MERA25 Leeuwarden candidates Rienk Jelte Aalbers and Ilse Terheggen express their deep disappointment over Leeuwarden’s unsuccessful bid to become European Youth Capital. But they are not surprised by it. 

According to the candidates, this result shows exactly why participatory democracy is one of the core priorities of their campaign for the municipal elections: young people and residents were not truly involved in shaping the vision, and without real participation, projects remain fragile and disconnected from the city they claim to represent.

Recent reporting on the failed bid reveals that the project never fully took off and lacked strong foundations in the city itself. MERA25 Leeuwarden believes this reflects a broader structural problem in local politics: decisions are too often developed from the top down, with citizens invited only at a late stage, if at all. When participation becomes symbolic instead of meaningful, enthusiasm fades and initiatives lose their social base.

“Our candidates are genuinely sorry that Leeuwarden missed this opportunity,” said MERA25 Leeuwarden. “But we also understand why it happened. You cannot build a successful youth project without youth at the center. You cannot claim a citywide vision without involving the people who live there. This is exactly why participatory democracy is not an extra for us, but a necessity.”

For MERA25 Leeuwarden, this case illustrates why democracy must go beyond elections and formal consultation rounds. The party advocates for permanent citizen participation through neighborhood- and village-based citizens’ councils, where residents, including young people, help shape policies on housing, culture, climate, and social life. These structures are meant to ensure that policies grow from lived experience rather than administrative abstraction.

Rienk Jelte Aalbers and Ilse Terheggen emphasise that youth participation should not be reduced to branding exercises or competitive bids, but must become part of everyday political practice. “Young people are not a target group to be marketed to,” they state. “They are citizens with ideas, needs, and energy. If we want them to stay in Leeuwarden, we must give them real influence over their future here.”

MERA25 Leeuwarden sees the failed Youth Capital bid not as an isolated incident, but as a warning signal. A city that wants to offer its young people a future must also trust them with responsibility and power. Only through open, continuous participation can Leeuwarden develop policies that are socially rooted, durable, and widely supported.

For this reason, participatory democracy is one of the main pillars of MERA25’s campaign in the upcoming municipal elections. The party calls for a political culture in which listening becomes standard practice and citizens are treated as partners in decision-making, not as an afterthought.

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