SOCIETY

The initiative “Building Active Citizens: A Participatory Education Approach for Youth” aims to empower young people to become active and responsible citizens, capable of meaningfully participating in the planning of sustainable, resilient, and inclusive cities. Through experiential educational activities, engagement with real urban challenges, and collaboration with universities, scientific institutions, and public authorities, participants acquire knowledge, skills, and practical experience, contributing to the development and evaluation of proposals that can be incorporated into urban planning and decision-making processes.

Within this framework, the Municipality of Kifissia goes beyond simply providing educational activities for young people and develops a comprehensive and structured model of participatory education. Through this model, young people become active stakeholders in the planning and shaping of the urban environment, while also taking on the role of active observers of how the city functions. At the same time, they are given the opportunity to formulate and communicate their proposals and ideas to the relevant institutional stakeholders.

Through the implementation of real-life projects, workshops, competitions, and collaborations with the academic community and local society, young people actively participate in generating ideas and developing innovative solutions for the city. In this way, their participation goes beyond the level of education alone and becomes a meaningful process of active co-creation and engagement in contemporary urban life.

This model is implemented through the CITYREGEN, WalkShop, Kali Polis Project, and S.C.O.O.L. initiatives, which complement one another and operate as an integrated ecosystem of participatory education, fostering democratic participation, environmental awareness, and the active contribution of young people to sustainable urban development.

In addition, the participatory planning tool, understood as a co-design process, is also being employed within the framework of the European NEWEPOCH program. The program aims to improve the energy performance of a school complex through the application of innovative methodologies, while promoting the participation of students and the educational community in sustainable development activities. The renovated schools will subsequently serve as model energy-efficiency projects for other public facilities in Greece and abroad.

The activities are primarily aimed at lower and upper secondary school students, university students, young scientists, and, more broadly, young people interested in issues related to sustainability, sustainable urban planning, environmental protection, and active civic participation. At the same time, these activities generate significant benefits for the educational community, local government, and civil society. The ideas, proposals, and outcomes generated through the participation of young people are based on the city’s real needs and challenges, strengthening the connection between education and youth participation and local policy-making.

In this way, the outcomes produced can be utilized by the Municipality as a valuable tool for the design and implementation of evidence-based policies, actions, and interventions that contribute to sustainable urban development, improved quality of life, and the creation of a more resilient, inclusive, and participatory city. In other words, education is transformed into a tool for active civic engagement.

The initiative is implemented through a series of educational and participatory activities, workshops, competitions, and urban interventions carried out on an annual and semi-annual basis, with the continuous development and expansion of partnerships.