The City we want

Activity: this is a creative thinking exercise where participants are asked to reflect on the current situation of their cities and how it could change: is their city close to young people?
What are the opportunities for change?
The change process is visualized and presented in a creative way.

The goal of this activity is to promote the idea that young people have power in decision making process and participation is a right and duty of every community member.

Time: 90 minutes.

Step 1

Materials: large sheets of paper, pencils, pens and markers, materials for a collage, for example coloured paper, magazines, twigs, rice, beans, dead leaves, shells, drinking straws, scissors, glue and tape, pictures or photographs.

Step 2

Instructions:
1) Organise participants in small groups (4-5 people);
2) Explain the activity: each group is asked to make a collage using available materials in 30 minutes;
3) Ask participants to reflect on how/if their cities are close to them and support their dreams, their personal and professional development. What is working and what is not? Who is taking decisions?
4) Then move to the concept that everything is possible asking questions such as: do you have a dream or image for your city of the future? How might you redesign, improve, change your city?
5) Ask them to compose the city of the future, the city close to young people.
6) When the work is done, ask each group in turn to present their plan focusing on what their would like to change.

Step 3

Debriefing: after the presentations stimulate an open discussion on:
− how the participants worked together;
− similarities and differences in their views and needs;
− what opportunities they have to influence the democratic processes which shape their cities and lives.