Skopje–Graz: Our City, Our Ride – Bridging Cities Through Youth Mobility
Through bicycle advocacy and digital mapping, Verein BIKE and Velo Schools join forces to empower young citizens in Austria and North Macedonia. Riding through urban landscapes, participants learn to turn daily cycling challenges into direct democratic action.
YOUTH PARTICIPATIONEDUCATION
From February 2026 to July 2027, Verein BIKE is teaming up with Velo Schools for an exciting Erasmus+ Youth Participation project: "Skopje–Graz: Our City, Our Ride." This initiative brings together young people aged 15–20 from Graz (Austria) and Skopje (North Macedonia)—two distinct European cities connected by a shared goal of safer, fairer, and greener street mobility.
In Graz, we are collaborating with young school leavers from AusbildungsFIT (Jugend am Werk) who rely on our BIKE Corner and daily commutes. In Skopje, we are reaching students from underserved backgrounds through the Velo Schools network. Both groups know the reality of urban cycling firsthand—the missing connections, dangerous intersections, and dead-end lanes. This project gives them the tools to move beyond frustration and transform their everyday experiences from the saddle into structured, evidence-based civic demands.
Equipped with smartphones and the Mapillary app, participants take part in guided mapping rides to capture high-resolution evidence of urban infrastructure gaps. But we don't stop at data collection. Through interactive workshops, youth learn how municipal budget cycles work, how local decisions are made, and how to write clear, actionable improvement proposals (photo + problem + solution). During municipal budget consultations in Graz and Karpoš, our participants enter city halls to hand over their findings directly to local decision-makers.
A major highlight of the project is two six-day international exchanges: first in Graz (September 2026) with site visits alongside Radlobby Steiermark and the city's cycling team, followed by a return exchange in Skopje featuring a public stakeholder advocacy event. Between trips, the two groups stay closely connected via a shared Discord community, swapping photos, reviewing proposal drafts, and building lasting cross-border friendships while earning their official Youthpass certificates.
By combining active mobility, digital mapping, and direct policy dialogue, "Skopje–Graz: Our City, Our Ride" proves that young people are not just future citizens—they are urban experts ready to shape greener, more inclusive streets today! 🚴♀️🇪🇺🏙️
Check out our social media channels for project updates and live mapping stories!
Follow the ride online! ✨ Tap to explore! 🎥👇
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or [Name of the granting authority, e.g., OeAD / EACEA]. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
BIKE empowers the generations of tomorrow with skills for healthy and green commuting in cities and beyond.
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