Dorotea is Sweden’s smallest municipality by population. Despite its size, its ICLD partnership with the municipalities of Livingstone and Victoria Falls has brought about significant change for children and young people in all three municipalities.
The ICLD partnership between Sweden’s smallest municipality and its two international partners began in 2023. Its aim is to strengthen youth participation and increase young people’s engagement in shaping the future of their local communities.
How can municipalities create better opportunities for young people to influence the development of their communities? This is the central question behind the ICLD project Youth Inclusion, through which Dorotea Municipality, Livingstone City Council in Zambia and Victoria Falls City Council in Zimbabwe are working together to strengthen young people’s participation and influence in local decision-making.
Youth participation strengthens local democracy
In Livingstone, young people have had limited opportunities to participate in decision-making processes. In Victoria Falls, the main challenge has been low levels of youth engagement in community issues, combined with limited trust in elected representatives.
Dorotea has faced similar challenges. Only around 30 per cent of young people aged 13–16 say they trust politicians, and relatively few young adults (18–25) are actively engaged in politics. Although the municipality had already established a Youth Council, it required stronger participation and a clearer structure to become an effective platform for influencing local policy and raising issues important to young people.
Through study visits, workshops and joint training activities, the three municipalities have exchanged experiences and developed new approaches to strengthening youth participation. Representatives from Zambia and Zimbabwe have also visited Dorotea to learn about the municipality’s work on youth engagement, including its Youth Up North initiative.
Concrete results for youth inclusion
The partnership has delivered several tangible results:
- Dorotea has strengthened the relationship between young people and local decision-makers. Between 2023 and 2025, the proportion of young people interested in politics increased from 8 to 17 per cent, according to Sweden’s latest LUPP youth survey.er partnerskapet som ett exempel på hur internationellt erfarenhetsutbyte bidrar till långsiktig förändring:
- Livingstone has secured political support and funding to establish its first-ever Junior Council.
- Victoria Falls has allocated dedicated resources to youth engagement and has seen increased participation by young people in local development initiatives.
ICLD Programme Officer Liene Ledaine, who has closely followed the project, sees the partnership as an excellent example of how international exchange can lead to lasting change:
“Africa is the world’s youngest continent, and young people will play a decisive role in shaping its future. That is why municipalities need to establish long-term, sustainable mechanisms for youth participation—not as temporary projects, but as an integrated part of everyday municipal governance. We are proud that this ICLD partnership has developed practical methods and approaches for youth inclusion that will remain embedded within the municipalities and continue strengthening local democracy long after the project has ended.”
Dorotea’s Municipal Chief Executive, Olli Joenväärä, is equally proud of the partnership’s achievements:
“Our collaboration with Livingstone and Victoria Falls has given us new perspectives and practical ideas for strengthening youth participation in Dorotea. We have learned from each other’s approaches to citizen dialogue, participation and how young people can be involved in municipal development and budgeting processes.
The results clearly show that this work makes a difference. Since 2022, young people’s interest in politics has increased, more young people feel they have opportunities to make their voices heard by local decision-makers, and trust between young people and adults has grown stronger. For us, this is clear evidence that investing in dialogue, openness and meaningful youth participation strengthens local democracy.”
This ICLD project demonstrates how local democracy can be strengthened when young people are given genuine opportunities to participate, influence decisions and contribute to the development of their communities. It also shows that mutual learning between municipalities can generate tangible results, regardless of geographical location or population size. For Dorotea, it is also a powerful example of how even Sweden’s smallest municipality can share knowledge and inspire change far beyond its national borders.
