Participation of young people from Pécsvárad in municipal youth activism and voluntary work

Miklós László

Abstract

The future of a community majorly depends on its young people. They will be the long-term users of the spaces and services developed by the municipality, and helping them to stay and thrive is one of the most important tasks of local decision-makers. Therefore it is vital to create local oppurtunities for youth activism. As youth actiwism can be interpreted in many different ways, the aim of this case study is to present a segment of local/municipal youth activism in Pécsvárad – in an unique context – organised by the Youth for Participation Association, established in 2011. In the first part of the paper, will introduce the Youth for Participation Association and its close relationship with the Pécsvárad Youth Municipality. On the one hand, the study describes in detail how this relationship has evolved in the course of more than two decades of work. I also describe how a small local community has developed into an association and the role of volunteering in local youth work.

Keywords: municipality, youth work, volunteering, youth municipality