Development of a self-assessment tool to measure adolescent and youth participation in public life within a country

• Beneficiary: Institute for Social Research in Zagreb
• Financed by: UNICEF
• Duration: January 2022 - January 2023

This project aims to develop a self-assessment tool/scale to profile and youth participation in public life within Croatia. This tool aims to help governments and other stakeholders understand the current level of youth participation in a country, identify strengths and obstacles, and help to design policy solutions to address them. The project will define a conceptual framework, propose a methodology for developing, testing/refining, and rolling out the tool. The methodology includes how young people will participate in its design, development and implementation, including creative ways to engage young people beyond the typical roles (for example, not just as data providers, but also data collectors for indicators, etc.) at all levels. A secondary aim of this tool is to encourage the government to work more closely with young people to understand the state of youth participation in a country.

Within the project the tool will be tested in the Croatian context by using quantitative and qualitative research methods. Using Croatia as a test case, the project will provide recommendations and suggestions the tool can be used in other national contexts.