Insights/Learning
Learnings from participatory programmes with young people
Fondation Botnar is dedicated to supporting initiatives that collaborate with young people to create a better future for them and with them.
OurCity
Initiative
OurCity supports cities where young people have a say in the decisions that shape their lives.
OurCity is a Fondation Botnar initiative that supports young people at the heart of how cities are designed and run. Across five cities on four continents, it brings young people together with civil society, policymakers, innovators and city leaders to shape the projects, services and policies that affect their lives. By involving young people in urban planning and implementation, the initiative strengthens local ownership and helps ensure that city-level action reflects their priorities and perspectives.
- Key partners
- Grupo Faro, STAR-Ghana Foundation, Fundación Corona, Innovex, Asociația de Dezvoltare Intercomunitară Zona Metropolitană Cluj, city authorities and civil society organisations in each country
- Working in
- Barranquilla (Colombia), Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Koforidua (Ghana), Manta (Ecuador), Tanga (Tanzania)
- Approach
- Youth participation, community engagement and evidence-based systems change
- Focus
- Youth-centred, liveable and sustainable cities
- Launched
- Tanga in 2019, Cluj-Napoca in 2020, Barranquilla and Manta in 2022, and Koforidua in 2023.
Challenge
Young people face the results of urban policy. They should help shape it.
As cities grow and change, young people are directly affected by decisions about the places, services and opportunities around them. Yet they are too often left out of shaping urban life. Their perspectives can be overlooked in planning, budgeting and governance, even when the decisions being made directly affect their lives. Meaningful participation can help cities respond to young people’s needs and aspirations while creating more inclusive, liveable communities for everyone.
Experience, partnerships and local networks built through OurCity can provide a foundation for Fondation Botnar’s new country-based ecosystem programmes.
Approach
Connecting young residents with the people who shape their city
OurCity works differently in each city, building on local realities, partners and existing structures. It connects young people with civil society, policymakers, innovators and other city stakeholders to identify priorities and shape projects, services and policies together. Local partners coordinate implementation and strengthen relationships and networks across the city, while young people take part in programme design and governance. Evidence and learning help understand what works and what can build a stronger foundation for longer-term collaboration.
This experience is helping inform Fondation Botnar’s evolving approach to supporting locally rooted ecosystems around young people.
Related articles
News
Fondation Botnar expands initiative to advance young people’s urban wellbeing to Ghana
Fondation Botnar adds the city of Koforidua in Ghana to its global OurCity initiative.
News
Fondation Botnar expands OurCity initiative to advance young people’s wellbeing in cities
Fondation Botnar adds Latin American cities Manta and Barranquilla to the global OurCity initiative.