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In a rapidly changing world, foresight – the ability to think systematically about the future to inform decisions today – is crucial. At UNICEF, youth foresight means empowering children and young people to contribute their unique perspectives and experiences to shape a better future for us all. Our Youth Foresight Fellowship is at the forefront…, Empowering children and youth to shape the future, The Fellowship brings children and young people together with UNICEF to develop foresight skills, participate in global trends analysis, and lead their own projects, shaping a future where youth voices are heard, respected and influential. Fellows spend their time learning about foresight research, facilitation, project management and child rights…, Results to date, In just a short time, the Fellows have made a powerful impact on UNICEF and the world: Global reach: Our Innocenti global youth network has grown to over 5,000 members from 150 countries and continues to expand. Flagship reports: Young people’s insights have been included in key UNICEF reports like the Prospects for Children: Global Outlook Global…, Programme details, Duration: Six to 10-month journey. Compensation: Fellows receive a stipend and support for project implementation. Eligibility: Open to individuals aged 15-25 at the time of application. Foresight skills are preferable but not required., Apply Now, Applications for the 2023 Fellowship are now closed. Stay tuned for updates on the 2024 Fellowship.

Debates about lowering the voting age have been gaining traction in recent years. 1 Advocates argue that lowering the voting age fulfills children’s political and civil rights, while opponents express concerns about the maturity of younger individuals to make informed political decisions. 2, Voting age around the world, In most countries and territories ( aceproject.org | What is the legal voting age in the national elections? around 90 per cent ), the voting age is 18 or above. In the 20th century, ages for voting and political participation were progressively lowered as the franchise was extended to women, the illiterate, and other groups. A first wave of…, Opportunities and risks, Lowering the voting age to 16 would offer opportunities to advance the civil and political rights of children. It would present voting as a right in itself and a means to bolster democratic institutions, improve policies for children and promote intergenerational equity. But there are also risks involved in defending a lower voting age. Promoting…, Conclusion, The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes that children have civil and political rights. In addition, the Committee on the Rights of the Child has repeatedly stated that, as their capacities evolve, children are entitled to higher levels of responsibility, agency, and autonomy in the exercise of their rights. The Committee has also…

Record heat blanketed nytimes.com | Phoenix Breaks Record With 19 Consecutive Days 110 Degrees or Higher much of the globe in the Summer of 2023. The planet is already ipcc.ch | s Climate Change 2021 1.1˚C hotter compared to the average temperature in 1850–1900 . Hot extremes including heat waves have become more frequent and intense since the…, The cooling conundrum, Excessive heat poses thelancet.com | The 2021 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: code red for a healthy future severe health risks , including heat-related illnesses and fatalities. In the past 20 years, the annual average count of heat-related fatalities among individuals aged 65 and older surged by a iea.org |…, Implications for children, According to unicef.org | The coldest year of the rest of their lives UNICEF’s report on heatwaves , around 559 million children are exposed to high heatwave frequency, and around 624 million children are exposed to either high heatwave duration, severity, or extreme high temperatures. The number of heatwave days children experience have increased…

Generative AI, now front and centre in our digital experiences, is seeing unprecedented uptake. ChatGPT has been one of the forbes.com | ChatGPT Is The Fastest Growing App In The History Of Web Applications fastest growing digital services of all time. Some children use it daily, for example when doing their homework or choosing what to wear. Its…, What is generative AI and how is it being taken up?, wikipedia.org | Generative artificial intelligence Generative AI is a subset of AI that uses machine learning to discover patterns and structure from training data and then generate new data that have similar characteristics. It has a wide range of uses, such as producing content that mimics human-generated output (including text, images, audio…, What are some key opportunities and risks for children?, With the increasing power and prevalence of AI, it is easy to see the many opportunities that generative AI can potentially offer children and young people directly or indirectly. For example: Personalized learning systems that can explain difficult concepts and help children develop skills, tailored to a child’s specific needs. Additionally, the…

FLORENCE, ITALY, 30 APRIL 2024 – Video games can potentially contribute to and support the well-being of children if they are designed with the needs of children in mind, according to new research from UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight. This research was produced as part of the Responsible Innovation in Technology for…

In 2023, children faced crises around the world. Indeed, deadly conflicts, poverty and the climate crisis continued to threaten the lives and well-being of children. Despite these hurdles, there was progress and hope. It was these challenges and opportunities that drove the UNICEF Innocenti research and foresight agenda throughout 2023. Throughout…

New research from UNICEF Innocenti and produced in partnership with the University of Sheffield, New York University, City University New York and the Queensland University of Technology seeks to understand how digital games can contribute to the well-being of children, based on the scientific study of hundreds of children in six countries over…, Child-centric We have prioritized co-creation with children, and have sought to be led by their understandings of well-being and play. International and representative We have adopted an international approach, prioritizing countries that are typically less represented in research in this area. Data-driven Our findings and assertions are data-…, Overview, Children are spending more time in digital spaces than ever before, using a range of mobile apps, social media platforms, connected devices and online games from ever earlier ages. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has intensified this shift, rapidly moving additional aspects of children’s daily lives online. The growing presence of digital technology…, Findings, UNICEF Innocenti’s research found that digital play can contribute to many aspects of children’s well- being, but that its influence is different for different children. There was also evidence of more contribution to some aspects of well-being than others. The research suggests the greatest gains for children occurred when digital games helped…, Methods, The report was based on three research initiatives: 255 children aged between eight and 12 in the US, Chile and South Africa played digital games on tablets over the course of an after-school programme that lasted for between six and 12 weeks. 240 in-home  visits were made to 50 children aged between six and 12 and their families in Australia,…, Insights, The study established that companies and designers can and should support the well-being of children through the games they produce. Our research has convincingly demonstrated that digital play has a particularly positive impact on children’s well-being when it responds to their deep interests, needs and desires. Games designed to support children…, Framework, Our new research, along with participatory workshops with 300 children from 13 countries held in 2022 and the analysis of survey datasets involving over 35,000 children, have yielded a wealth of insights about children’s well-being, digital play and the potential relationship between them. These insights form the basis for a framework and…, Opportunities, The research revealed many opportunities for next steps to support children in digital play. Companies and designers can use the findings to design games that contribute to children’s well-being in a variety of ways. They can: Allow them to experience a sense of control and agency Give them freedom of choice Allow them to experience mastery and…, Partners, The LEGO Group logo The LEGO Foundation logo Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child logo University of Sheffield logo New York University logo CUNY Graduate Center logo UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service. Research for the latest report was produced by UNICEF Innocenti in partnership with the University of Sheffield…, U N I C E F I N N O C E N T I G L O B A L O F F I C E O F R E S E A R C H A N D F O R E S I G H T A P R I L 2 0 2 4 Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children P L AY A N D C H I L D W E L L - B E I N G D I G I TA L T E C H N O L O G Y, CONTENTS Introduction 3 Executive summary 6How do we define well-being in this report? 11How did we select…

Climate change is already with us. The world is feeling its impacts every day, and none so more than the most vulnerable people in the world – children. The world’s most marginalized children are suffering displacement, malnutrition, the loss of education, the destruction of traditional ways of life and even death. Some of these destructive…, Put child rights at the heart of loss and damage finance, Child rights, as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, should be at the core of all loss and damage financing decisions. All proposed loss and damage finance mechanisms, policies, budgets, and administrative decisions should also undergo child-rights impact assessments, to make sure that they have the best interest…, Meaningfully engage children in the funding process, Children should play an active role in the design, implementation, monitoring, and overall governance of the L&D Fund. They should be included as experts in their own right in discussions and decisions concerning action on loss and damage, because they are already suffering from its consequences. To enable their full and informed participation…, Consider children's specific needs and vulnerabilities, The policies and guidelines of loss and damage finance mechanisms should explicitly consider children’s capacities and intersecting vulnerabilities, such as child poverty and inequality. They should recognize that these are experienced differently by different groups of children. Children’s self-identified needs and priorities should also be…, Provide accessible funding for children and their families, Loss and damage funding should be made available locally and should address children’s context-specific climate vulnerabilities. Funding allocation guidance and criteria should be shared in local languages and through culturally appropriate channels to ensure that children and their organizations have direct access to funding. Organisations…, Maintain accountability and ensure children’s access to justice, Children and children’s organizations must have access to effective grievance mechanisms and remedies if the activities of the L&D Fund or of other loss and damage financing violate children’s rights. Remedies may include resources to support the education, health, protection, and social protection of children affected by loss and damage. Loss…, Rebuild and recover essential services for children, Significant sums of money for loss and damage should be directed at child-critical social services - including education, health, nutrition, child protection, social protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene - to protect the most vulnerable children in high-risk locations and strengthen their resilience. Loss and damage finance should enable…

Young people’s ideas and inputs are the key to shaping an equitable future for all. At UNICEF Innocenti, our Youth Foresight Fellows are a dedicated global team of foresight practitioners, aged 15-25, who input into UNICEF’s research and foresight agenda, globally and within their countries. In November 2023, our team launched the Youth Foresight…

Youth, Protests and the Polycrisis  delves into this transformative potential of youth protests, while cautioning about the risks. Although many analyses exist on specific youth protests, fewer studies have global coverage. This paper combines quantitative research on protests with qualitative insights, including from young people themselves, and…, Youth activism often stems from a perception of marginalization, with diverse political, environmental, economic and social issues triggering protests. Protests on global issues, such as against climate change or racism, including through transnational youth-led movements, have increased.  , Young people help to diversify protest tactics and bridge online and offline activism, Digital technologies and platforms have been increasingly used by youth, bringing innovation to protests, fostering inclusivity and lowering the costs of organizing movements, though not without risks. Online mobilization may aggravate digital divides, and is also subject to surveillance, harassment and repression.   , Youth participation can contribute to more peaceful and inclusive activism, but even non-violent action faces preemptive repression, Most protests involving youth are peaceful, contradicting a misperception that young people are violent and unruly. Additionally, protests with youth participation are more inclusive and larger. At the same time, governments are more prone to repress mass protests preemptively and violently when they involve youth. , Youth participation contributes to protest impact and social change, but this does not necessarily produce direct gains for young people, Young people’s participation in protests means less violent, larger, more inclusive and more innovative campaigns, and these elements contribute to higher impact. Mass protests where young people are on the front lines are more likely to be effective and to achieve positive outcomes in their aftermath. On the other hand, even when mass protests…, U N I C E F I N N O C E N T I G L O B A L O F F I C E O F R E S E A R C H A N D F O R E S I G H T M A R C H 2 0 2 4 Youth, Protests and the Polycrisis This document is interactive and designed for digital viewing. Please consider the environment and refrain from printing. ContentsSynopsis 3 Introduction 5 1. Emerging trends in youth protests…

A teacher and students in a classroom Recently, while chatting with colleagues about movies that stayed with us long past the closing credits, someone brought up the  Queen of Katwe . I watched it the same day and was struck by the heartwarming story of a young chess prodigy, Phiona, facing poverty, lack of networks, and gender stereotypes that…,   Female teachers and school leaders are role models and allies for girls, Beyond learning mathematics or science, teachers and school leaders help develop valuable  socio-emotional skills ,  raise students’ aspirations for themselves  and parents’ aspirations for their children, and serve as  mentors and role models . “My fourth-grade teacher was the first one I can remember to speak to me directly, and not just to my…,   Female representation also varies within countries, with more women in urban schools for unsurprising reasons , Even in countries with balanced numbers of female and male teachers, female teacher presence in districts and regions often differs. We find that in  Teachers for All: Zambia Zambia ,  Teachers for All: Madagascar Madagascar ,   Teachers for All: Côte d’Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire , Botswana, Lesotho, Niger, Senegal, Equatorial Guinea and Angola, female…, Women are underrepresented as school leaders , In many parts of the world teachers are promoted to become school leaders, so fewer female teachers mean fewer female school leaders. But there is more to the story. Even in countries where women are well represented as teachers, they face barriers to move into leadership roles (Figure 3). This trend is global, and is seen in  West and Central…, Women lead differently, and female led schools often outperform their male counterparts, Having more women in leadership can empower young girls and help improve student wellbeing and learning. Much of the recent research we read also shows that women practice more collaborative leadership, are better instructional leaders, and prioritize student wellbeing.   Our Time to Teach research showed that female leaders in West and Central…, Harnessing more local and contextual evidence can be a game-changer to support women in teaching and school leadership, The stark reality is, that there is a shortage of female teachers at higher education levels, particularly in rural and challenging areas. What's more, women are poorly represented as school leaders globally. Here, local, and contextual data is critical for identifying and tracking gender disparities – a first step towards addressing the issue.…

Parent and caregiver support programmes are in a unique position to reduce family violence — specifically, violent discipline by parents or caregivers and intimate partner violence (IPV), the most common forms of violence experienced by children and women, respectively. Both types of violence often co-occur and have long-term consequences for…