Like other young people in Benin, young people in the central arrondissement of the commune of Grand-Popo have little involvement in the management of communal affairs. The main aim of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of the reasons behind this low level of youth participation in local development.The methodological approach adopted in this research revolves around the collection of socio-anthropological data, and the processing and analysis of the results. Interview guides were used for data collection, and manual processing was carried out. Word was used for data entry. The results obtained show that mobilization strategies exist at town hall level to involve young people in development actions, but that organizing young people is essential to improve their participation in local development.Key words: Grand-Popo, local development, socio-anthropology, participation, collaboration