The “#YoshStan: Raising Youth Voices in Local Decision-Making” project is the EU supported, a 24-month program which aims to strengthen the collaboration between youth CSOs and local authorities in the target areas of Asaka raion in Andijan Oblast to contribute to inclusive governance. Projects started in October 2019 and ended in April 2022.
The project was based on the intervention logic that if civil society and local governments collaborate to promote youth-inclusive decision making, and if a supportive social environment for youth participation is fostered at the community level, then more inclusive youth policies will lead to enhanced governance and development at the local level.
The project successfully facilitated the cooperation between youth and local authorities in target communities and provided a basis for youth involvement in decision-making processes. First, separate and joint trainings were conducted for youth and local authorities to enhance their cooperation by increasing youth awareness about the roles of different local authorities and by improving the skills of local authorities when working with youth. Second, town-hall meetings served as a discussion platform between local authorities and youth, where youth had a chance to explain their needs and grievances. Such events increased the confidence of youth in communication with local authorities and non-governmental organizations and on the other hand, local authorities reported greater confidence in strengthening youth policies. Project activities enhanced cooperation between youth CSOs and local authorities during the activities of mini-grants where youth closely cooperated with local authorities in implementing their projects. Youth showed strong motivation and aspiration to contribute to community wellbeing which in turn improved the attitude of local governments to youths’ initiatives. As it was noted by respondents, youth demonstrated their potential to participate in local decision-making processes which increased attention of local authorities towards their needs. Thus, trust between youth and local governments was improved.
