A space for debate and for coming up with initiatives and solutions aimed at improving the situation of young people in the city.
The first stage of the Fòrum is now complete; the key issues on which concrete proposals need to be put forward have been defined, and those proposals will be included in the City Council’s Pla d’Adolescència i Joventut de Barcelona 2022-2030 [Plan for Adolescence and Youth] together with other initiatives.
During the months of July and September this first stage of the Fòrum Jove BCN took place at the Fabra i Coats Art Factory. It was divided into four sessions, and the aim was to provide answers to the following question: What would you need to build your life project in Barcelona? Taking this question as a starting point, the young people participating had to decide what factors most urgently needed to be debated with a view to being able to develop concrete proposals to be included in the City Council’s Pla d’Adolescència i Joventut de Barcelona 2022-2030 together with other initiatives.
A process based on diversity
Using different methodologies, 99 young people aged between 16 and 29 were chosen to take part in the deliberation stage, which is now complete.First of all, 20,000 young people were pre-selected using a lottery system, and letters were sent out inviting them to participate.
More than 1,600 responded to say that they would be interested in taking part, and the final participants were selected using criteria based on gender and inclusivity. “I was absolutely sure I wanted to take part. When they’re devising polices aimed at young people, the best thing to do is to actually ask young people what they need, what they want, what they long for….” said Alejandro Bordanove, a 26-year-old actor from the Les Corts neighbourhood.
The aim was to form a group that was as representative as possible of the social realities of young people in the city. “In creating a deliberative assembly by using a lottery system we’ve ensured gender parity, diversity in terms of socio-economic and cultural background, and the representation of the different districts of the city. A goal that’s difficult to achieve in other deliberative processes, so this is a great success,” explains Orland Blasco from the Active Democracy and Decentralisation Department.
“As a thank you for effort made, and to encourage participation, the young people are receiving a payment for the debate sessions they’ve taken part in. We also set up a childcare space, to facilitate work life balance and ensure maximum plurality.
Although the aim of the assembly was to reflect diversity among young people, in the opinion of 27-year-old Judith Aguilar from the Camp d’en Grassot i Gràcia Nova neighbourhood, there is still some way to go: “All of those who received an invitation letter have a home, we’re on the electoral roll, and our papers are in order, so we’re debating from a privileged position – but what about those young people who don’t have any papers?”.
Defining the agenda, the first stage of the Fòrum Jove BCN
During this first stage, the young people were seated at tables in groups of 10 in order to reflect and exchange ideas about the issues and problems that most affect them: education, jobs, housing, the struggle against discrimination, health, etc. A facilitator from the city council provided guidance and support, helping participants to take decisions as a group.
“As I’m so young I never thought I’d be given an opportunity like this. And the truth is, I’m really making the most of it. It’s an experience that a lot of people should try,” said Leonor Muñoz, a second year baccalaureate student from the Vall d’Hebron district.
There was a lot of diversity in each small debate group, but everyone freely expressed their ideas and concerns. All opinions received a hearing. And furthermore, when it came down to the final choice of issues, some participants put the needs of others before their own.
After the debate, a representative from each table voted and outlined the issues that were of the greatest concern. Those that received the highest number of votes are the ones that will be worked on throughout the Fòrum Jove BCN, and these were: independence (how might the City Council train, support and help young people to become independent by the age of 27, despite socio-economic limitations?), education (how might the City Council provide a value-based careers guidance service that takes professional, academic and emotional factors into account both at the educational stage and beyond?) and mental health (how might the City Council, raise awareness of and normalise mental health issues, and provide resources to support the mental and emotional health of young people throughout Barcelona?).
Mental health, one of the issues that are of most concern to young people
“My main worry is mental health, because I’ve had lots of problems since I was small which have led to a lot of emotional problems throughout my life. And unfortunately we’re not taught about these things!” complained Andreu Palomero, a 23-year-old newsagent from the Zona Franca district.
And he added: “Housing and work are important, but if everything else is OK, you’ll always have a job and somewhere to live”. Judith Aguilar shared his concerns, “Mental health issues lead to a lot of discrimination. And this ends up being an obstacle when it comes to finding work and enjoying leisure spaces in Barcelona. And that’s unacceptable.”
Alejandro Bordanove, on the other hand, would like to see another problem being addressed, “As an actor I have to say that one of the things that most worry me about this Fòrum is seeing how little interest most people have in culture. Critical thinking is something that’s developed through theatre, cinema and books, and this is what helps society itself to develop. To me it’s alarming that culture doesn’t appear to have any relevance for young people.”
What will the next stages in the process be?
Once the needs of the young participants in the Fòrum Jove BCN have been identified, from October onwards we will be moving on to the “In-depth Exploration of Issues”, the second stage of the debate that is aimed at the generation of proposals, during which questions raised about independence, education and mental health will be answered with the help of experts who will be chosen by the participants themselves.
Once the final recommendations have been presented to the City Council, the “Accountability” stage will commence, which will monitor the response to the conclusions reached, and the practical initiatives that might be included in the Pla d’Adolescència i Joventut 2022-2030 and other City Council initiatives. “I’d never taken part in a process like this one. I think it’s a great opportunity for both young people and for the City of Barcelona,” said Anna Giménez, a student of Educational Science from the Font de la Guatlla neighbourhood in the Sants-Montjuïc district.
Citizens’ assemblies: a democratic mechanism used all around the world
The formula of citizens’ assemblies, made up of people chosen by using a lottery system to develop policy recommendations and proposals has long been used in other countries at both national and local level. “The UK, Denmark and France have all convened assemblies in search of solutions to climate change. And in Ireland they’ve done the same when addressing issues such as the legalisation of abortion. Now it’s our turn to involve young people in the generation of public policies that will lead to a better future for them”, said Orland Blasco.
“I have every confidence that this whole process will be a success, and that our proposals will be incorporated into municipal policies in the coming years. If this doesn’t happen, I’ll be deeply disillusioned and disappointed”, concluded Alejandro Bordanove during one of the Fòrum Jove BCN sessions.