Seven focus groups completed across four PARTICIPA countries

As part of the PARTICIPA research phase, partners carried out seven focus groups in Croatia, Cyprus, Italy and Romania, involving a total of 35 municipality officers and local government representatives working with youth councils.

The focus groups explored the everyday realities of supporting youth councils: the role of municipality officers, cooperation with young people, institutional and administrative barriers, communication practices, digital tools, motivation and inclusion, as well as the skills and support officers need to strengthen meaningful youth participation.

Using a shared research protocol across all four countries allowed the partnership to compare experiences while still capturing the specificities of each national and local context. The discussions complemented the national desk research and helped connect formal legal and institutional frameworks with what actually happens in practice.

The insights collected through the focus groups will become an important foundation for the PARTICIPA MOOC for municipality officers, ensuring that its content responds to real challenges, learning needs and working conditions identified by the people directly involved in supporting youth councils.