CLLD and Youth

Shaping the future locally: How the CLLD approach empowers youth in the border region

In the Interreg Italy-Austria programme, the “Community-Led Local Development” (CLLD) approach is a key instrument for anchoring development directly within local communities. This bottom-up approach proves to be particularly effective in addressing the needs of young people and promoting their active participation. The initiatives cover a broad spectrum – from political education and social inclusion to strengthening regional identity. Whether in past or ongoing projects, the examples from the programme’s four CLLD areas demonstrate the breadth of youth support:

• In the Dolomiti Live area, projects like the “Sommercampus” (Summer Campus) promoted exchange between children across the border through joint holiday camps. The current project “Demokratie: hin zu verantwortungsvollen Bürger:innen – Wissen und Beteiligung” (Democracy: towards responsible citizens – knowledge and participation) provides young people with the tools to actively engage with politics through interactive formats, while the project “Grenzen überwinden” (Overcoming Borders) strengthens school partnerships through creative workshops.
• In the Terra Raetica area, projects like “Aufwind” (Tailwind) and “Horizont2” support young people in challenging life situations with targeted experiential-educational activities and learning cafés; the project “Volontariat im Zivilschutz” (Volunteering in Civil Protection) connects young members of volunteer fire brigades across borders. The already completed project “MoJa” (Mobile Youth Work) expanded mobile youth work to reach young people directly in their own environment.
• In the Wipptal valley, the project “Zeitreise.Schätze.Wipptal” (Time Travel.Treasures.Wipptal) made the shared history of the valley tangible for young people. The project “Grenzenlos spielen” (Playing without Borders), in turn, brought together different generations and origins in joint, pedagogically supervised game meetings to playfully overcome barriers.
• In the HEurOpen area, initiatives like “BIKE FUN IST (S)C(H)OOL!” brought together students from Carinthia and Friuli. During joint activity days, they explored the neighbouring region by bicycle, building personal relationships that extend beyond everyday school life.

These examples show that the CLLD approach makes it possible to respond flexibly and according to need to the topics that matter to young people, giving them the opportunity to actively shape their own future.