We recently had the wonderful opportunity to represent Cardiff Youth Council on a four- day exchange programme in our twin city Germany, Stuttgart. As Chair and Vice Chair of Cardiff Youth Council, we met members of the Stuttgart Youth Council, engaged in workshops sharing our views on local-decision making in our respective cities and immersed ourselves in German culture. Our stay consisted of a variety of workshops, exploring the city and strengthening our ties with the city youth council.
We also met youth council representatives from Lodz in Poland, Khmelnytskyi in Ukraine and St Helens. We worked through workshops concerning participation of young people in urban planning, collaboration between young people in twin cities and future youth-led projects. An example of a youth-led project Stuttgart has implemented are smart benches in green spaces which are a suitable place to relax and charge your phone all of which is solar-powered.
On the penultimate night of our stay we celebrated an amazing 30 years of the Stuttgart Youth Council in which we learnt of the youth council’s early beginnings and the way it has changed to how it operates today, hearing from previous members and a speech from the first mayor of Stuttgart, Dr. Fabian Mayer.
Overall, this exchange trip was hugely enriching, widening our insight into city planning and the power young people have to shape local politics and decision-making. The experience allowed me to meet like-minded young people and appreciate city council workers who dedicate their lives to empowering us on this journey.
Ashika Pennadam