Partnerships for Participation aims to increase the quality and quantity of young people’s participation in the democratic life of ten communities in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America through building genuine and sustainable partnerships between young people, schools and local authorities. Youth participation is often tokenistic and targets only young adults with higher education, excluding those below 18 and those with fewer opportunities. We aim to show that children have a lot to contribute if only they are empowered and listened to. The project includes 10 EVS volunteers who will support the ten local Partnerships for Participation and will have the opportunity to increase their competencies in-depth as part of a global group. The project will comprise six key activities:1) Volunteer meeting in Bolivia to:• Train EVS and local volunteers in participation approaches• Design research methodology and local project plans• Prepare the EVS projects together with EVS and local volunteers (incl. sharing of expectations, intercultural training, learning about host organisations, reviewing activity plans)2) 10 EVS volunteers spending 11 months in one of the partner organisations to increase their intercultural and language competencies, gain valuable new skills and support the local Partnerships for Participation3) Research and evaluation of existing participation approaches as well as developing inclusive new ones to be disseminated widely4) Local partnership projects between youth groups and schools/ local authorities 5) Training Course in Brussels involving 30 young people to:• Share the results of their research on participation• Develop new approaches to youth participation in schools and local authorities• Plan how to train decision-makers in meaningful participation• Share approaches to participation with EU, AU, ASEAN and OAS officials to transfer their experiences to the regional level6) Participation toolkit. The toolkit will include educational materials on youth participation in decision-making and training tools for young people to train decision-makers. It will be available in English, Spanish, German and French. Expected Impact• Hundreds of young people in 10 communities empowered to engage in local decision-making processes• 10 genuine partnerships with schools and local authorities • Awareness raised on the benefits of youth participation• New participation approaches developed• Decision-makers trained in the benefits of youth participation and motivated to involve young people with fewer opportunities more effectively• Participation toolkit in four languages• Strong network of EVS volunteers empowered to continue participation work in their sending organisations and with increased employability through new competencies• Internationalisation of youth organisations by working with an EVS volunteer from another continent and being part of a global project