| De: |
"Vidar Ekehaug" [ Profil ] |
| Sujet: |
Summary Week 1
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| Envoyé: |
May 14th, 2008 - 14:30:29 |
| Pièces-jointes: |
![[Icône de fichier attaché]](http://www.takingitglobal.org/images/connections/groups/icons/file.gif)
OECD-CCPS Summary Week 1.doc
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Hey everyone,
Many thanks for all your great contributions in the first week of the
consultation! It was great to hear the different perspectives from around
the world. Below is a summary of the discussion in the first week (also in
the attached document). I hope this reflects your contributions, and please
feel free suggest changes and additions to the summary.
The questions for Week 2 of the consultation will be posted shortly.
1. Do you feel the views of young people are sufficiently included in
designing public policy? What are the barriers to participation?
Most participants strongly agree that young people are not sufficiently
included in designing public policy, and many feel that policies are created
for them without consulting them. Young people expressed that barriers to
participation exist both within cultures, within governments, and within
young people themselves.
Cultural barriers - Young people feel that governments and the rest of
society do not consider young people as ready to contribute constructively
to the design of policies. The stereotypes of youth as apathetic and lazy
still prevails among many adult, and few genuine opportunities to
participate are given to young people. As a participant from Cameroon noted:
"Adults have a monopoly of knowledge."
Lack of communication channels and social dialogue - Participants also noted
that relevant information about designing public policies seldom reaches
young people. Governments do not use the appropriate channels where young
people can be reached, and the language and content of the communication is
often in a form that young people do not respond to.
Lack of resources and training opportunities - Some participants felt that
young people and youth organizations lack the resources and skills required
to fully participate in policy-making. In the words of a participant from
Cameroon: "[There are] very limited opportunities to develop appropriate
skills in leadership, lobbying and advocacy that will permit [young people]
to claim rights to participation."
Lack of youth structures - Participants also reflected over the fact that
young people have to organize themselves and not only wait for opportunities
to be given to them. However, the lack of a national youth platform often
make it difficult for governments to consult with a large and representative
number of young people. As noted by a New Zealand participant: "While
business groups and unions tend to lobby politicians hard, with a strength
in numbers, young people lack a similar agency with such strength or power."
Participants also noted that the lack of political will among politicians to
listen to youth as a barrier, but they were also optimistic about the future
of youth participation. A participant from Nigeria noted: "The reality is
that our generation are beginning to have access to all sorts of information
sources and are getting more knowledgeable about real issues than many of
the older generation."
2. What steps can governments take to facilitate greater youth
participation?
Participants were largely in agreement on this question, and two suggestions
for government stood out as a way to facilitate greater youth participation:
Support the creation of and institutionalize national youth platforms -
Young people want a common platform where they can meet, discuss and
advocate their views. Governments should facilitate and support the creation
of these platforms, and view young people the same way
Encourage leadership development and involvement of young people -
Governments should offer training skill-building opportunities to young
people so they are aware and able to participate in shaping policy.
Governments can also hire more young people as civil servants as a way to
increase their understanding and input into policy-making.
Other suggestions included integrating civic education into public
education, and another common notion among participants was that "It starts
with politicians who believe in youth!"
Best regards,
Vidar Ekehaug
Programs Director
Global Youth Action Network
307 West 38th Street, Suite 1805
New York, NY, 10018
Phone: (+1) 212-661-6111
youthlink.org | takingitglobal.org
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