; 5 key national institutions involved.

For the informal group of 11 young people coordinating the project, the impact was long-term: they developed leadership, facilitation, and civic competences and continue to apply participatory methods in new youth initiatives.

Our project strengthened democratic culture in rural communities, built trust between young people and institutions, and created sustainable channels for participation beyond the project lifetime.

Did the project have any green focus?

Yes, our project integrated green principles both through practical measures and educational content. We used only green transport for key activities: the county-level structured dialogue at the Prefecture of Harghita, and we used the train for mobility to Bucharest.

Across the 10 local youth participation events, we reduced the use of printed materials by relying on digital preparation and follow-up, including online preparatory sessions, digital information packs, online evaluations, and digital note-taking.

Each local event included a dedicated session on sustainability and environmental protection. These sessions encouraged young people to reflect on the link between civic responsibility, environmental protection, and active citizenship.

By combining green transport, reduced material consumption, digital tools, and sustainability-focused learning, our project embedded environmentally responsible practices while raising young people’s awareness of sustainable lifestyles and community action.

How did you ensure Eurodesk's visibility in your project?

We ensured Eurodesk’s visibility throughout all phases of the project. The youth project team was supported from initiation to completion by Dan Vilcan, Eurodesk multiplier, who ensured the consistent integration of Eurodesk content. All 10 local events, the county-level structured dialogue, and the national participation visit included dedicated sessions designed to familiarise the participants with Eurodesk’s role, services, and activities, as well as concrete Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps opportunities. We used the Eurodesk branding, resources, and online references in all the workshops and all communication materials thus contributing lasting visibility and recognition beyond the project activities.

Project highlights

https://www.yesngo.eu/activities/know-your-rights

Your project on video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7K9UFkZCKo

https://shorturl.at/G7kmM