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City-Led Youth Engagement in Addressing Hate, Extremism and Polarisation: 10 Recommendations for Cities

Last updated:

26/11/2024

Publication Date:

25/11/2024

Content Type:

Policy Briefs

Issues:

Young Cities

Contents

Introduction 

Youth Grievances and Disaffection as Key Drivers of Hate, Extremism and Polarisation

The global youth bulge has rapidly changed the demographics of cities around the world. It has been reported that by 2030, 60% of urban residents will be under the age of 18. Notably, more than 90% of global population growth will occur in the urban hubs of countries in the Global South where large numbers of youth have disproportionately been impacted by poor living conditions and structural barriers hindering their social and economic growth. Beyond obstacles to social and economic advancement, youth around the world are met with weak governance systems, unequal access to quality services and infrastructure and community grievances driving polarisation and insecurity. This trend has been experienced globally, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly increased the number of young people outside of education, employment and vocational training. This has led to deepening youth disenfranchisement from local social and political structures.

This challenge has potentially profound implications for city leaders and policymakers. High concentrations of unemployed, dissatisfied and marginalised youth have been linked to impending political crisis, social instability and violence. While youth political and civic participation had already been declining globally, the pandemic heightened a sense of exclusion and mistrust towards local and national governments. Losing a sense of belonging, agency and access to meaningful participation can heighten vulnerabilities to hate and recruitment into extremist movements, avenues that can seem to provide alternative means for protection, justice, purpose and community.

Given the complex nature of these issues, solutions to address them need to be multi-pronged, targeted and sustained to have an impact. Local leaders and city officials – who are inherently on the frontline of these local realities – are in a unique position to contribute to these efforts. Their considerable access to and insights into local communities and the flexibility with which they respond to evolving threats impacting them offer comparative advantages that need to be fully leveraged.

The Role of Cities in Engaging and Empowering Youth for Prevention

Cities are increasingly at the intersection of a growing urban youth population, systemic barriers to development and integration and a security landscape where global challenges are manifesting locally. This threatens community cohesion in many contexts. To leverage and effectively prepare local leadership to respond to these challenges, including rising levels of hate, extremism and polarisation, cities’ value-add in the youth engagement space must be understood and recognised.

Through its engagement with mayors and local governments around the globe, the Strong Cities Network (Strong Cities) has observed how cities are increasingly able to serve as a focal point for civic engagement and action. As a result, they can provide a valuable and accessible gateway for young people to become involved in civic processes, connect with peers and gain entry to youth-centred spaces. Through these engagements, Strong Cities has seen how cities can leverage and invest in these opportunities by creating avenues for youth involvement in local policymaking and planning, partnering with relevant civic organisations and educational institutions and dedicating resources towards applied civic learning.

When cities have taken steps to strengthen local processes for youth political and civic action, they contribute to wider efforts to address hate and extremism. This is in part because meaningful interactions and ties with local governance structures have helped foster a sense of belonging among young people, and created employable skills and leadership that can heighten youth resilience and empower them as leaders. Featuring youth perspectives and expertise, including in local policymaking and programme development processes, also ensures city-led initiatives and policies are proactive, well-informed, sustainable, trusted by key community members and tailored to the needs of constituents.

Throughout its engagements with local governments around the world, including across its network of more than 250 members, Strong Cities has fielded requests for guidance and other support to ensure that its efforts to address hate, extremism and polarisation in their communities leverage the full potential that enhanced city-engagement with young people offers. Through this work, we have been exposed to a range of relevant policies, practices and programmes that could inspire more city-led action.  

Drawing on these engagements and Strong Cities youth advisory work under its Young Cities initiative, this policy brief identifies ten recommendations for mayors and other local leaders and city officials to consider as they look to deepen and sustain meaningful engagement with young people in their communities as part of a whole-of-city approach to preventing hate, extremism and polarisation.

1. Establish dedicated youth engagement units
2. Promote civic education and engagement for young people
3. Implement comprehensive job training and employment programmes for young people
4. Foster safe spaces for dialogue and expression among young people
5. Support youth-led initiatives, particularly in historically marginalised communities
6. Address socioeconomic inequities and improve access to services
7. Strengthen youth-police relations
8. Enhance mental health support and wellbeing services for young people
9. Leverage digital platforms for positive engagement
10. Monitor and evaluate youth engagement programmes

Given that the local contexts and manifestations of the threat vary depending on the city, the recommendations and specific examples highlighted in this policy brief may not apply to all contexts. However, they represent approaches and practices that we hope will inform, as appropriate, all cities.  

The views expressed and examples cited in this policy brief do not necessarily reflect those of Strong Cities members, partner organisations or sponsors of the Network’s mission.

Recommendations

1. Establish Dedicated Youth Engagement Units

Despite their perceived importance, local governments have largely been slow to incorporate specialised units for youth engagement and forums for young people to influence decision-making about policies and programmes that impact their communities. Youth engagement bodies differ from offices that provide for youth welfare, which look out for the safety and well-being of young people. While this is critical, cities should also look to go beyond safeguarding to empower their young populations to become active citizens who play a meaningful role in shaping the city. Having dedicated units can help provide targeted engagement, expertise and the capacity to consult and build sustained partnerships with necessary stakeholders, including schools, community organisations and youth groups, all of which are necessary to ensure a city’s young people are not only safe but can thrive.

Los Angeles (California), USA engages the city’s youth through the Youth Development Department (YDD), dedicated to “creating a fair and lasting support system for young people”. The YDD provides a wide range of services and opportunities for young people ranging from professional to recreational, including the Olivia E. Mitchell Youth Council which offers young people the chance to influence policymaking in the city, drive positive social change and gain invaluable experience. 

Stamford (Connecticut), USA has taken a comprehensive approach through the Mayor’s Youth Services Bureau, dedicated to “promot[ing] the development of caring, responsible, and successful young people” by “developing leadership skills, self-confidence and life skills”. The Bureau executes its mission in collaboration with the city’s youth-serving organisations through a variety of programmes, including the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council, the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program, Pathfinders Adventure Learning and the Restorative Justice Project. The Bureau also works with parents, teachers, youth workers and mentors to help foster a supportive environment for young people throughout the city.

To be sustainable, municipal-led youth engagement must be participatory and equitable, offering diverse young people adequate platforms to help shape the decisions impacting them and their communities and raise concerns outside of an administration’s purview. This not only strengthens cities’ policies and activities but also contributes to long-term youth leadership, civic participation and trust in local governance. While many youth engagement bodies will be based within the local government, cities should be mindful that they do not become an extension of political factionalism or otherwise politicised. In a Strong Cities’ Western Balkans Regional Hub event, Fari Ismaili, a representative from the municipality of Čair, North Macedonia, stressed this point, noting that it is essential for youth councils to be apolitical and transparent in their membership selection, rather than another platform for party politics.

While local youth councils have become widespread, youth engagement forums look and work differently based on the local context in which they are operating. They can also take the form of youth assemblies, youth advisory boards or even consultative events. For example, Copenhagen, Denmark organised a citizens jury for young people aged 16-24 to give a randomly selected group of 24 young people the chance to submit recommendations to the mayor and city council. The exercise provided the city with important feedback, but it was also instigated as a way to introduce young people to local politics.

Whatever the approach, it should centre on the goal of fostering ‘internal and external political efficacy’; in other words, a sense that the government cares about what residents think and that residents can personally influence what the government does. It should be inclusive, meaningful and provide young people with real influence to shape their city and address the issues that concern them and their peers. Anwar Ali Nawaz Nohar, Mayor of Larkana, Pakistan, told Strong Cities that the city’s Youth Development Committee has been a crucial partner in addressing youth issues by proposing and implementing initiatives that address youth issues, including the challenges arising from religious discrimination giving rise to hate crime against the minorities in Larkana district.

The structure, staffing and resourcing of youth engagement bodies will impact its long-term viability. For example, Cape Town South Africa’s Junior City Council (JCC) is overseen by three full-time officials, ensuring that each of the council’s 50 members gets personalised attention throughout their one-year term. Councillor Nelson, who oversees the JCC, told Strong Cities that this hands-on approach has improved young people’s experience with the council and their learning outcomes. The JCC also has a dedicated budget that enables council members to lead community projects, enhancing the kinds of direct impact they can have on the city.

Youth engagement bodies should also strive to be representative of the varied social, professional, economic and historical backgrounds of youth in the city. This will likely require a mapping exercise that employs an inclusive approach incorporating feedback from local stakeholders, including local officials as well as youth and community organisations from all parts of the city.

For example, when Tetouan, Morocco established its Youth Council, the local government conducted a multi-stakeholder consultation with local authorities, the local outposts of the Ministries of National Education and Youth and Sports, university representatives, relevant civic and youth bodies, psychologists and social workers. In a meeting with Strong Cities, the deputy mayor explained that to help ensure inclusive participation of diverse youth in the process, the city shared announcements online, on the radio and through public institutions, including ‘youth houses’, ‘culture houses’ and schools at varying levels. Rather than a one-off consult, the city invited all clubs, associations and bodies that worked with young people to nominate representatives to participate in the process.

2. Promote Civic Education and Engagement for Young People

Young people engaged in Strong Cities’ initiatives have noted that the mere presence of youth in city decision-making is not enough; they must also be adequately trained and informed about how policymaking and programming work on a city level. A young activist from Elbasan, Albania shared that young people in her city were neither aware of their rights nor the roles and responsibilities of local governments in addressing their needs and priorities. Strong Cities’ discussions with youth and other local actors revealed the foundational need to educate young people about institutional roles and responsibilities, including that of local multi-actor prevention mechanisms, to better cater to their needs and ensure their well-being.

Investing in civic literacy also directly impacts civic engagement and leadership. If better informed and included, young people are more likely to engage in volunteerism, participate in community organisations, meaningfully engage in local youth forums and advocacy and vote – improving a broad range of youth, school and community outcomes. For example, research shows that applied civic experiences support workforce growth, youth character and ethical development and greater respect for diverse perspectives and cultural differences, heightening youth resilience to hate and extremism.

Additionally, civic learning opportunities are often more sustainable when they align with educational institutions’ academic objectives. As a youth activist from Karachi, Pakistan noted, interventions focused on civic education should not burden the system but add value to it with products and engagements that educators can draw on and employ flexibly. Initiatives also have the potential for longer-term impact when they incorporate ‘train the trainer’ teacher sessions, ensuring educators can implement programmes independently in the context of their curriculums.

When a survey of 60 Croatian schools revealed poor political literacy and low trust in the government among high school students, the city of Rijeka, Croatia introduced civic education as a dedicated course in city schools, beginning in elementary schools before expanding to high schools. The city worked with external experts and local schools to develop the curriculum and train teachers. In addition to classroom learning, the programme includes field projects selected by each teacher to encourage students to volunteer in the community. The model has since been adopted by nine other cities in Croatia plus others in four other countries, drawing on the curriculum and materials that Rijeka developed and shared openly with other cities.

As the Croatian example illustrates, civic and political education opportunities require adequate staff, expertise and facilities. Educational partners should be consulted widely, feeding in with insights on the school year calendar, opportunities for interactions with students and the co-designing process of forums for youth civic engagement.

Civic education and engagement opportunities should also make space for mutual learning and leadership development, where youth are not only receiving information, but also presenting their perspectives and recommendations and driving positive social change in the community. An effective programme will not only educate young people about their city but also instil a sense of ownership and responsibility for it and all its residents.

3. Implement Comprehensive Job Training and Employment Programmes for Young People

In a 2022 youth survey by the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network, 57% of respondents noted economic opportunities and employment as their biggest concern across cities. Among the total global youth population, 58% face economic exclusion and 30% of those who are in the labour force experience moderate or extreme poverty. These issues have been exacerbated by global inflation, political and environmental crises and emerging public health concerns that have strained the international economy. With fast-evolving technological changes, particularly in a landscape defined by developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and the ‘knowledge economy‘, there are also concerns that young people lack the necessary skills needed in the current and future job market. Youth unemployment and associated grievances are commonly cited factors that can make young people vulnerable to radicalisation into extremism.

Cities should be concerned with youth unemployment and economic deprivation in the context of developing a comprehensive approach to hate and extremism prevention, because these factors can, in certain circumstances, be conditions conducive to the emergence of these threats. While cities may lack the mandate to shape unemployment benefits or social welfare programmes, they are well placed to provide financial and non-financial support to help their young residents develop the necessary skills and gain the necessary experience and opportunities to excel in the workforce.

To help support youth employment, cities could consider the following kinds of programming, while ensuring that they target (or otherwise include) those communities most susceptible to recruitment or radicalisation to hate and extremism:

Dedicated youth economic empowerment programmes that provided targeted training and support to prepare young people to enter or re-enter the workforce.

In Stamford (Connecticut), USA young people can enrol in the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program where they will learn critical skills through a series of leadership workshops – including money management – and gain real-world experience through 140 hours of job placement. To help ensure the programme is accessible for the young people who need it most, the programme is paid, offering an hourly wage well above minimum wage.  

Albuquerque (New Mexico), USA emphasises the importance of early work experiences as a way to close income gaps and promote economic equality through the City’s Youth Job Program. The programme uses targeted recruitment to help fill city jobs and extend opportunities to young people “from diverse backgrounds [who] have unique life experiences and perspectives to bring.” To reach a wider base of youth, the program utilises social media to spread awareness and share instructions on how to apply in multiple languages, hosts a yearly Youth Job & Volunteer Fair and provides assistance and advice to help young people prepare their applications.

In Edmonton, Canada, young residents can apply for the Civic Youth Fellowship, a ten-week internship programme that places young people in different local government offices where they learn about municipal government and build important skills and relationships. Councillors and Executive Leaders in the city government act as mentors and work with young interns to complete engagement or policy projects, to ensure they also build real-world experience. The programme was rolled out in 2023 as part of Edmonton’s Anti-racism Strategy to help create opportunities for “equity-deserving communities” and is conducted in collaboration with several community organisations to help ensure participation among historically marginalised groups.

Youth-specific investment programmes, such as municipal contracts and tenders earmarked for youth enterprises and youth-specific loans for first-time business owners. In Kenya, young people can benefit from the Youth Development Fund, which includes a variety of loans and financing options to help young people start or expand a business. It also offers young entrepreneurs a variety of services to help support them, including training in business development, marketing and networking and commercial infrastructure. It also offers specialised support for youth looking to work abroad. While this scheme has been organised at the national level, it does work at a constituency level and provides a useful model that could be adapted at a state or city level.

Youth-specific investment funds can also be targeted to encourage youth-led innovation in addressing particular challenges that a city is facing. For example, Bloomberg Philanthropies launched the Youth Climate Action Fund in 2024 providing $50,000 in funding and technical assistance to 100 mayors across 38 countries and six continents to activate young people aged 15-24 to address the specific climate threats facing their city. Participating mayors will distribute the money to their young residents as microgrants to fund initiatives that are contextually relevant and help serve the city’s climate-related objectives.

Vocational training and counselling for formerly incarcerated youth. In New York City (New York) USA, the Justice Corps works with young people who have had involvement with the criminal justice system to identify and excel in work or educational opportunities. Participants take part in “cognitive behavioural interventions, case management, work readiness training, and a Community Benefit Project” all designed to help them develop “job readiness skills” and give back to their local community.

Local government hiring schemes for graduates that place young people in critical positions. In the United Kingdom, the Local Government Association is pairing eligible young graduates with local Councils across the country through the Impact Local Government Graduate Programme. Through the scheme, participants are given a two-year contract at a competitive salary in a local Council given ongoing learning and development. Critically, the training programme includes widely recognised certifications, including in leadership and management, which helps set participants up for a promising career following the end of the programme.

Youth employment initiatives present a tangible opportunity for cities to invest in partnerships with public, private and civic sectors to initiate and support training and mentorship initiatives, as well as policies that create a more supportive learning environment that prioritises connecting young people to economic opportunities and practical skills that are in demand.

For example, in the Philippines, the JobStart Philippines Progam programme is working with ‘at-risk’ youth to bolster their employability and “improve their integration into productive employment”. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) manages the programme, provides training and career coaching and connects young people with internships and employment opportunities. To ensure young people can meet the real needs of the job market, DOLE works with the private sector to understand where there are gaps in employment and place young people where there is a real need. One tool DOLE uses to accomplish this is the Youth Employment Exchange (YEE), an online platform that provides a direct link between the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and businesses throughout the country. While this example operates at the national level, it provides a useful model for private-sector partnerships that a city could follow to connect its young residents with local businesses and ensure that participants pursue careers that align with the real needs of the local job market. It also points to another important lesson: cities’ investment models should focus on capitalising on existing markets with high growth potential and supporting the generation of new ones.

4. Foster Safe Spaces for Dialogue and Expression among Young People

Research shows that young people’s vulnerability to recruitment or exploitation by gangs, extremists and other malign groups is driven more often by feelings of injustice and insecurity than unemployment. This suggests that while ensuring economic opportunities for young people is critical to their development and integration, these strategies should be complemented by safe spaces where they can openly discuss and connect on issues driving feelings of anger, disillusionment (including those resulting from unmet expectations) and isolation.

A core component of this is meeting young people ‘where they are’, which can be particularly challenging when trying reach to those in minority or historically marginalised communities where mistrust in government is high. It is also useful to work with trained professionals whenever possible who can provide resources and guidance on navigating complicated challenges. Not every young person will feel inclined to join a youth council or city-led consultation. Alternative pathways for engagement should be considered to engage a diverse array of youth, including digital forums on mainstream social media platforms to encourage youth feedback and questions; gatherings outside of working hours such as town halls or peer-to-peer dialogues in community centres; and youth-centred developmental opportunities such as hackathons where young people can also gain key skills conducive to their career growth.

Albuquerque (New Mexico), USA introduced the Summer of Nonviolence to engage with young people and provide a variety of services. The programme included a range of activities that spanned the summer, including offerings focused on employment and mental health and purely recreational activities all interwoven to promote peace and community cohesion. The combination of services with activities appealing to a wide range of interests – including sports, gaming, arts and more – appealed to a wide range of young people and allowed the city to bring a variety of youth across the city together around the theme of non-violence.

These spaces should offer an opportunity for constructive dialogue and a chance for youth to share solutions, narratives about their experiences and values, and ideally, reflections on how these insights connect to local policy advocacy and decision-making.

New York City’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPHC) offers a wide range of activities for young people that utilise art, poetry and sports to connect with young people foster community connections and encourage youth-led interventions that promote inclusion, celebrate diversity, and stand against hate. OPHC also facilitated a dialogue programme called ‘circle keeping’. In a conversation with Strong Cities, a former OPHC official described circle keeping as a restorative practice in which participants gather in a circle for open, respectful dialogue, led by a circle keeper who facilitates fair sharing. Using a ‘talking piece’, participants speak without interruption, promoting listening, trust and understanding. The approach teaches active listening and has been utilised for conflict resolution and community building, especially in addressing discrimination and fostering inclusion.

5. Support Youth-Led Initiatives, Particularly in Historically Marginalised Communities

The challenges outlined in this brief need integrated solutions that capitalise on the strengths of a wide array of local actors, including motivated and concerned young people. Rather than being passive participants, youth have proven to be effective leaders in community organising efforts that help prevent hate and extremism from taking root in their communities and, more broadly, foster social cohesion and resilience in their cities. Introducing a youth lens in considering societal challenges offers potential for greater innovation, which often involve more creative and digital approaches, with insights from those directly impacted by the problem. For example, young people, are pushing boundaries on social media and are well-positioned to positively impact their communities through peer messaging.

When designing support for youth-led social action, cities should be aware that they are providing an opportunity for young people to experience active citizenship to its full extent. The process of shaping and delivering social action projects also builds critical professional skills, furthers personal development and establishes peer-to-peer connections that strengthen a sense of ownership among youth for the well-being of their community and promote social cohesion. Given these potential outcomes, cities should consider offering specialised capacity-building sessions that cover critical project management skills, including sustainability and risk management, alongside targeted funding for youth initiatives. It has been reported that despite high levels of self-motivation and creativity, youth peacebuilders often lack the skills or capacity to lead sustained and impactful community efforts.

Cities can similarly provide genuine opportunities to upskill, empower and enable young people to take a leadership role in challenging hate and extremist narratives and promoting cohesion. This can be done in partnership with local and international experts or directly through city-led programmes, like in the Cape Town example below. Either way, cities should work closely with young people in designing these programmes to ensure they are offering the training and support that young people need most and are available in ways that they can access. 

Young people benefit greatly from these programmes, so it is tempting to view the opportunity as a reward for participating. However, cities should also consider ways to compensate young people for their time and efforts. Compensating young people recognises the critical and unique role that they are playing in helping the city address some of its most pressing challenges and can help bypass the often exclusionary limitations of volunteering. Young people are often juggling the demands of academic and professional commitments to sustain their livelihoods. When opportunities require young people to volunteer their time, it can exclude those who cannot afford to do so and reinforce social and economic inequalities while excluding those who can represent or access the city’s most vulnerable youth.

In Los Angeles (California), USA, members of the city’s Youth Council receive a monthly stipend that both compensates members for their time and ensures young people have the means to participate fully. In addition to lowering a key barrier to full participation, a city official told Strong Cities that treating council membership as a paid internship rather than a volunteer role has led the young participants to take the commitment more seriously. 

The commitment and active involvement of city leaders and policymakers is also key for the success of youth-led initiatives focused on local issues. Local governments provide access to key resources, partnerships and expertise necessary for sustainable impact. The knowledge-sharing and trust-building that result from collaborative city-youth efforts also serve as a mutually beneficial route to addressing shared challenges and priorities.

One area where local officials can help support sustained youth-led activity, rather than one-off initiatives is by supporting youth-led organisations. Youth groups and organisations, particularly newly established ones, typically spend a considerable amount of time and resources building trust among their target audiences, developing ties with credible contacts and establishing opportunities for sustained engagement with communities with their limited resources. For these efforts to grow beyond one-off success stories, these youth-led organisations can benefit greatly from local government support.

For instance, building on their participation in the Young Cities programme, youth activists in Lahore, Pakistan found sustainability through the support of local leaders, such as the Director General of Punjab Women’s Protection Authority. The Director General’s office saw the potential of the young peoples’ newly launched initiative to counter mis/disinformation amongst young content creators and journalists and took steps to support their continued success. For instance, the local authority offered dedicated spaces, held joint workshops, disseminated the group’s educational materials, provided mentorship opportunities and reviewed youth training content. This youth group, which started as a team of students, is now in the process of becoming a formalised organisation in the city.

6. Address Socioeconomic Inequities and Improve Access to Services, Particularly in Historically Marginalised Communities

Efficient and accessible social services and infrastructure have a profound impact on young people’s wellbeing, development and sense of belonging and inclusion. In some cities, access to basic services, including water, sanitation and hygiene, education and health facilities remain an acute challenge, particularly for more vulnerable youth such as young women, migrants, LGBTQ+ persons, disabled and racial minorities. COVID-19 exacerbated existing structural inequalities, creating a greater urgency for cities to respond with policies and programmes aimed at addressing service provision gaps, particularly in historically under-served communities. In addition to providing young people with the basic resources they need to thrive, enhancing equal access can address key grievances that lower a young person’s susceptibility to conspiratorial and extreme narratives, enhance their trust in local government and institutions and build a sense of belonging that is critical to productive civic engagement.

In addition to prioritising essential services such as quality education and health and psychosocial support, cities should establish safe youth spaces that receive long-term funding to be able to provide consistent services and activities that can support the delivery of their policies and initiatives and foster a sense of community.

For example, in Gostivar, North Macedonia young people can utilise the Youth and Community Center (YCC), a dedicated free space for young people in the city to meet, study and organise their own events. The YCC frequently hosts a variety of activities, provides a community meeting space and offers a home for some local youth-led organisations. A YCC has also been established in Cair, North Macedonia, serving young people in a municipality of Skopje which is home to some of the capital city’s largest predominantly minority neighbourhoods.

Community centres and sports and cultural facilities are often the most accessible entry points for young people to engage with local government services and programmes. Ensuring they are well-funded and equipped allows cities to have a direct link to communities, and young people in particular. They also provide space for accessible youth activities, including arts-based programmes, dialogues and mentorship, which are critical for social inclusion as communities grapple with the implications of global issues including climate change, economic downturn, international and regional conflicts and migration.

A city does not necessarily need to establish an entirely new space for young people to support quality community programming. Instead, it could look for ways to direct youth-specific funding into existing infrastructure, such as public libraries. A city can also find ways to repurpose existing spaces like Islington Council in the UK did in 2023 when it transformed two unused spaces into dedicated Youth Employment Hubs where young people aged 16-25 can find free employment, training and education support. Councillor Santiago Bell-Bradford, Executive Member for Inclusive Economy and Jobs described the Hubs as an opportunity to “deliver on our ambition to tackle economic inequality and give young people the chance to connect with amazing employment opportunities right here on their doorstep, whatever their background.” 

7. Strengthen Youth-Police Relations

Positive relationships between police and young people are foundational for greater trust, cooperation and public safety in cities. They are especially critical in contexts where police departments face complex social dynamics in demanding urban settings, employ specialised units dedicated to domestic violence, gang activity or youth crime and in multicultural communities where there are histories of mistrust and alienation.

Investing in and facilitating stronger community-police relations can significantly impact diverse and high-need areas of cities. It can increase community cooperation with police forces in reporting crime, providing vital information and trusting law enforcement interventions; reduce tension and conflict between police and community members, curbing potential escalations towards violence; and enable more coordinated responses and resilience-building efforts in times of crisis. Targeted youth outreach can also increase their willingness and capacity to develop partnerships with law enforcement, contribute to local solutions and support outreach to historically marginalised groups.

In Halton, Canada, the Regional Police Service created the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) as part of a broader youth engagement strategy. The committee includes local high school students and acts as an advisory body for the police, providing ideas and support for youth-focused initiatives. This kind of formalised collaboration offers a consistent touch point between police and young people, through which they can address youth issues more effectively and navigate any distrust or miscommunication that could otherwise threaten this critical relationship.

While these kinds of engagement structures are great for building a sustained working relationship between police and young people, they may not reach a city’s most vulnerable young people. Historically marginalised, under-represented and unengaged young people are often underrepresented on youth councils and other youth governance structures, which is often the demographic that would benefit most from opportunities to build better relationships with police. Therefore, cities should consider additional approaches that meet young people where they are and appeal to a wider variety of interests.

Sports are a widely used form of intervention to reduce delinquency in young people, including for those at risk of radicalisation, and can offer a good opportunity for police to interact and build relationships with young people in a more informal setting where tough conversations can take place naturally and participating officers and young people have a chance to get to know each other on a more personal level. Local organisations and civil society are crucial partners in this.

For example, the London Basketball Association in the UK worked with the Metropolitan Police to offer basketball workshops and educational sessions to young people who are in Pupil Referral Units. In the United States, Nancy Lieberman Charities has established 92 Dream Courts and has been pivotal in facilitating basketball tournaments for young people and police across the country in collaboration with local police. In El Salvador, the Police Athletic League (PAL) program has given more than 50,000 young people across the country to train in a variety of sports and interact with their local police.

Cities have an important bridge-building role to play between police and young people when fostering a community-oriented policing model. Relationship building is at the core of this approach, as law enforcement needs institutionalised processes for creating and sustaining relationships with community members and key professionals before a complex issue or crisis occurs. There are several ways to facilitate this, including implementing community policing strategies that involve youth to create shared responsibility; providing cultural competency, relationship building, and bias reduction training to officers; establishing and publicising police complaint and review processes for accountability; and collaborating with local organisations and leaders to organise outreach initiatives that help connect officers to community members in a positive, non-enforcement setting to build trust and understanding.

When developing trust-building initiatives with youth and communities, cities should support law enforcement actors to leverage relevant design partners, such as youth leaders and community organisers, service providers, formerly incarcerated outreach workers, and religious leaders. There should also be municipal-led funding support, such as through stipends for volunteers or long-term resourcing of programmes, to sustain police and community participation. 

8. Enhance Mental Health Support and Wellbeing Services for Young People

Despite the ‘urban advantage’ cities provide through potential employment, social freedoms and educational opportunities, there is evidence that several city environment factors create a greater risk of psychosis, anxiety disorders and depression. Poor mental health in individuals, particularly in marginalised and otherwise underserved communities, is impacted by urban inequality, exposure to violence and/or racial and ethnic tensions, environmental toxins, lack of green spaces and fears of displacement.

Young people are in a critical period of risk, as it is estimated that half of mental disorders apparent before age 65 begin in adolescence and 75% begin by age 24. Young people also have a heightened sensitivity and response to social exclusion and other threats to well-being caused by social and environmental cues pervasive in urban settings. Additionally, discriminatory policies and norms are found in schools, housing, justice and policing systems – institutions many young people interact with, particularly from minority backgrounds. As with other challenges, the mental health of young people further deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with studies finding a sharp rise in rates of depression, anxiety, social isolation and suicide attempts.

Given the localised drivers of mental health and well-being challenges, locally-led responses are crucial. Young people need youth-friendly mental health and educational services that help them learn emotional awareness and regulation, and coping mechanisms for common psychological problems they face in young adulthood such as procrastination, perfectionism, low self-esteem and stress. Customising these services to ensure they are accessible and address young people’s needs requires the support of community-based medical or social service organisations and schools. Here are some considerations for providing mental health support:

Work with schools and other youth institutions to bring mental health support into spaces that young people frequent. For example, New York City’s ThriveNYC is a mental health programme with several provisions for the city’s younger residents, including in-school mental health education and clinics, training for teachers and parents and a 24/7 confidential counselling hotline. The Mental Health RoadMap for All lays out the programme’s approach around six guiding principles.

Establish safe spaces where young people can find support and access services. For example, Toronto, Canada has established What’s Up Walk-In Clinics throughout the city that provides free mental health care, including immediate counselling services without an appointment, workshops on mindfulness, coping skills, and emotional regulation and family counselling. The programme is run through a collaborative consortium of six local agencies. The clinics offer flexibility to suit young people’s needs and offer counselling in person, over the phone and through online video appointments. The clinics also operate in a range of languages to serve the community, which they expanded in 2023 to include Tagalog, Cantonese, Mandarin, Farsi and Tamil.

In Singapore, young people aged 16-30 can access free mental health assessments and services through Community Health Assessment Teams (CHAT). CHAT is operated by the Institute of Mental Health but is delivered in cooperation with local governments through physical locations in cities around the county. CHAT also run awareness campaigns to educate about mental health and provides training, both through dedicated centres and in schools.

Take a comprehensive approach that addresses the myriad of factors that can influence mental health, as well as a range of support. For example, in Oslo, Norway, the local government offers a programme called Ung Arena that offers a variety of services for Oslo residents aged 12-25, available through three locations around the city. While the centres provide free drop-in counselling and mental health services, they also offer activities to help young people bolster their mental health, including workshops teaching coping skills for stress and anxiety management, peer support groups and activities including art and sports that allow young people to socialise and interact with mental health professionals in a relaxed environment.  

Work with the national government to improve mental health services. For example, Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation has established dedicated Headspace centres in cities around the country that provide a range of mental health services for young people aged 12-25.  

9. Leverage Digital Platforms for Positive Engagement

The vast majority of young people today are active online. They are creators, narrative builders and entrepreneurs empowered by the access, tools and reach of the digital space. Youth-led social initiatives have been largely under-utilised and supported by local leaders, but they can play a significant role in addressing local problems innovatively, which if left to fester can lead to hate and extremism. Young people have produced sophisticated and tailored online campaigns to share information and build awareness among their peers about key issues and encourage them to act, such as through voting or participating in local initiatives. Through these platforms, young people know how to best connect with their peers, often adopting online subcultures and trends into their content to generate greater visibility and engagement. Online platforms also reward creativity, pushing youth to incorporate games, art and humour into their digital campaigns, which ultimately make it easier for audiences to engage with complex topics. Now more than ever, cities can leverage young people’s motivation to spur transformative change and directly connect with them in new and impactful ways.  

Technology and digital platforms can be useful means to gather feedback and ideas from young people, particularly through user-friendly apps that create space for them to share their thoughts and solutions to community challenges. These inputs should feed into urban planning and development and wider research, evaluation and consultations necessary for inclusive and effective city policymaking.

For example, When Seattle (Washington), USA ran their participatory budgeting initiative, Youth Voice, Youth Choice, they encouraged young people to use social media to submit project ideas and vote on which community projects should receive funding. They also used popular platforms to share updates about the project to ensure younger demographics were engaged and could see the initiative in action. These kinds of opportunities to push the development and promotion of online campaigns and platforms enable local governments to engage with youth in positive ways, providing entry points for them to express themselves, connect with peers, and access resources that support their development.

Social media has also allowed young people to communicate with political representatives, including local councillors, on key issues, such as through pre-populated letters and city-led digital hubs developed in partnership with youth groups. For example, the city of Chicago (Illinois), USA has a dedicated account on X (formerly Twitter) where residents can ask questions of city officials and receive direct answers. By using social media platforms that are popular with young people, a city can create a direct link with their young residents.

Given these benefits and opportunities, cities should consider partnering with youth influencers and digital creators to use their platforms and skills to advocate for tolerance, inclusion, and community solidarity. With the necessary support, these efforts could directly contribute to countering narratives of division and hate, and support community development and cohesion.

10. Monitor and Evaluate Youth Engagement Programmes

Ensuring ongoing monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) of city-led or supported youth-facing programmes is essential to assess the effectiveness of efforts in promoting positive outcomes. They also provide key information to staff implementing initiatives as well as important stakeholders, including potential funders, in the community. Systematic MEL processes also create space to identify lessons learned for areas needing improvement, adaptation, or sustained investment. In a broader sense, it informs through evidence whether cities should expand or abandon a particular programme as part of their overall social cohesion strategy.

When Rijeka, Croatia rolled out its political and civic education programme in city schools, it worked with the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka to evaluate the programme, evaluating results from participants against those of a control group.  

While MEL resources are widely available, cities should invest in experts and mechanisms that cater to gathering and evaluating data on youth-facing policies and initiatives through participatory approaches. They should include a mix of process and outcome evaluations to understand both how implementation can be improved and whether measurable impact is occurring due to city-led actions. Wherever possible, young people should be meaningfully involved in the design, delivery and follow-up of MEL processes to ensure youth perspectives are considered and accountability structures are established.

While youth-related indicators exist, there is limited guidance available on specifically measuring youth engagement. To fill this gap, USAID’s YouthPower Learning provides a resource on indicators that can be adapted for community and government-led youth programmes. The targets of measurement are categorised at the youth-, programme– and enabling environment levels to capture perspectives from young people themselves, programme staff, and actors that surround and impact youth.

Conclusion

Cities around the world are at a critical juncture, facing the urgency of responding to the needs of changing demographics in a context where global crises are impacting social cohesion in their communities in different ways. This includes an increase in levels of hate, extremism and polarisation across many cities. A large part of this challenge is an urban youth population that has increased rapidly and is coming of age in the wake of successive political crises, social instability, violent conflict, economic downturns and emerging climate and public health risks globally.  

Municipal leaders, policymakers and practitioners are on the frontlines of these issues and are best placed to inform solutions and drive sustainable action that supports their residents, particularly those who are most vulnerable. As this brief has outlined, cities have a critical role to play in engaging and empowering youth to address challenges of disaffection, grievances and social polarisation, which, if left unaddressed can lead to violence and other harms. They are key sources of support and access for youth and have the ability to forge pivotal partnerships across sectors to enact change. Through proactive, collaborative and sustained efforts, cities can address key drivers of youth resilience and social cohesion – including political and economic inclusion, access to basic services and forums for civic participation and leadership – as part of a comprehensive approach to preventing hate, extremism and polarisation in their communities.

The recommendations in this brief are meant to inform local governments as they work – in collaboration with civil society and other community-based partners, including young people themselves – to ensure that youth engagement forms a key part of this approach. 

Resources 

Strong Cities Resources

• A Guide for Mayors: Preventing and Responding to Hate, Extremism & Polarisation. Strong Cities Network. November 2023 (Updated September 2024)
• A Guide For Cities: Preventing Hate, Extremism & Polarisation. Strong Cities Network. November 2023 (Updated November 2024)
• Young Cities: A Practical Guide to Youth Capacity Building for Countering Hate and Extremism. Strong Cities Network. 2022.
• Young Cities Global Programme Booklet. Strong Cities Network. 2022.

Additional Resources

• Toolkit for Youth Engagement. UNESCO (2024)
• Meaningful Youth Engagement – Practical Toolkit. UNESCO
• Making Commitments Matter: A Toolkit for Young People to Evaluate National Youth Policy. The United Nations
• Youth 2023 Toolkit. The United Nations
• Participation Toolkits. Young Minds
• Youth Participation Best Practices Toolkit. Save the Children (2016)

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