Regional Sustainability Influencer Academy (INFLUENCE)

Young people are most affected by the long-term consequences of regional plans, and yet their opportunities to meaningfully participate in regional development and decision-making remain limited. Tried and tested models for incorporating young people’s voices into planning processes from the very outset are lacking both in Latvia and elsewhere in Europe.

The INFLUENCE project establishes and pilots the Regional Sustainability Influencer Academy – a year-long programme for young people aged 18–25 in Southwest Finland and the Vidzeme region in Latvia. In Vidzeme, participants will actively contribute to the development of the next regional development programme, planning how Vidzeme can develop sustainably in environmental, social and economic terms. In Southwest Finland, academy participants will contribute to the implementation of the region’s climate roadmap. The academy will bring together lectures, excursions, workshops and expert discussions, enabling young people to have a real impact on the future of their region – all the more timely as the development of the Vidzeme Regional Development Programme is set to begin soon.

As a result of the project, an active group of young people will emerge in Vidzeme, having gained an understanding of how citizens can influence municipal and regional decisions, and having acquired various forms of civic engagement. From the academy’s experience, a model will be developed that other regions can adopt and use. In this way, an approach will be established in which young people’s voices are heard and taken into account from the very beginning of the planning process.

Foto: Klāvs Vasiļevskis