Get Political: democracia impulsionada pelos jovens das zonas rurais

The GET Political project (No. 101183575), funded by the Erasmus+ KA3 programme ‘Support for Policy Development and Cooperation – European Youth Together (2021–2027)’, brings together several European partner organisations around a common objective: to strengthen young people’s active political participation through non-formal education. The Foyer Rural CEPAGE, a rural community centre based in Puget-Théniers in the Alpes-Maritimes, is one of the partners in this transnational consortium. As part of this initiative, it organised ‘political discussion workshops’ with groups of young people in several municipalities in the Haut-Var and the Pays de la Roudoule.

A política nas zonas rurais: um tema tabu?

Two sessions took place in January and February 2025 in Guillaumes and Puget-Théniers. In total, around ten young people aged between 15 and 27 took part — French nationals, but also young people from Armenia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Hungary and Chechnya. This geographical and cultural diversity greatly enriched the discussions. The political discussion workshops follow a non-formal education methodology structured in several stages: an introductory phase using open-ended questions, an exploration of political and electoral systems, and a creative reflection in which the young people devise alternatives based on their own experiences.

O que disseram os jovens

O valor das oficinas de debate político reside na liberdade de expressão que proporcionam. À pergunta ‘Como descreverias a política numa única palavra?’, as respostas foram tão variadas quanto reveladoras: caos, manipulação, propaganda, responsabilidade, desigualdade, violência legítima. Estas palavras refletem uma verdadeira desconfiança em relação às instituições, mas também uma consciência política muito mais apurada do que se poderia imaginar num contexto rural isolado.

When asked which politicians they recognised, the participants named Trump, Macron, Marine Le Pen, Viktor Orbán, Ramzan Kadyrov — and their village mayor. This juxtaposition of the very global and the very local says a great deal about how these young people perceive power. The question ‘Do you think leaders care about young people your age?’ received an almost unanimously negative response. ‘They never come to see us. They don’t speak to us in our language.’ Another participant pointed out that around 70 per cent of French people believe their government does not meet citizens’ expectations.

No entanto, não falta criatividade política a estes jovens. Entre as suas propostas para um mundo melhor estão: combater a corrupção, abolir fronteiras, baixar a idade de voto, realizar mais referendos, consagrar o direito ao aborto na Constituição, e tomar medidas urgentes em matéria de ambiente. Algumas destas propostas estão diretamente ligadas a debates parlamentares da atualidade.

These same young people have continued to be involved in the project, which has enabled them, thanks to European funding, to visit various local, regional and national institutions in France and in Athens, Greece. As a result, many of the negative perceptions of politics have shifted thanks to the European Union’s direct involvement in the participants’ non-formal education. Many felt a sense of responsibility to make a real impact through politics and to get involved in their communities, whether formally or informally. Thus, the strength of this project lies not only in its ability to get to the heart of the matter when working with these particularly vulnerable groups, but also in its ability to bring about a genuine shift in the thinking of young people in rural areas, with a view to encouraging them to become actively involved in politics at all levels.

Educação através do debate

Political discussion workshops embody a learning approach that formal education often struggles to replicate: starting from young people’s own perspectives, challenging them with open-ended questions, and allowing them to form their own views. The facilitator does not simply impart fixed knowledge — they create a space for collective reflection. This method forms part of a wider programme, comprising the production of political Peddy Papers in local and European institutions, the development of a Guide to Political and Electoral Systems, and the publication of a Methodology Handbook for the Political Peddy Paper, which documents and disseminates the practices developed throughout the project.

Um projeto europeu, uma realidade local

O Get Political recorda-nos que a participação cívica não se aprende apenas nas instituições: também ganha raízes nas salas polivalentes dos centros comunitários rurais, à volta de uma mesa, quando finalmente damos voz a quem se sente esquecido nos grandes processos de tomada de decisão.

O Foyer Rural CEPAGE é parceiro do projeto GET Political — Promover a Participação Ativa dos Jovens nos Processos Políticos e Eleitorais através da Literacia e do Conhecimento Político (Erasmus+ KA3, ref. 101183575, 2024–2026).