McGill Youth Advisory Delegation’s Post

About the #EUYouthStrategy that aims to encourage young people to participate in #democraticlife; support social and civic #engagement; ensure that all young people have the #resources they need to play an #active part in society. This #evaluation shows that this #strategy is still very #relevanttoday.✅ It has influenced youth-related policies positively and supports youth organisations and practitioners. ✅ However, there’s room for improvement, especially in addressing challenges like the #costofliving, #housing, #mentalhealth, and #digitalisation ❗ ❗ ❗❗ To enhance its impact, the Commission will: 1) Further accelerate youth mainstreaming, by enhancing the youth perspective in all #relevantpolicies. The EU Youth Coordinator faciltates this effort. The Commission is taking the first steps towards a 'youth check' in EU policymaking. Member States are encouraged to appoint their own youth coordinators, to integrate youth perspectives into national ❗ 2) Intensify efforts on #youthparticipation, especially by strengthening communication and outreach for the #EUYouthDialogue. This also includes a clearer way to channel recommendations from the EU Youth Dialogue to policymakers, and to inform participants and stakeholders about the follow-up at EU and national levels ❗ (Increase engagement with stakeholders, by setting up a Youth Stakeholder’s platform, with a first meeting in #autumn2024). 3) Looking forward, the Commission, in cooperation with Member States, will prepare for the last stretch of the current Strategy and start discussions on the next EU #YouthStrategypost2027. Young people and stakeholders will be involved in the process of shaping a future where #youngpeople have a #strongsay in areas of their concern. ✍Stay tuned for updates on the European Youth Portal. 

💡Recommendation from #YouthLedResearch #1 Importance of youth ecosystems: Youth-led initiatives are stronger as a collaborative network than instances of isolated initiatives❗ What policies are recommended? 1️⃣ Clear roles and responsibilities for youth stakeholders 2️⃣ Well-coordinated mechanisms for collaboration and communication 3️⃣ Inclusive and diverse participant engagement More on youth-ecosystems and how to implement them: https://ow.ly/l4Wo50RmYzp

Learn about the PRAGG initiatives from the perspective of those who create and support them! Youth organizations in Gradačac have launched the "Strategy for Change" initiative aimed at improving the position of young people in this city. Amina Omerbašić, a member of this great team, shared with us the initial successes of the Initiative, reflected on current events, planned steps, and the expected support from relevant institutions. "The youth voice is crucial in shaping policies that should mould their everyday lives. Our initial activities have resulted in three advocacy initiatives (youth strategy, youth space, and increased youth budget), which we have submitted to the city authorities and later defended in a public discussion on the Draft Budget of Gradačac for 2024. To our joy, the Mayor's Decision has initiated the drafting of the first youth strategy for Gradačac for 2024-2027." Learn more about this important topic following the link. #PRAGGproject #PRAGG #SwissinBiH Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Helvetas Helvetas Eastern & Southeastern Europe NIRAS NIRAS International Consulting Institut za razvoj mladih KULT #cci

In recent years, there has been a big push for children and young people to participate in multilateral forums. Yet, when we asked, we found that the vast majority don't feel genuinely involved. Many even felt exploited. So how do multilateral organisations - like our own - more meaningfully engage with youth? Have a look at our latest report on youth engagement with multilaterals to get an idea of the big picture when it comes to youth participation - and how engagement with children and young people can be made more meaningful and impactful. https://lnkd.in/dWvpryTb

“Young people are asking international organizations and global leaders to do more for youth engagement and to do it better.” - Meaningful Youth Engagement Report from UNICEF Innocenti — The Meaningful Youth Engagement Report from UNICEF Innocenti highlights the findings from a study on 80 former youth participants in international forums from 2017-2023. “They felt exploited by the environment as it was more suited to furthering an existing agenda without consideration for participants' mental and emotional health. Young people felt a lack of ownership over their own stories, especially after they were shared. The stories were at times being used without consent to fit a narrative the young person did not agree with. Some also spoke about being invited to share traumatic experiences, then being left alone to deal with the aftermath of reliving those experiences. ‘I felt physically exhausted and mentally assaulted.’ - A youth delegate (2018)” — Such a reminder that re-exploitation of lived experience happens across sectors, and we need to and we can do better. Check out the full report for recommendations for ethical, meaningful engagement of youth. Disclaimer: I did not participate in nor contribute to this report- I just think it’s a great resource! #youthleadership #meaningfulengagement #livedexperience #reexploitation

CEI was excited to drive forward discussion on how to improve the participation of marginalised young people in research and evaluation at a roundtable convened by Youth Futures Foundation (YFF) yesterday. Attended by organisations from across the research spectrum, the session explored good practice in #youth participatory approaches for #research and #evaluation projects.   Associate Director Dr Eleanor 'Ellie' Ott and Advisor Jamie Rowland (he/him) shared key findings from CEI's review of existing reviews and practice guidance for youth participatory approaches, commissioned by YFF.   Discussions focused on how UK-based What Works Centres can improve and implement youth participatory approaches. There was a shared acknowledgement of the great potential improve the relevance and quality of learnings through empowering young people to take leading roles in research and evaluation projects from beginning to end. Reflections on power-sharing, incorporation of youth voice and inclusive approaches emphasised significant opportunites to implement more evidence-led approaches to youth participation in practice settings. There was a consensus that such improvements would result in the realisation of young people’s right to be heard.   "It was hugely energising to share these findings and discuss how to put them into practice with researchers and evaluation practitioners," said Jamie. "We look forward more effective participatory approaches stemming from these conversations." The final report will be published by YFF in coming months. Find out more about CEI's work: https://lnkd.in/gCA3kknB #researchers #practitioners #evidencebasedpractice #participation #equality #changemakers

UNESCO has launched a Toolbox for Youth Policy and Programming, which I peer-reviewed as member of the German Commission for UNESCO together with Yoke-Lee Roth, Emma Steinbrück, Hannes Vogel from its Young Forum. And Lutz Möller - who thankfully champions youth inclusion within the institutional limits. https://lnkd.in/ejHXnfcC In essence, the resource encourages three fundamental shifts, which governments should carefully consider and implement: 1. Recognize youth in their diversity, as rights-holders and with their capacity to drive positive change. 2. Holistically address issues facing youth (education, employment, mental health, climate..) instead of continuing silo-thinking 3. Ensure meaningful youth-engagement in public decision-making. There is a loooong way to go but it's good to see a shift in UNESCO's approach to consulting youth voices at least in producing a document directly relating to them. This should become a new minimum standard, why not introduce an institutional youth-review/editorial body?

Youth at the Forefront: Driving Change at the UN Summit of the Future 🌍 As the world gathers for the UN Summit of the Future, the voice of young people has never been more crucial. This is why the Plan International Canada Youth Council consulted young leaders across 🇨🇦 to gather their recommendations to the Government of Canada. This led to the creation of the #CanYouthPact. The CanYouth Pact is a set of recommendations focused on three priority areas: (1) Transforming Global Governance, (2) Meaningful Youth Engagement, and (3) Future Generations. The responses received were clear - the majority of young leaders to not trust our current systems to achieve the global goals. With over 1.2 billion people aged 15-24 around the world, their meaningful engagement is crucial to making progress and safeguarding the future. 🌐 Read the CanYouth Pact and show your support by signing the petition! 📝 👉 plancanada.ca/youth Let's work together to elevate youth voices and build a better tomorrow! 🤝 #YouthLead #CanYouthPact #SummitoftheFuture Plan International Canada Anjum Sultana MPH (She/Her)Dinojah Patkunarajah

Apply to become a Youth Advisory Board Member of AU-EU Youth Voices Lab Power of the Collective The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective is an initiative co-funded by the European Union implemented by Oxfam, Restless Development, Search for Common Ground, Youthmakers Hub, and ComDev Africa. AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective (AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – PoC from herein) is a four-year project that seeks to create a more youth responsive and inclusive society. The initiative is driven by five partners that combine expertise on youth-led and youth-informed work, and track record on tackling key issues of the Agenda 2063, the SDGs, and the AU-EU partnerships from a youth perspective. https://lnkd.in/euTmzzR6

In the Vanguard: The Role of Youth in an Ever-Advancing Global Society Very timely on United Nations #youthday to shape the role of youth at this key juncture in our civilization. Here the Baha'i International Community statement (https://lnkd.in/gAR76PG4) which emphasizes the critical role of youth in societal transformation. It highlights youth's capacity to drive positive change, the importance of creating supportive environments for their contributions, and the need for a paradigm shift in how youth are perceived and engaged globally. The statement underscores the potential of youth-led initiatives at local levels to inspire broader societal progress and calls for integrating youth perspectives into global decision-making processes. Key Points highlighted in the deep and definitely worth reading statement include: YOUTH POTENTIAL Youth possess unique qualities like creativity and idealism, essential for social transformation. PARTICIPATION Meaningful youth engagement is vital for addressing global challenges. EDUCATION Empowering youth through education fosters responsibility and leadership. COLLABORATION Youth should work alongside older generations to build a just society. MORAL FRAMEWORK: A strong ethical foundation is crucial for youth to contribute effectively. Empowering youth with education and opportunities is key to advancing a peaceful, just, and unified global society. Their active participation is crucial for creating lasting change. For this reason the ebbf board already three years ago defined the empowerment of youth and involvement in intergenerational learning opportunities as a priority. ebbf launched its #ebbf4youth (https://lnkd.in/dwa3ipfV) initiative. ebbf is what its members do, and we are so inspired by all #ebbfmembers involved in the capacity building of youth such as: Oscar Mendez Rosa and Mahmud Samandari soul.com 's education project of thousands of youth in El Salvador https://lnkd.in/gBXPHGPq Gemmes initiative by Caroline Avanzo Bloom School with #ebbfmember Maëlys de Rudder - Tanović Which other youth capacity building activities would you highlight in this quest to actively include youth in intergenerational dialogue and action? Do you want to be part of #ebbf4youth 's capacity building experiences? Write in the comments and we will DM you.