How can we meaningfully engage young people? Lessons from the Symposium on Political Participation

0:00 the symposium the future of young 0:03 people's political participation 0:05 questions challenges and opportunities 0:08 hosted by the partnership between the 0:10 European Commission and the Council of 0:12 Europe in the field of youth was held at 0:14 the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg 0:17 from 18 to 20 September 2019 young 0:20 people's political participation is 0:22 central to the work of partnership 0:24 between the European Commission and the 0:26 Council of Europe in the field of youth 0:28 and both of the partner institutions 0:31 more than 120 participants from Europe 0:34 and Beyond attended the symposium 0:36 including young people youth activists 0:39 youth leaders members of political 0:41 organizations and youth wings of 0:43 political parties representatives of 0:45 civil society organizations and youth 0:48 movements journalists and influencers 0:49 young artists policymakers youth workers 0:53 educators teachers and researchers 1:00 why are we looking at political 1:02 participation of young people today 1:04 today in Europe we're witnessing 1:06 different phenomena such as a shrinking 1:09 space for civil society the rise of 1:11 populism 1:12 and illiberal regimes declining trust in 1:15 institutions a changing role of media 1:17 and diffusion of fake news a lack of 1:20 access to rights and rapid development 1:22 of digital technologies they all have a 1:25 role in how youth political 1:26 participation happens in addition young 1:30 people find themselves at the center of 1:32 protests movements there on the streets 1:35 in ever-increasing numbers indicating 1:37 their growing demand for change within 1:40 this growing youth movement the question 1:42 also arises which young people are 1:45 involved particularly in youth led 1:47 organizations and formal participation 1:49 structures and how can we reach all 1:52 young people especially those faced with 1:54 various disadvantages 2:00 participation is not only an end but 2:03 also a means symposium was not only 2:05 exploring the ways of young people's 2:07 political engagement today but it also 2:09 aimed to create a space for learning and 2:12 participation of young people in the 2:14 event itself through co-creation 2:16 methodology symposium was developed in 2:18 line with the participatory approach 2:20 including young people and participants 2:23 as co-creators presenters facilitators 2:25 and repertory of the session 2:28 how did young people participate in the 2:31 symposium one young people were involved 2:34 in setting the priorities young people 2:37 were involved from the early stages of 2:39 program development and preparatory 2:40 meetings of the symposium Advisory 2:43 Council on youth of the Council of 2:44 Europe European Youth Forum and 2:47 representatives of youth blood 2:48 organizations were invited to shape the 2:50 programme and priorities of the event to 2:54 Co designing the program participants in 2:57 the symposium had a chance to also 2:59 indicate the issues and questions which 3:01 they found most urgent when it comes to 3:03 political participation of young people 3:05 their answers were used to create a 3:07 structure and thematic base of the 3:10 symposium three young people as experts 3:14 youth participants in the symposium were 3:16 invited to submit their proposals for 3:19 the workshops which they could host 3:20 based on their practices area of 3:23 expertise and experience in total 27 3:26 different workshops were held on various 3:28 topics for young people as visionaries 3:32 throughout the symposium young people 3:34 work together on the cubes process 3:36 allowing participants to co-create 3:38 visions on how we want the future of 3:40 political participation to be discussing 3:43 the main values conditions needed 3:45 resources knowledge and networks and the 3:48 steps needed to reach that vision five 3:51 youth as contributors to knowledge 3:54 products participants also had the 3:56 opportunity to map out their political 3:58 participation by listing their own 4:00 initiatives and projects on a physical 4:02 and electronic map of Europe this list 4:05 was used as a basis to develop a 4:07 compendium on the political 4:08 participation of young people which 4:10 highlights good practices and stories of 4:13 success 4:16 what are the lessons and main outcomes 4:18 or findings of the symposium won various 4:22 forms of participation are equally valid 4:24 and accepted from street protests to 4:27 youth advisory councils and initiatives 4:29 focused on formal participation like 4:31 voting to artistic activism and memes 4:34 participants showed an appreciation of 4:36 the contribution that all forms make to 4:39 a vibrant and healthy democracy to 4:42 creativity and imagination are seen as 4:45 key elements of young people's political 4:47 participation both as a way of appealing 4:49 to people's emotions and as a reflection 4:52 of a future that they would like to live 4:54 in colorful diverse free and open three 5:00 frameworks networks resources and 5:02 security matter youth political 5:05 participation requires a range of 5:07 supports and stakeholders which do not 5:09 necessarily always work together 5:13 for it is unclear what to do with 5:16 participation that is extremist or a 5:18 liberal despite a broad consensus in the 5:21 room on a type of values based 5:22 participation rooted in democracy human 5:25 rights and inclusion participants were 5:28 aware that there is a growing chorus of 5:30 active young people who do not believe 5:31 in the same values five young people in 5:35 the symposium emphasized the need for 5:37 diversity and inclusion of 5:39 underrepresented groups 5:42 six digital technologies and social 5:46 media offer opportunities for young 5:48 people's participation in the new ways 5:50 but they are also not replacing other 5:52 forms of political participation 5:56 so what is the future of young people's 5:59 political participation as shaped by 6:01 views opinions and aspirations of young 6:04 people at the symposium future of 6:06 political participation is diverse young 6:10 people engage in politics in a diversity 6:13 of ways including through conventional 6:15 means of participation such as voting 6:17 and membership in political parties or 6:19 youth organizations voicing their 6:22 opinions and influencing decision making 6:24 processes through formal structures and 6:26 means of democratic participation and 6:28 expression on the other hand they also 6:31 participate using alternative channels 6:33 digital tools artivism even civil 6:36 disobedience they increasingly engage 6:38 through youth movements and take part in 6:40 campaigns and protests strongly 6:43 advocating for issues such as climate 6:44 emergency subversive many young people 6:49 are not keen to conduct politics as 6:51 usual and they seek to critique the 6:53 hypocrisy 'z that they see in the status 6:54 quo with humor and irony this is 6:57 accelerated by social media and digital 6:59 technologies where political satire 7:01 material is developed using memes and 7:04 deep fake inclusive open and pluralistic 7:08 participation was one of the top 7:10 priorities for young people at the 7:12 symposium who were committed to finding 7:14 ways to make their organizations and 7:16 movements more diverse participation was 7:19 also seen as a key method for making our 7:21 societies more inclusive for young 7:23 people empowering participation requires 7:28 a certain level of competences but it is 7:30 also learned by doing sharing the power 7:32 may empower both young people and other 7:35 stakeholders as it gives opportunity to 7:38 decision-makers to benefit from young 7:40 people's creativity and diverse 7:42 perspectives but it also allows young 7:44 people to learn how decision-making 7:46 happens in practice at various levels 7:50 colorful symposium utilized a wide range 7:54 of artistic tools from preparations for 7:56 the Friday's for future March theater 7:58 performance and songs giving young 8:00 people an opportunity to use artistic 8:02 expression in order to advocate for 8:04 political and social issues they care 8:06 about uncompromising on key values while 8:11 young people are flexible when it comes 8:12 to engaging in various types of 8:14 political participation those that the 8:16 symposium did not compromise on the 8:18 values that they felt political 8:21 participation should be based upon 8:23 democracy human rights diversity and 8:26 respect 8:32 for more inspiring stories questions and 8:35 thoughts on political participation of 8:37 young people visit our website and 8:39 follow us at you co e youth