Young people develop Metropolis GZM

We strive to make Metropolis GZM the best place to study, gain professional qualifications and live an adult life. We want it to be the "first choice" for the youth. With this in mind, we have launched a project named "The Youth develop Metropolis GZM”.

The population migration figures published by the Central Statistical Office are not optimistic. They show that the Silesian Voivodeship regularly struggles with the outflow of inhabitants who choose to live in other parts of the country or abroad. A significant number of them are young people who leave during their education period or just after graduating. This is a problem which has a negative impact on the socio-economic development of cities and regions. To remedy this, we have launched the project "The Youth develop Metropolis GZM".

Our activities are addressed to people aged 16-25. We want to listen to their demands and work out recommendations for cities and GZM’s municipalities and socio-economic partners. The aim is to get to know the expectations, needs and problems of young people, as well as to indicate the directions of activities in the areas of education, labour market, development, transport or culture, which could increase the attractiveness of the GZM to young people. Recommendations from joint workshops and seminars will be translated into specific actions, as they will be taken into account in the "Metropolis GZM – Strategic Action Programme 2027, with projections to 2035". This project has a practical and workshop character. It is addressed to young people who want to have a real impact on the direction in which their immediate surroundings will develop.

“The youth develop Metropolis GZM" project is not the first time when the Metropolis responds to its inhabitants’ expectations and wants to draw on their experiences. In May 2019, the GZM also established the Metropolitan Senior Policy Panel, which is targeted at the elderly. One of the first results of the panel's work was the development of the "Senior Friendly Metropolis" guide. The document contains recommendations on activating the elderly through volunteering and actions, to increase the participation of seniors in the co-decision processes.