Only 1 in 2 young people surveyed could identify at least three e-Government services. This was one of the findings of the E-GOV4YOUTH – Empowering Youth through e-Government: Bridging Engagement and Digital Governance project and a reminder that, even as public services become digitalised, awareness, skills and participation cannot be considered granted.
E-GOV4YOUTH brought together partners from Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Estonia, Bulgaria and Norway, with a shared objective, to help young people better understand and use digital public services and to strengthen their participation in public and local decision-making.
The project focused on narrowing digital skills gaps and promoting closer collaboration between young people and Public Administrations.
In Cyprus, the project formally concluded with a closing event held on 31 August at the Strovolos Cultural Centre, bringing together young people, professionals, public administration representatives and members of the wider community.
The event also hosted two guest speakers with complementary perspectives to the discussion. Mrs. Kyriaki Pantziarou, Director of Digital Policy and Communications at the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, who addressed Cyprus’s wider digital transition, and Mr. Christos Charalambous, Head of IT Infrastructure Services at the University of Cyprus, who shared perspectives on e-Government and digital transformation in higher education.
Throughout the project, the partnership moved from research to practical tools that can continue to be used beyond the project lifetime. The main results of the project were:
- a transnational Research Report examining the needs, expectations and challenges young people face in relation to e-Governance services,
- a Training Programme comprising six modules aimed at strengthening knowledge, civic engagement and e-Governance skills,
- an open-access MOOC, providing free access to the training material,
- the E-GOV4YOUTH Platform, designed as an interactive space where young people and Public Administrations can collaborate on initiatives for local community development,
- cooperation with local Public Administrations through Memoranda of Understanding, supporting continued engagement beyond the project.
The project also examined e-Government practices and youth participation across the six participating countries, helping identify common challenges and different levels of digital maturity and engagement.
For Vernian, one of the clearest messages from E-GOV4YOUTH is that digital transformation is not only about putting services online it is also about ensuring people have the skills, access, confidence and opportunities to participate.
As the project reaches its conclusion, its resources will remain available to young people, youth organisations, educators, Public Administrations and other stakeholders interested in digital participation and e-Governance.
Explore the project and its results: www.egov4youth.eu
E-GOV4YOUTH was funded with support from the European Commission under project number 2023-2-IT03-KA220-YOU-000177604.