LEAP is an interdisciplinary assessment of the needs and opportunities for young people in Cluj-Napoca, a study which takes place in the Cluj metropolitan area. The project is implemented by the Department of Public Health – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, the Department of Political Science – Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, PONT Group and Cluj Cultural Centre and funded by the Botnar Foundation.
The project aims to carry out a comprehensive, multi and interdisciplinary assessment of the needs and opportunities of young people in the Cluj metropolitan area, guided by an ecosystemic perspective and oriented towards future initiatives arising from the evaluation results. It will thus generate a digital repertoire based on evidence and information about data, actors and initiatives. The repertoire will focus on health and wellness, as well as education and the future of work in the Cluj metropolitan area, and will be based on a participatory and inclusive approach.
The quantitative research, based on an online questionnaire, is conducted by the Department of Political Science – Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca and is addressed to young people, children, parents and teachers, who can fill in the questionnaires below:
Project phases and activities:
1. Documentary study on needs, gaps and opportunities
a. collecting, recording and reporting existing data
b. creating a map of stakeholders for the areas addressed (mapping stakeholders)
2. Data collection and analysis
a. qualitative research
b. quantitative research
3. Analyzing public policies and identifying systemic gaps and stakeholder involvement
a. analyzing public policies
b. stakeholder involvement
c. offering proposals to improve existing public policies
4. Dissemination
a. developing a platform
b. scaling
Expected results:
- Encouraging young people and their participation
- Raising awareness of the importance of young people\’s contribution to the design and implementation of future initiatives
- High quality data on young people\’s opinions/understandings of their own needs, how they can be addressed, by whom, how they see themselves
- Basic data for creating a medium-term intervention plan (10 years)
- Raising awareness of current initiatives in the city and improving knowledge of relevant youth NGO initiatives
Sustainability:
- Assumption of results by the municipality
- Alignment with Cluj-Napoca 2021-2027 development strategy and with the action plan
- Development of a repertoire to serve as a source of information and assistance for young people, and also of knowledge, information and tools for relevant governmental, non-governmental and academic actors
- Potential scaling at regional and national level
- Potential scaling as a working model and good practice at European level
- Development of an integrated study on the well-being and participation of young people that can be multiplied in Cluj (new editions of the study) and in other cities
- Implementation of pilot projects to address the specific needs and opportunities identified by this project
