OPIN: Letting young people have a say!

European innovation project EUth launches digital toolbox for youth eParticipation

Bonn, 10 March 2016. How to get more youngsters actively involved in political decision-making and increase their trust in political institutions? The answer is: OPIN! Less than a year after commencing its work, the European innovation project “EUth – Tools and Tips for Mobile and Digital Youth Participation in and across Europe” launches the first version of its unprecedented youth eParticipation toolbox “OPIN”. It combines a multilingual online-platform with a mobile application and offers a wide range of assistance for initiators of youth eParticipation projects, both in terms of software and support. OPIN helps to address youngsters where they are: online and mobile. This way eParticipation is independent of time, place and resources, while responses are instant, which complements participation in decision-making processes.

OPIN is dedicated to youth organisations and public administrations of any size and level, which aim at setting up professional, attractive and successful participation processes - even without having prior experience. Among the current features of the evolving toolbox are three main youth-friendly eParticipation processes: “idea collection” and “collaborative text work” are based on the software Adhocracy, whereas “mobile polling” is integrated via the App FlashPoll. “Idea collection” helps consulting youth during agenda-setting or open topic research, “collaborative text work” enables to collectively draft proposals or position papers as well as comment and vote on them. “Mobile polling” facilitates fast decision-making and voting within a certain geo-location and particularly suits the mobile-centred Internet usage of digital natives.

The first features of OPIN are now ready to be used as a trial version on http://opin.me. Additionally, the progress of running pilot projects can be followed, while FAQ’s and up-to-date information are also available.

As this is just the first of three launches of the eParticipation environment, OPIN will be continuously evaluated, adapted and expanded. Five pilot programmes across Europe are currently involved in this process. They are integrating the software features in their individual work and provide valuable feedback to further shape the toolbox. Hence, experts as well as young people from all over Europe will continuously contribute to OPIN’s development. This will significantly increase the quality and comprehensiveness of the toolbox. Ultimately, at its final launch in late 2017, OPIN will be an all-in-one toolbox providing a wide range of participation methods as well as extensive guidelines and best practices helping to achieve more successful youth participation.

Source: http://cordis.europa.eu/news/rcn/132174_en.html?isPermaLink=true