Youth participation
Today 1.7 billion people - more than a quarter of the world's six billion people - are between the ages of 10 and 24. These young people could potentially be making a huge contribution to society, but their ideas, enthusiasm and commitment are often overlooked by the world's decision makers. In many parts of the world young people can be perceived as apathetic or disengaged, but this is largely inaccurate. Not only is it important for young people's views to be taken into account in projects that concern them, but it is also their right to participate, according to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
There are different ways in which children and young people can participate in projects that aim to benefit them. Sometimes adults come up with the ideas and children join in, and sometimes young people come up with an idea themselves. These are some different types of participation:
- Adults decide on the project and young people volunteer to be involved. The young people understand the project and have a meaningful role.
- While Adults have the initial idea for the project, young people are involved in planning and implementation and they are involved in making the decisions.
- Young people have the initial idea for a project and decide how it is to be implemented. Adults are available for support but do not take over.
- Young people are consulted to find out their opinions and priorities, but adults do the work.
Despite the challenges they face, young people across the world are getting involved in projects and making a difference in their communities. They often seem to be replacing traditional forms of political participation (i.e. voting) with activism and volunteering. Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is an annual global event that celebrates, recognises, and mobilises the year-round contributions of young people to build their communities and their world through voluntary service. Many young people are also making contributions towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. These are some examples:
Nairobi, Kenya
Slums Information Development & Resource Center (SIDAREC) is a community-based, youth-led organization located in the urban slums of Nairobi, Kenya. It was established by a group of young people in 1996 to identify resourceful youth in the slums and engage them in the improvement of their own community. At present, the organization operates in seven slums in Nairobi. The project includes capacity-building workshops with young people, builds resource centers to distribute reading, audio and video materials and provides counseling services.
Delhi, India
The Eradication of Illiteracy Project was the idea of a 17 year old child, Ram Gopalakrishnan, living in the outskirts of Delhi, India. In order to do something about the problem of illiteracy in the neighborhood, he formed a group called EDU-KIDS in February 2000. The project entailed starting a school that is free of charge for all the children in the neighborhood. The school began with only 3 students in the school, run in a volunteered car garage, and after three years had 30 students. Two teachers take turns teaching and the members of EDU-KIDS help with the facilitation of the school.
Lagos, Nigeria
The Roots & Shoots community service youth group in Lagos, Nigeria, noticed that a nearby highway flooded every time it rained, as debris blocked drainage routes. The debris that washed onto the road was harmful to the environment, and the resulting floods caused hazardous conditions for highway traffic. In addition, the standing water posed a serious health threat to the 2,000 people living in this area as it became a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which carry malaria and other diseases. Members cleared debris blocking the road and hauled it away in dump trucks they rented from the Nigerian government.
Increasingly young people are becoming recognised as key participants in decision-making and development. This is reflected in the growing presence of non-governmental youth organisations and youth advisory boards to international institutions and programmes. But there is more that can be done to help more young people participate and make a contribution to society. Young people need:
- training and skills development
- ongoing support from adults
- opportunities for volunteering
- access to political leaders
- adequate allocation of resources (including time, space, funding and information)
- a sense of ownership of projects and their input being valued.
Building the capacity of young people is crucial to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Indeed, without the involvement of young people full achievement of the MDGs will remain elusive and their long-term sustainability will be compromised. In a worldwide on-line consultation with more than 350 young people about the MDGs (in June 2004) most of the respondents said that they knew little or nothing about the Goals. It is essential that we raise awareness of these targets, and work together with young people to help them be achieved.