On April 24th, 2024, the TRANSCEND project held a workshop in Mechelen where youth actively participated in shaping security strategies using methods from the TRANSCEND toolbox. This initiative is a key activity within the project’s Fighting Crime and Terrorism (FCT) pilot, which runs from December 2023 to December 2024 and is led by TRANSCEND partner, The European Forum for Urban Security (Efus).
Objectives of the FCT Pilot
The primary objective of the FCT pilot is to test the TRANSCEND project toolbox in a real-world setting, focusing on citizen involvement in decision-making processes related to urban security technologies. Specifically, the pilot aims to address issues of radicalisation and crime among vulnerable and/or marginalised youth in Mechelen. By doing so, it seeks to foster a more resilient and proactive approach to public safety. This involves creating a dialogue between local authorities, civil society organisations (CSOs), and the community to develop and implement effective and accepted security measures.
Engaging the Youth
The success of the pilot relies on the active participation of all stakeholders, especially the youth, who are often the most affected by issues of crime and radicalisation. The pilot seeks to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility among community members by engaging them in meaningful dialogue and collaborative design processes.
The role of youth work organisations has been crucial to engaging youth in pilot activities. These organisations often have close relationships with vulnerable and/or marginalised young people based on trust that has been established across time.
The TRANSCEND workshop with youth utilised the expertise of youth workers in Mechelen to organise the pilot workshop, ensuring an accessible format by creating a safe space for open dialogue. It also emphasised relevance to the specific needs and concerns of young people by facilitating the sharing of personal experience with crime and radicalisation.
The Workshop
The workshop employed two of the participatory design methods from the TRANSCEND project toolbox, including:
- Focus Group Discussions: Aimed at gathering detailed insights on specific topics. Small groups of youth participants discussed their experiences and perspectives, facilitated by trained moderators. This method helped uncover nuanced views and ideas that might not have emerged in larger settings.
- World Café: This format encouraged larger group conversations where the youth participants moved between tables to discuss different aspects of a topic. It fostered a dynamic and collaborative environment where the youth could share and build on each other’s ideas.
The workshop with the youth is not an isolated activity but a continuous engagement that extends beyond the TRANSCEND project. The perspectives and results gathered from the youth are intended to inform policymakers in their city. These methods not only helped gather valuable insights but also served to empower the young people by giving them a stake in their community’s safety and security. During this workshop, youth workers also gained valuable insights from youngsters about their perceptions of security technologies. One of the outcomes of the discussion resulted in the fact that a meeting between the young people, coordinated by the city of Mechelen and youth workers, should be organised with the mayor to share their experiences during the workshop and discuss the outcomes. This will, in the future, potentially ensure their concerns are taken into account. The project created the opportunity by having these discussions with the youth around security technologies and the topics that recently arose, such as online hate speech and its potential to lead to radicalisation. The methods of the TRANSCEND toolbox helped create this scenario and enhance discussions and reflections regarding these issues.
These methods not only helped to gather valuable insights but also served to empower the young people by giving them a stake in their community’s safety and security.
Key Learnings
The FCT pilot represents a significant step towards more inclusive and democratic approaches to urban security. By involving the community, particularly vulnerable youth, the pilot aims to develop more effective and accepted security measures. Key learnings from the pilot include:
- Concerns of Youth about Security Technologies: Youth participants expressed concerns about privacy, the potential for misuse of surveillance technologies, and the need for transparent implementation processes. Their feedback emphasized the importance of designing technologies that respect individual privacy while enhancing security.
- Best Practices for Engaging Youth: Successful engagement strategies included creating safe and inclusive dialogue spaces, using relatable and accessible language, and ensuring that activities were co-designed with youth input. Building trust through continuous involvement and follow-up on youth suggestions was also crucial.
Additional Activities and Broader Community Involvement in the FCT Pilot
In addition to engaging youth, the FCT pilot includes several other activities aimed at better understanding how to engage citizens in fighting crime and terrorism technology research. A second workshop focusing on youth workers will be implemented this autumn, examining perspectives from the viewpoint of youth workers and making the workshop more inclusive and open to an external public.
Efus also aims to include other cities and regions in the FCT pilot, allowing them to provide feedback and share best practices based on their unique experiences. These contributions will enrich the pilot, ensuring that the developed strategies are adaptable and beneficial across different urban contexts.
The success of the pilot relies on the active participation of all stakeholders, especially the youth, who are often the most affected by issues of crime and radicalisation. The pilot fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility among community members by engaging them in meaningful dialogue and collaborative design processes.
Written by Bamba Niang, European Forum for Urban Security (Efus).
If you would like to learn more about this work, please feel free to contact us at contact@transcend-project.eu.
