This working paper examines how youth participation in policymaking is organised across the Nordic Region and explores what it takes for participation to become meaningful and impactful, particularly in rural and intermediate areas. It serves as the conceptual foundation for the Nordregio-led project Young and Rooted: Strengthening Youth Representation in Nordic Regions.

Drawing on literature, policy analysis and interviews with national youth councils in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, the paper analyses youth participation through the lens of democratic resilience. It examines how participation is institutionalised across different Nordic contexts and why some forms of engagement are more influential than others.

The paper highlights that while the Nordic countries perform strongly on many democratic indicators, youth participation remains uneven in practice. Rural and intermediate regions often face a double challenge: lower levels of political engagement combined with fewer opportunities for young people to influence decisions that affect their communities.