This paper builds on the European project Critical ChangeLab («Democracy Meets Arts: Critical Change Labs for Building Democratic Cultures through Creative and Narrative Practices»). The main aim of the project is to revitalise the relationship between young people and democracy at a time when polarisation, deep political divisions and declining trust in democracy are spreading across the continent. To this end, the project examines the current state of democracy in learning environments across Europe, generating a strong evidence base for participatory democratic curriculum design. As part of this research goal, the project includes 10 case studies developed in 10 European countries, aimed at exploring young people’s perceptions of everyday democracy in challenging contexts. In this communication, we will report on the design and outcomes of the case study that took place in a public training and placement program (so called PFI) in Barcelona, Spain. The program is designed for young people aged between 16 and 21 who have not completed compulsory secondary education. The main aim of this program is to offer these students basic training to access the labour market and, eventually, help them in returning to the regulated education system. The case study comprises: 1) a focus group with 10 participants aged between 16 and 18; 2) 5 interviews with teachers and educators involved in the program; and 3) a short ethnographic analysis through researchers’ diaries. Both the focus group and the interviews were guided by semi-structured prompts, focusing on participants' experiences and reflections regarding their perceptions of being young, their relations with the institutions, their experiences about democracy and participation and their perspectives regarding their future. The outcome of the study contributes to the existing literature by offering insights into the lived experiences and perspectives of marginalised young individuals regarding democracy in their everyday lives. Furthermore, by entering in dialogue with the case studies carried out with other groups of youth in Critical ChangeLab, it helps to construct a landscape of voices who are often at the margin of decision-making and democratic practices.

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