What is Meaningful Youth Engagement?

As we notice a general tendency to over-request youth participation without adequate benefits, the question ‘what is meaningful youth engagement?’ has taken on a new colour. It is becoming the norm to call for youth to participate, but the process for engaging them has lost some of its meaning along the way. Inclusivity, preparation, protection, and follow-up are crucial ingredients for meaningful youth participation, and require appropriate time and resources that should not be borne by the youth themselves. Holding non-youth stakeholders—including Member States, institutions, and multilateral organisations—accountable to the commitments they made towards the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 2250, 2419, and 2535 is crucial in the process of achieving meaningful and real participation for youth. We are also looking to our allies in youth, peace and security (YPS)—including international NGOs, donors, and other non-youth actors—to show support for the meaningful engagement of youth in all its diversity.

Goal

This practical checklist provides questions to keep in mind when engaging with youth. It is by no means exhaustive, but a great starting point to improve partnerships with young people and the quality of contributions, while reflecting on existing power dynamics. We hope to support our non-youth partners and YPS allies in fostering meaningful engagement with young people in speaking engagements, decision-making, and overall programming. The underlying objective is for young people to be treated as equal partners by their non-youth counterparts in the peacebuilding and human rights fields, through active and meaningful inclusion throughout the entire duration of an engagement.