interSectIonal iNClusion in delibeRation and participatiON with Youth

SINCRONY aims to ensure the meaningful inclusion of youth who experience social disadvantage and marginalisation in deliberative and participatory processes (DPP). The project will target the factors and processes responsible for reproducing political inequalities in youth engagement in deliberative and participatory processes based on intergenerational and intragenerational power imbalances and youth intersectional positionalities. The goal is to offer policymakers, public servants, researchers, teachers, youth workers, facilitators of deliberative processes, and youth CSOs concrete instruments, guidelines, and solutions to renovate deliberative and participatory practices implemented in public governance and schools. The consortium of nine partners, consisting of seven universities, the ALDA European network of local democracies, and an SME focusing on communication and dissemination, will contribute multidisciplinary and multi-methodological expertise in psychology, education, sociology, political science, gender studies, social research, intersectionality, and media analysis. A Stakeholders’ Collaborative Network, including expert advisors, local municipality representatives, schools, civil society, and youth organisations, will also be engaged throughout the project. Together, they will: (a) enhance the inclusivity of deliberative practices in two local municipalities (in Italy and Finland); (b) design, test, and deliver an innovative, co-constructed intersectional approach called the Intersectional Participatory Action Research-and-Deliberation, piloted in seven local municipalities and four schools (in Italy, Portugal, the UK, and Denmark); (c) design participatory formats; (d) create tools; (e) define ethical guidelines. By improving the democratic quality, inclusiveness, effectiveness, and legitimacy of deliberative and participatory processes, the project will contribute to greater social justice for all youth.