We Do Democracy publishes the methodology report “Youth Influence”. The report provides inspiration and help on how practitioners can ensure the involvement of a broad group of young people who can make real impact on the decisions they are involved in.
Fortunately, there are many who want to involve young voices more in the decisions made in municipalities, educational institutions and local democracy. At the same time, many struggle with how good youth engagement is carried out in practice. To explore this intersection, we conducted We Do Democracy, in collaboration with Tuborg Foundation and five municipalities, held a youth gathering in 2025 for 60 young people aged 15-25. In the youth gathering, we used different approaches that we thought would have an impact on influence, engagement and recruitment.
In collaboration with the evaluation company Social Respons we have gathered the most important learnings and tools from the project. In the report the learnings compiled into general principles and concrete tools for practitioners to use when engaging a broad group of young people.
Main points
- Youth engagement requires that young people can influence on the decisions they are involved in. This can be ensured through a signed mandate and stronger connections between decision-makers and young people.
- Involving young people from the target group early on increases the recruitment base because they can correct the language, your perceptions of the target group, communication platforms used and identify the value proposition for young people in the project.
- Think of youth engagement as a balancing scale. When engaging young people, it’s important to make it clear what you can offer in return for their work. Whether it’s the influence itself, a weekend away, a salary, experience, new friends, a good experience with a friend or something else entirely.
- A stratified draw can ensure space for young people who don’t usually participate; 40% of the members of the Youth Citizen Gathering said they had only little little or no experience with participating to make an impact.
- The social opportunities of participating in an engagement project with other young people is one of the main reasons to join. Use it in recruitment and make room for it in facilitating the process.
- Work with dedication to create safety. Young people are different and not all young people thrive in large social spaces. Think about how you can support them in your project through family groups, buddy systems or caregivers who can concentrate on socializing.
- Accommodate different preferences by using different paces and work styles, especially when planning entire work days. Find places in the program where participants can choose between different work styles based on temperament.
Read more about the project here.
Download the report here.
On February 24, 2026, We Do Democracy hosted a webinar on the recommendations and insights from Young Influence. Watch a recording of the webinar here:
Contact us:
Senior Consultant Kolja Dahlin
kolja@wedodemocracy.dk