Strengthening the Youth-Work in Shrinking Cities

The project “Strengthening the role of youth work in contesting dynamics of shrinking cities” aims to raise the capacities of youth workers, educators, and trainers in shrinking cities. With the term “shrinking cities” are intended urban areas which have witnessed a population shrinkage, related to trends of migration from small and medium-sized cities, caused by lack of working opportunities and social infrastructure.

During the project, the partners conducted research and provided information about shrinking cities and relation to the youth in their countries and mapped the shrinking cities phenomenon in each of the selected countries, along with studies of successful youth work practices contesting their unfavourable dynamics.

As a result, the partners produced a toolkit, which would serve as a guide for future work of youth in shrinking cities, helping the youth workers to advocate and implement selected examples of good practice in their local community, and increasing the public awareness about the issue of shrinking cities as a common European phenomenon.

The project was implemented from August 2018 until December 2020 by eight partner organizations: Documenta – Centar za suočavanje s prošlošću (Croatia); Croatian Youth Network (Croatia); Culture Goes Europe (Germany); EJBW (Germany); UMAR (Portugal); YouthCoop (Portugal); Asociación Caminos (Spain); Colegio Oficial de Doctores y Licenciados en Ciencias Políticas y Sociología de Andalucía (Spain).

The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.