Youth participation at local governance: generational clashes and future oriented strategies

Youth participation plays a crucial role in local governance. However, there is a challenge that pre-election campaigns and municipal strategies need to reflect the interests of youth or challenges. A new Local Government Law (2022) has been adopted in Latvia, introducing new mechanisms for public participation. The new law observes municipal work with youth as an autonomous function of the local government. So, the law requires at least involving young people in the consultation process in the local decision-making process. Meanwhile, middle-aged and senior Latvian are more likely to participate in elections, thus under-representing youngsters. Therefore, it is essential to discover the current practice of municipalities in managing work with youth and what attempts municipalities make to activate youngsters and make them partners in decision-making. The article provides several examples of whether local governments were ready to involve youth, what has been done to ensure youth participation in local decision-making, and the effects on local governance that youth participation creates. The study covers 42 local governments in Latvia established after 2021 with a focus on new participations modes and mechanisms specially tailored to increase the activity of youngsters in the regional affairs.