Local democracy in the Northwest – young voices for the future of the city

The vision of RENTEN is, besides developing the Northwest within planetary boundaries, to ensure the well-being of the area and maintain a diverse neighborhood. As well-being and diversity are two core visions for our neighborhood, we were curious to hear some of the voices that are often overheard when making municipal and local political decisions. That’s why we reached out to local youth to hear their opinions on the North West. We wanted to find out what matters to young people in their local area, what their views are on ultra-local democracy – and their ideas on what could make the area a better place for young people to be.

The project is initiated by RENTEN in collaboration with We Do Democracy. The project is supported by the Tuborg Foundation and extends over the fall of 2025.
The project has two central purposes:

1. To map the hopes, dreams and concerns of young people (aged 15-30) in the North West for the future of the North West and present what the scope for action is to create local change.
2. To develop a manifesto documenting over 200 young people’s different key issues for the North West – which young people, volunteers and politicians can look towards to find out what matters to young people in the North West and where to take action.

In the project, we have worked closely with a youth working group composed of young people with a connection to the Northwest. They have helped target communication, conducted street interviews and co-developed the workshop format and roundtable.
The project has been in contact with over 200 young people with a connection to the Northwest through 4 workshops at educational institutions and a roundtable with politicians, youth and volunteers in the Northwest.

The project is ongoing and will end in December 2025, but we have already achieved the following results:

• A manifesto with key issues for a better Northwest for young people
• A roundtable with politicians, youth and volunteers with over 50 attendees
• Three young project workers who have been involved in the development and execution of the project, who can continue as democracy ambassadors in the Northwest neighborhood

Facts
Title: Local Democracy in the Northwest – Young Voices for the Future of the City
Period: September-December 2025
Support: Tuborgfondet
Number of young people: Over 200 young people in the Northwest
Method: Workshops, youth working group, street interviews
Deliverables: Roundtable, workshops and manifesto