Child in the City World Conference 2023 – introducing…Nada Taha Ali Mohamed
As we build towards our flagship conference, Child in the City is previewing some of our scheduled speakers, with a mixture of Q&As and features. Today we feature Nada Taha Ali Mohamed, Head of Junges Wien – ‘Young Vienna’.
The Participatory Children and Youth Million is one of no fewer than 193 separate initiatives within the Vienna Children and Youth Strategy 2020-2025. And it’s perhaps the perfect example for municipalities everywhere on how engaging with local youth can bring about truly diverse new ideas which could potentially work for future generations.
“This project empowers children and young individuals aged 5-20 to share their ideas publicly and have a say in how to allocate €1,000,000 from the city’s budget,” says Nada (above). What is more, she intends to use this year’s Child in the City International Conference to showcase the Participatory Children and Youth Million of Vienna as a model of successful youth engagement in a city as populous as Vienna.
“In a city which has some two million residents, and within the true spirit of participation and democracy, we think it is crucial to prioritise the inclusion of all children and young people and their ideas, adds Nada.
“The initial phase occurred in 2021/2022 when young participants publicly submitted more than 250 ideas through an online platform, and these ideas were received, assessed and evaluated by city leaders.”
‘A project showcasing the value of youth participation’
And in an effort to enhance collaboration and decision-making, young people and administrators got their heads together in a series of workshops to refine specific projects based on these ideas.
Nada says: “Subsequently, all young residents of Vienna aged 5-20 were encouraged to participate in a public online vote to determine which projects would receive funding from the €1,000,000 budget. Currently, we are in the process of implementing the top 20 winning projects from the previous round.”
Clearly, this is a project that truly showcases the value of youth participation in the democratic arena – and you can hear more about it when Nada gives her presentation in Brussels.
