SINCRONY HORIZON Project

Duration: Jan. 2024 – June. 2027

About the SINCRONY Project

The interSectIonal iNClusion in delibeRation and participatiON with Youth (SINCRONY) project aims to ensure the meaningful inclusion of youth who experience social disadvantage and marginalisation in deliberative and participatory processes (DPP). The project targets the factors and processes responsible for reproducing political inequalities in youth engagement in deliberative and participatory processes based on intergenerational and intragenerational power imbalances and youth intersectional positionalities. The goal is to offer policymakers, public servants, researchers, teachers, youth workers, facilitators of deliberative processes, and youth CSOs concrete instruments, guidelines, and solutions to renovate deliberative and participatory practices implemented in public governance and schools. The consortium of nine partners, consisting of seven universities, the ALDA European network of local democracies, and an SME focusing on communication and dissemination, will contribute multidisciplinary and multi-methodological expertise in psychology, education, sociology, political science, gender studies, social research, intersectionality, and media analysis. By improving the democratic quality, inclusiveness, effectiveness, and legitimacy of deliberative and participatory processes, the project will contribute to greater social justice for all youth.

The University of Innsbruck team is involved in the co-design and development of the conceptual and methodological backbone of the project. The UIBK team has successfully completed a literature review report, which has aided the development of qualitative and quantitative research instruments for the project. The team is further co-developing the SINCRONY manifesto which outlines the values of the project, including principles of intersectionality, participatory action research, ethical standards, and procedures for involving, researching and collaborating with marginalised young people.

The SINCRONY project is funded by the European Union through the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme.