In our previous blog post, we provided a glimpse into the enriching experience of the Oslo Summer School, which unfolded through study visits, hands-on work with Oslo’s youth, and cross-learning activities among partners. Today, we invite you to delve deeper into the results of one of the cross-learning sessions, reflecting on the methods and approaches that create value in the context of Urban Living Labs (ULLs) focused on youth.
The consortium members established three primary goals for the ULLs in Panevėžys (Lithuania), Oslo (Norway), Rotterdam (Netherlands), and Vienna (Austria):
- To make Urban Living Lab a contact zone between diverse urban stakeholders.
- To achieve high youth engagement.
- To experiment with placemaking practices.
The cross-learning session aimed to share approaches and methods currently contributing to these goals in different contexts, with the potential for application elsewhere.
Insights on Making ULL a Contact Zone:
- Importance of Physical Space: Identify a shared aim for a physical space of interest, fostering interaction among stakeholders, including youth, municipal workers, and local communities.
- Meeting Youth Where They Are: Initiate connections with youth in environments they frequent, such as schools or youth centers.
- Coordination and Communication: Establish clear roles of the different members of the ULL – in particular youth, employees of the municipality and coordinating organisation – ensuring inclusive communication and a designated contact person for the youth.
- Activities, Fostering Dialogue Between Youth and Municipality: Promote activities facilitating exchange and dialogue between the municipality and youth.
Insights on Achieving High Youth Engagement:
- Identify Thematic Areas: Understand the areas of interest for the youth and plan activities around those themes, such as sports, food and drink, or street art.
- Clarity. Design activities with clear goals, explaining them easily.
- Fun and Motivation: Ensure that activities are fun and enjoyable, find ways to motivate youth (including financial retribution if appropriate).
- Expert Involvement: Consider involving experts in fields of interest to the youth, enhancing engagement.
Insights on Experimenting with Placemaking Practices:
- Embodied Exploration: Engage senses beyond sight through urban exploration activities, encouraging youth to experience places in unconventional ways.
- Trying Something New: Introduce tools and activities uncommon in daily life, such as vintage audio / video equipment, fostering a spirit of experimentation among youth.
- Interactive Installations: Create interactive installations in public spaces, encouraging youth and citizens to interact with their surroundings in novel and enjoyable ways.
- Storytelling: Strengthen community ties within ULLs by employing storytelling techniques, allowing participants to personally engage and build common narratives.
In summary, the cross-learning session not only provided valuable insights into achieving project goals, but may offer practical guidance for all those involved with youth in urban settings. Meanwhile, as the project journey continues, these preliminary insights will be extended and enriched based on upcoming partners’ experiences during their ULLs .
By Eglė Vitkutė (Xwhy)