GUSP Colloquium 10/25/2019

Fri, October 25, 2019 11:00 AM - Fri, October 25, 2019 12:00 PM at 457 Berkey Hall

ABSTRACT
Young women and men are vital partners for democracy and development in the urban context: they possess the creativity and knowledge necessary to drive positive social transformations conducive to social inclusion and innovation. Youth participation in the local governments strengthens the democracy, increases civic culture and active citizenship, and builds a social capital which contributes to creating safe, livable and sustainable cities. In this context, the city youth councils are the unique mechanisms in the cities which gives an opportunity to young people from diverse ethnic, cultural, and language backgrounds – have a “seat at the table” in their cities and towns to be an active part of the local decision-making processes regarding urban life including urban rules and regulations; urban planning and design; basic services; housing; community safety; governance and municipal finance; and designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating social projects, programs and policies at the city level.

In the presentation, Ahmet Soguktas will discuss the results of a joint report between the United Nations Human Settlement Programme and UNESCO on the global models of the city youth councils. The report acts in concordance with the United Nations 2030 Youth Strategy, particularly its initial priority, by aiming to provide assistance to strengthen youth engagement mechanisms in the urban context.