Involving Local Youth Councils in Good Practices in Local Governance - Ecuador

This project responded to the strong need for new leaders in Ecuador and for spaces in which young talented people can interact about new leadership styles based on transparency and social participation. Two local youth councils have been installed in the municipalities of Bahía de Caráquez, Sucre (Manabí province) and Puerto Ayora (Galápagos).

Also, the project addressed specific local management issues and the application of the Law on Access to Public Information (LOTAIP). The use of ICTs in communication and information management played an important role in bringing about empowerment of these local youth groups, notably through the set-up of public "information corners" installed at locations of easy access for local youth. The project benefited 15,000 local youth and municipal civil servants.

The project is currently in independent continuation.

The change of government in December 2006 and the move to the left of Ecuadorian policies are exerting much influence on Ecuadorian society. The population of Ecuador is deeply divided over political issues and this leads to a polarisation of the country which may work out in a counter-productive manner.

Social processes such as setting up local youth councils for policy influencing at municipal level are slow in bringing about tangible results within the limited project period. The lack of good connectivity makes meaningful use of ICT tools questionable in this case, since this type of projects would require first and foremost the use of Web 2.0 tools which all operate in the Internet setting.

Read more about IICD’s Ecuador Country Programme.

Main emphasis of the FFLA is on conflict management and facilitating political dialogue. The project about the Consejos Locales Juveniles deals with the second aspect. The first phase of the project has been completed and the two CLJs, in Manabí Province and on the Galápagos, are in place.

Within FFLA, there are currently no clearly articulated demands in the field of ICT4D for a possible follow-up phase. As the project has a clear focus on institutional development it is hard to see how innovative use of ICT could support the project.

The project currently is in independent continuation.

To support the demand articulation process in the field of ICT4D IICD has financed a workshop which has taken place in March 2010.

It was agreed that Machángarasoft would monitor the introduction of a number of Web 2.0 tools within FFLA.

To generate new leadership and awareness among local youths through the creation of virtual public spaces. Special attention is given to the application of the Ecuadorian Law on Transparency of Public Information (LOTAIP) at municipal level.

• As a result of the project, two youth groups have been constituted. These groups function well, have acquired a number of ICT skills and are interacting actively with their municipalities, proposing, among others, new project that should benefit the local communities.
• We can consider the work in connection with compliance to the LOTAIP as completed. As a result of the project, this compliance is now routinely monitored for over 100 indicators.

Read more about IICD’s Ecuador Country Programme.

Read more about IICD's approach towards Governance.

• The creation of the 2 youth councils has not occurred without some local resistance, particularly from the municipalities themselves which saw these youth groups as a potential threat. It has taken much energy to overcome this negative attitude and change it into a more positive mode of cooperation.
• Basing a project primarily on local demand is good in itself, but requires careful articulation of this demand, a process that should be facilitated. The local youths of San Isidro were originally not interested in learning about the Internet since they did not have a clear idea of the possibilities of its use. In such a setting, establishing a project solely on local demand would have led to little constructive and tangible results.

Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano (FFLA) is a private, not-for-profit organization, created in 1993.  Its goal is to give an impulse to changes towards sustainable development in Latin America through:

• Creating political conditions for sustainable development
• Building bridges between economic, social and environmental development
• Strengthen the management of environmental resources that are important for sustainable development