Empower Youth is a 4 years research program (Nov. 2017- Oct. 2021) conducted By Géraldine André (IES-VUB) and Alejandra Alarcon (GERME-ULB) and funded by Innoviris on societal and civic participation of young disadvantaged Brusselers. Through a mixed method design (qualitative and quantitative), Empower Youth investigates:
1) Why and when do youngsters not take up on, or turn away from, structures that aim at developing their participation;
2) When and how does the institutional complexity of Brussels influence the relationships of young people from Brussels with those structures;
3) How does discrimination and assignment to disadvantaged social categories such as gender or alleged race (as well as their interactions) shape the relationships of youngsters with different institutions in Brussels;
4) In which ways do the existing instruments and programmes aiming at the encouragement of civic participation of young people from Brussels meet their expectations (or not);
5) What are the links between different forms of societal and civic participation?