Youth 2030 Movement is a Swedish NGO that strives to break down barriers between young people and decision makers. Its mission is to foster a more inclusive democratic system in which young people play an integral role, while also changing societal perceptions of power and age. To achieve these aims, Youth 2030 focuses on co-creating solutions with young people and decision makers and advocates for national systemic changes, such as lowering the voting age. As of 2022, the organisation was active in 27 Swedish municipalities, primarily in rural areas.

Youth Up North is one of Youth 2030's key initiatives. It aims to find solutions for more vibrant rural areas together with young people, to reverse negative demographic trends and build stronger community bonds with young people. Through collaboration with civil society organisations, local businesses and municipal bodies, new methods for youth engagement have been developed and implemented. Young people identified problems that needed to be addressed; the solutions were co-created between decision makers and young people. Central to this work has been to create meeting places to enable direct interaction between young people and decision makers and build solid structures for strengthening youth influence. 

Within the scope of the Youth Up North project, three participating municipalities (Arjeplog, Dorotea and Boden) have employed young people as youth coordinators. Their task is to enhance youth participation by developing engagement methods, establishing platforms for youth to participate and express their opinions, as well as implementing youth-centred activities and initiatives. That may also extend to running hackathons and workshops aimed at developing solutions. The focus is on supporting the co-creation of stronger and more vibrant communities, therefore pushing for change of systems from which young people are currently excluded.    

     

To ensure the project's success at the local level, a cross-sectoral local steering group has been established in each municipality. The group meets regularly and is comprised of leading politicians, municipal management, the youth coordinator and other relevant decision makers, along with a representative from the Youth 2030 network. This collaboration platform is designed to maintain open dialogue and effectively implement the proposed solutions at all levels of the municipality. For further details and results, please consult the final report of the project (Youth 2030 Movement, 2023).