Youth Inclusion DRG Toolkit Youth Org

Toolkit for Youth Inclusion in Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance

Cross-Cutting Considerations: Youth Organizations

Cross-cutting Considerations: Youth Organizations

In DRG programs, engagement with youth organizations is often manifested through program components that create “youth branches” of larger organizations, such as youth wings of political parties, or student bar associations, for example. The theories of change underlying such efforts often have to do with the belief that supporting such organizational structures will either help to nurture new leaders that will be more democratic and reform-minded than the ‘old guard’, or that supporting these organizational structures will somehow rejuvenate political institutions, organizations, and governance structures, primarily by making them more democratic and inclusive. Rarely are these efforts stand-alone programs, but components incorporated into larger programs (i.e., political party assistance programs, rule of law programs, etc.). While some programs may include direct support to other forms of youth organization (i.e., youth movements or youth groups) or to Youth Councils and Platforms, this is not very common. However, given the importance of youth participation and engagement, where the young people themselves are able to make decisions, field officers are encouraged to explore more opportunities for working with such groups.

When designing a program involving youth organization, it is critical to consider two aspects. First, what type of youth participation are you aiming for (i.e., youth leadership, youth organizing/mobilization, youth engagement in governance and decision-making, or youth service)? And second, as related to youth organizations, in what spaces will those types of participation take place? Possibilities range from youth clubs, councils and youth parliaments, youth wings of political parties and political parties, to professional groups and labor unions.

Four Types of DRG-Related Youth Organizations

There are four types of youth organizations that often serve as a means for youth to participate in the DRG space. These entities are not intended to be stand-alone programs but are incorporated into broader programs. These are:

1. Youth Council

A Youth Council (YC) is a formal body composed of youth that provides advice to government decision-makers or the development community. This role includes identifying priorities and proposing policies that support them. Often, YCs contribute to the implementation of these policies through public service. Their role may also include public outreach and advocacy. Depending on the context and on their governance structure, YCs can give young people a meaningful role in the policy and decision-making process. Young people of all ages have found their voice through organizing, advocacy and community leadership. Even for those youth that have voting rights, YCs provide the opportunity to have direct access to policy makers.

Benefit:

In developing countries and authoritarian regimes, national YCs may serve as the only focal point for youth participation and the only mechanism that facilitates a liaison with the national government.

Limitation:

YCs’ electoral forms of participation may reinforce existing inequalities between groups of young people and can exclude the voices of disadvantaged and socially excluded groups of young people.

2. Youth Parliament

Youth Parliaments (YPs) are projects meant to create spaces and opportunities for young people to adopt processes modelled upon adult political models. They are deliberative spaces that involve processes of nomination and election of candidates. It is worth noting that there is a tendency to confuse the definitions of YCs and YPs and use the terms interchangeably, given that both are defined as deliberative spaces. However, their structures, resources, functions, and ties to adult organizations can be quite distinct. YCs are always attached to governments. YPs may or may not be. To date, no rigorous scholarship has focused on YPs.

Benefit:

YPs encourage youth to develop a political voice, and sometimes establish formal links to adult governance bodies.

Limitation:

Elitism and the self-selective nature of YPs may reinforce the exclusion of the most marginalized and disaffected youth.

3. Youth Party Wing

A youth political party wing is a subsidiary of a political party, formed to rally support and allegiance for the party’s campaigns from younger members and potential members. Depending on the context, youth wings can have different relationships with their mother parties. Some are independent. A variation to consider is “interparty” youth forums that can be used to support linkages between youth from different political parties. This may help raise the profile of youth and deepen mutual interests across parties to help elevate youth concerns and issues.

Benefit:

Youth sections of political parties serve as recruitment channels for the adult party and aids in establishing links between political parties and society.

Limitation:

Structural inequalities that affect youth’s entry to the political arena (education, family, and socio-economic status) can either delay or boost career opportunities and promotions for youth. For example, political party wings may provide elite youth with a career boost but reinforce the marginality of the disadvantaged groups (e.g., women).

4. Youth-Led Community Organizing

Youth-led community organizing is an area of expanded popularity for research and practice among various stakeholders but has been slow in producing evidence of impact. It is worth noting that while over the last decade youth-led organizations have gained visibility in other regions of the world, the data in these cases, when available, are descriptive and generic. Youth-led organizations remain thus a significant gap in our understanding of how youth participate in the DRG space. Given this gap, this type focuses on Youth-led Community Organizing and not on youth-led organizations.

Benefit:

As youth organizing groups provide youth with safe and stimulating spaces mindful of the cultural and political experiences of young people, through participation, youth gain leadership and organizing skills and often become engaged in the civic and political life of their communities.

Limitation:

The challenges of funding are more acute for youth organizing as funders typically exert more caution given the ages of the recipients. What attracts many funders and sponsors to youth organizing (the promise of young civic energies, innovation, and creativity) are the same factors that could limit funding opportunities.

Consider creative and innovative mechanisms of funding to support youth organizing that leverage youth civic energies, such as providing multi-year grants, building organizational infrastructure and incentivizing linkages and networks among youth organizing efforts both locally and nationally. Be cognizant of the political nature of engaging youth and support spaces for those issues to surface in a constructive manner rather than not acknowledging them.

Ideas for Incorporating PYD Features into Youth Organization Support

Skill Building: Work with youth organizations to identify the key skills they need to develop. Consider using a participatory capacity development assessment. Also consider other skills that the youth need to effectively engage with adult members of their organizations. Ensure training is provided to adult-focused organizations on how to engage with youth organizations.

Youth Engagement: As you are already working directly with youth organizations, consider how to strengthen the linkages they have with supportive adults or with adult powerbrokers that can help the youth achieve what they are trying to achieve. If you are supporting an international implementing partner to work with the youth organizations, ensure the latter have actual decision-making power throughout the project.

Healthy Relationships: Even though the primary partner is the youth organization, mentorship opportunities with adult-based organizations and supportive adults are still critical. Organizing joint projects could also be helpful.

Belonging/Membership: Support activities or the development of small working groups within the organization so individuals can feel more engaged and take ownership. Break down the groups into affinity groups where participants can work together on targeted issues.

Norms/Expectations/Perceptions: Support the facilitation of discussions within the youth organization where members can discuss and agree on common norms and expectations. If working with a youth subsidiary of an adult organization, support similar discussions where the different groups can discuss and agree upon norms and expectations of one another.

Safe Public Space: Hopefully the youth organization itself provides safe public spaces for youth to exchange. Also consider supporting the youth organization to work with other local stakeholders to find and/or create such spaces.

Youth Friendly Services: Consider supporting the youth organization/s to work with other local stakeholders or with service providers on how to create youth friendly services. Youth organizations could potentially be contracted to train service providers in this area.