This content is inspired by The Youth Political Participation Literature and Policy review 1980-2023 – Epoch IV Mainstreaming Mechanisms– as outlined in the Youth Democracy Cohort’s scoping study on youth political participation. The study presents a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of youth-related policies and practices from 1980 to 2023. It is based on a literature and policy review, examining youth involvement in political affairs, electoral participation, and civil society engagement within democratic contexts. The findings are framed within four distinct epochs, offering insights for policymakers and programme designers aiming to foster youth-inclusive democratic practices. While the content draws on these findings, it does not represent a verbatim excerpt or official position of the Youth Democracy Cohort.
This epoch is characterised by efforts to establish concrete innovative, long-term youth political participation mechanisms enabling and empowering young people to contribute to policy development across various policy fields.
Global Context and Trends
Apart from the demographic development in the countries of the Global North, as previously mentioned in epoch I., worldwide crises of the early 2020s (e.g. climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, etc.) became another key factor that formed youth policy into not only a standalone, but also an important policymaking domain. It is the emergence of these global crises that pushes upon the policymakers the necessity to acknowledge the cross-sectoral nature of these challenges as well as their intergenerational dimension. In response, youth mainstreaming as well as widening the understanding of youth policy as a cross-sectoral domain have become established practices. Building on the key developments from the previous epoch, namely on the systematic strategies on youth political participation, new policymaking mechanisms, and overall change in understanding of youth participation take place.
It should also be noted that these developments are in line with the more general trends in evolution of Global North democracies, namely their diversification to include various practices beyond representative democracy, including participatory democracy, direct democracy, and deliberative democracy approaches, as well as recognition of the importance of the counter-democracy domain (e.g. civic spaces, movements, and activism). Emergence of the second key trend framing youth political participation as a key priority(i.e. complex cross-sectoral and intergenerational matters such as climate change) enhanced youth mainstreaming developments. UN policy, as articulated in the reports of the Secretary-General, also emphasised an intergenerational perspective, calling for solidarity with current and future generations of young people in global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which mark this era thus far.
Within the Global South during this epoch, policy initiatives have taken place in BRICS, ASEAN, African
Union, CARICOM, and Commonwealth regions. These tend to follow the discourse on participation set by the UN, but mostly focus on policies which address international development for youth. There is some emphasis on youth as change makers, mobilising young people towards achieving various aims, such as the sustainable development goals. Thus the Global South agendas are less concerned with the democratic crisis of the Global North, and more underline the contribution young people can make to a nation’s development. There is considerable emphasis on volunteering, and even entrepreneurship connected to youth participation. Policies are generally not detailed enough to establish the concrete long term cross sectorial mechanisms that occur within the Global North for youth involvement in policymaking. Instead, Global South policies provide the building blocks for youth participation policy, setting out youth as rights holders and emphasising the value and need for promotion of youth participation.
Youth First in Policymaking
Overall, the policy developments of this epoch in the area of youth participation include young people becoming active agents in policymaking rather than only policy subjects, in combination with efforts to establish innovative and long-term mechanisms to facilitate youth political participation beyond typical channels of representative democracy (i.e. voting and running for office).
Milestones in Youth Policies
Key milestones include:
- UN Secretary General Report: Our Common Agenda, in response to the context of Covid-19, “now is the time to think for the long term, to deliver more for young people and succeeding generations and to be better prepared for the challenges ahead”.
Landmark International and European Policies
- Towards structured youth engagement on climate and sustainability in the EU decision-making process, policy ensuring that youth perspective is integrated into sustainability and climate policies, reflecting the nature of the inter-generational concerns.
- The Updated OECD Youth Action Plan: Building Blocks for Future Action, this updated plan emphasises strengthening relations between youth and political institutions, by promoting spaces of engagement, removing public sector barriers, and ensuring youth participation in youth organisations engaged with OECD.
