The swimming pool

Activity: this is a role play activity where participants will exercise their ability to negotiate / facilitate an agreement during a meeting and also to communicate effectively in general with policy makers and others with decision making roles.

Time: 40 minutes.

Materials: worksheets with role descriptions: representative of a youth association and local councillor.
Swimming Pool Role Descriptions

YouthMetre can be classified as an eParticipation tool, as it enables its users to be informed, inspired, connected and empowered. YouthMetre promotes dialogue and sharing of best practices. By using it, people can get new knowledge, but also skills that can help them to easily and actively participate in the public sphere.

Further reading on online democracy and some best practices

Step 1

This activity deals with how to effectively address authorities and thus have an impact on shaping youth strategy locally, in your region and country and even at EU level.

Public authorities can also be proactive and take a look at and analyse the data, maps, ideas and good practices and in an ideal case create their policies on the basis of feedback/findings received through YouthMetre and in dialogue with youth.

Understand effective advocacy online: In order to express your rights, to ameliorate your conditions, to activate your community, or simply to advance your ideas, you should be an active advocate, both for your community and yourself. The question is how can you become an effective advocate?

You need to use the right tools and methodologies to carry out successful advocacy campaign.

Step 2

There are four aspects to consider for advocacy
1. Policy Monitoring and Public Accountability
2. Keep calm and continue to advocate
3. Are the goals of your advocacy achievable?
4. Using the YouthMetre e-portal

To address this, the objectives of the YouthMetre are as follows:
– Enhance knowledge and understanding of the evolution of Research and Campaigning + Key challenges
– Increase the ability to think critically and analytically
– Develop certain practical skills to research in the field of youth policy.

Step 3

Instructions:
a. Introduce the activity, explaining the objectives that are associated with the role-play activity and the situation.
b. Organise participants into two groups and provide each of them with a role description, half of them will be politicians and the other half of the group will play the role of representatives of a youth association.
c. Give the group 7 minutes to conduct the role play and then ask them to switch the roles they play for other 7 minutes.

Debriefing: after the role play activities, stimulate an open discussion on how the participants felt to be in the shoes of….

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