Youth participation

The goal is to establish a forum for listening and discussion dedicated to young people. They can contribute with their own needs to the definition of youth policies as well as participate in the processes of opening up the public sector, helping to co-create a national strategy for open government.

The commitment is to guarantee tools, support, opportunities, and space for the empowerment of young people through opportunities for profound sharing, which puts young people at the centre, in line with their values, ideals, and increasingly more requests. urgent to the future challenges it faces. Participate as a partner in youth policies to contribute to society's cultural, social, economic and political aspects, not only as beneficiaries but as providers of requests in line with their needs and aspirations for the future.
Mechanisms for supporting inclusive processes for developing public policies and diversified participation are implemented. The expected results are:

• the proposal of the creation of a section dedicated to young people within the setting up Multi-stakeholder Forum (MSF) for open government
• the activation of a multi-stakeholder work table to enrich the national and regional portals dedicated to young people with information content - digital and non-digital.

The commitment involves

1. the mapping of the relevant actors to be involved in creating the specific section of the Multistakeholder Forum dedicated to young people, with the provision of structured moments of meeting and consultation with organisations representing youth organisations, to encourage the contribution of young people to the definition of public policies. It is intended to enhance the experience of the National Council for the Civil Service: the Council established according to art. 10 Legislative Decree no. 40 of 2017, is a permanent body of consultation, reference and comparison for matters concerning the universal civil service. The involvement of the direct representatives of young people (4 members of the Council, representing the three Italian macro-regions - North, Center, South - and abroad) is expected within the OGP Multistakeholder Forum. The involvement in the Forum mentioned above of both the National Youth Council (the consultative body to which the representation of young people is entrusted in the dialogue with the Institutions for any discussion on policies affecting the world of youth) and the National Youth Agency (a government body that manages European programs for young people in Italy, initiatives and opportunities to promote youth participation, inclusion, talent and creativity) is considered strategic to enhance and broaden the opportunities for young people to participate.
2. The definition of structured consultation methods and meeting with representative organisations of youth bodies to foster constant dialogue between institutions and young people within the open governance process is linked to the Italian co-presidency of OGP.
3. to strengthen the citizenship rights of young people, the enhancement of information content - digital and non-digital - on the opportunities offered to them by the NRRP and the principles underlying the Open Government to be disseminated through national and regional portals dedicated to young people.

The G20 under the Italian presidency confirmed the governments' commitment to adopt "all available means" necessary to face the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which mainly affected young people and women, aggravating economic and social inequalities.
In this context, the proposed commitment intends to decrease the distance young people perceive towards the institutions, creating new spaces for the participation and involvement of young people in the definition and implementation of public policies, bridging the representative gap of youth requests in the public debate.

The perceived distrust of young people towards institutions translates into the lack of participation in discussions on political issues, which today concerns about 30% of young people between 18 and 34 years and almost 50% of children in the age group between 14 and 18 years (Istat, Report 2020). This weakening of trust has affected social cohesion and, consequently, the drive towards commitment and participation. To counter the growing mistrust of young people in institutions, it is necessary to weave that social network, placing the value of young people at the centre in the public debate. It is necessary to ensure collaborative participation between the parties for the individual growth of young people and to enhance their collective social action aimed at ensuring social equity, a better quality of life and democracy in our country.

With the Decision of the European Parliament and the Council of December 2021, 2022 was declared the European year for young people.

The commitment goes toward encouraging and supporting the active and informed involvement of young and very young people in the conception, implementation and monitoring of the interventions envisaged in their favour, particularly within the NRRP, according to the principles of transparency, accessibility and inclusion. proper to open government.

It follows the commitment of the G20 in adopting specific measures aimed at overcoming intergenerational inequalities, also with the support of international organisations, such as ILO and OECD, in their role of monitoring the progress achieved in this area.
The objectives align with the recommendations of the third and final conference on the EU Youth Dialogue, aimed at ensuring the involvement of young people in decision-making and political processes at the national and local level; creating, protecting and expanding youth civic spaces; providing information easily accessible and youth-friendly; focusing on the theme of youth participation to support them in overcoming the economic, social and psychological issues put to the test again by the pandemic crisis.

Because it will contribute to spreading the knowledge of the principles of Open Government among young and very young people, providing them with valuable tools to exercise their rights, duties, powers and responsibilities with awareness.
In this sense, the Joint Recommendations of the eighth conference cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue call on the Member States to include in their youth strategies the provision of quality information and advice for young people in their youth strategies, following the European Charter of Youth. information for young people.

It is an inclusive commitment that will help promote and develop active citizenship and civic skills in young people.
It will help spread practices and behaviours that are more attentive to listening to the needs of young people in public decision-making processes among institutions while strengthening the involvement of new generations in the confrontation between the government and civil society.

• Actions targeting young people in the NRRP:
  Mission 1 - Digitization, innovation, competitiveness, culture - € 40.73 billion
  Mission 4 - Education and research - 30.88 billion
  Mission 5 - Cohesion and inclusion - 19.81 billion
  Investment 1.4 - Dual System: 600 million Investment 2.1 - Universal Civil Service
• Chamber and Senate Studies Service, Cross-cutting priority for young people, in “PNRR reading cards”, Public finance documentation no. 28, 27 May 2021
• Youth Portal 2030 of the Department for Youth Policies and the Universal Civil Service
• National Youth Card, an instrument created to convey and implement policies in favor of young people, economic, social, training measures, for access to the world of work
• Through the Universal Civil Service, promotion of youth paths of active citizenship to activate the 40 thousand young people in 3 years provided for by the PNRR
• National Youth Council, National Youth Plan 2022
  Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on the results of the Eighth Round of the EU Youth Dialogue, 2021 / C, 504/01
• Istat, Political participation in Italy, Report, 24 June 2020

Mapping of the representative organizations of youth organizations to be involved in the OGP Italia community and in the co-creation process of the Multistakeholder Forum for open government.
Start date - End date
15th March 2022 - 30th March 2022

Creation of a section of the Multistakeholder Forum dedicated to young people, open to dialogue with the same section of the Forum for sustainable development.
Start date - End date
1st September 2022 - 15th December 2022

Design and implementation of structured moments of consultation and listening to young people for the definition of the national strategy for open government
Start date - End date
15th January 2023 - 28th February 2023

Construction of a dedicated group of OGP Italia actors to enhance and disseminate information content - digital and non-digital - through the national and regional portals dedicated to young people on the opportunities offered to them by the NRRP as well as on the principles underlying the Open Government 
Start date - End date
1st March 2023 - 31st December 2023

• Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Public Administration Department (DFP)

Other actors involved in the implementation - Public sector

• National Youth Council
• National Council for the Universal Civil Service
• Presidency of the Council of Ministers – Cohesion policies department
• Rome Municipality

Other actors involved in the implementation - Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the private sector

• Associazione Centro Culturale San Martino
• Fondazione Sodalitas
• Orizzonti Politici
• Save the Children

Public Administration Department, Beatrice Bernardini, OG Task Force, ogp@funzionepubblica.it