Idee in Comune

"Idee in Comune" is a project that aims to encourage an active and constructive debate between youngsters and decision makers. The idea is born thanks to a meeting between representatives from our municipality and other italian realities from Lombardia, Veneto, Piemonte and Sardegna during the event "Europe Goes Local 2017" in Ljubijana (Slovenia). Adter a few months the prject is presented to the Italian National Agency as an Erasmus Plus KA 3, which supports inclusion reform through structured dialogues, and gets approved and funded for 38.200 euros.

Where did the idea come from? Structured dialogue and questionnaire for youth consultation.

The structured dialogue is a consultation tool developed from the European Commission to know more about priorities and how to improve youth policies and sustainable outcomes in EU member states. It is structured in 18-months cycles (the fourth starting July 1st 2017) organized by member states (Austria, Bulgaria and Estonia for this cycle) during which 3 meetings between Youth National Agencies and representatives from EU Commission and European Youth Forum are held to discuss various topics. During this occasion, while waiting for the new european youth strategy 2019, the first meeting in Estonia was used to create the consultation questionnaire that was addressed for youngesters in EU: "Youth in Europe: What’s next?". This was distributed among the participant states and them filled from thousands of youngsters, that up until February could express their opinion over topics like work, environment, integration, discrimination, relationship between youth and EU, developing competencies, gathering places, participation and active citizenship.
During the second and third EU Youth Conference, held in Bulgaria and Austria, member stats will be tasked to make a project draft for the new european youth strategy that will be presented in May/June 2018, and the final document will be adopted from the European Council by the end of the sixth cycle.

How will we use the tools that Erasmus Plus has to offer?

Following the approval from our National Agency, our office used the instrument of structured dialogue in a few high schools in the northern region of Milan: many classes from Erasmo da Rotterdam, M.L. King and Cartesio Institutes decided to take part filling the questionnaire "Youth in Europe: What’s next?" translated in italian by the National Agency and then printed and distributed by our office to provide as many classes as possible. Thanks to this effort our office managed to gather and send more than 200 consultations.

Two classes also decided to take part in the whole process as a stage that will be composed of some intensive activitiy days aiming towards meeting and confronting local decision makers offering their point of view over a few selected topics. As facilitators, our office members will be meeting youngsters to guide them through reflection according to the topics mentioned in the questionnaire filled in January. During the dialogue will be formed Advisory Commitee, meant to be a temporary procedure of sicussione, with the objective to work on a common guideline to be presented in the coming years with different subjects.
Council members and administrative officers from the municipalities represented by the schools will take part in the dialogue to listen to suggestions and argumentations from youngsters.