Youth engagement

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 months. 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.

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…

4 minute read The question, “Where are you from?” has historically been straightforward. “I’m from Cardiff, in Wales,” is my default reply. But where we are from is no longer tied merely to our postcode, the city we were born in, or the country listed on our passport. Rather than focusing solely on where we are from, there is now more emphasis on…

When we think about the future, we tend to think about children and youth as beneficiaries of the world we create. But this approach — regardless of good intentions — is a missed opportunity to learn from young people and co-design a future that better reflects their priorities. This youth foresight playbook aims to facilitate a more inclusive…, This project is made possible with funding and enthusiastic support from unglobalpulse.org United Nations Global Pulse and the Ministry of Foreign of Affairs, Finland. We are grateful for their continued partnership and commitment to youth participation and child rights. November 2023, Designing a Youth-centred Journey to the FutureA YOUTH FORESIGHT PLAYBOOK Designing a Youth-centred Journey to the Future: A Youth Foresight Playbook i What is a Youth Foresight Playbook? Young people have been a driving force for change throughout history. It makes sense that they should also be deeply involved in imagining the future their…

Event: Livestream 28 November 2023 11:00 - 01:00 UTC+4 Museum of the Future Sheikh Zayed Rd Trade Centre 2 Dubai, United Arab Emirates, United arab emirates Click here to tune into the livestreamed event at 11.00am (GMT+4).    The UNICEF Innocenti Youth Engagement and Strategy team, in collaboration with the  Dubai Future Forum , is excited to…

Today’s generation of adolescents and young people is larger than ever before, and they face unprecedented challenges in their day-to-day lives. However, they are largely excluded from the decision-making processes that affect their health, education, work, social networks and futures. It is not because they are not interested. Young people are…, Related reports, Related news, ideas and articles

4 minute read With the clock ticking towards 2030 – amidst a backdrop of increased political polarization, the climate crisis, the rise of populist movements, ever-increasing distrust towards institutions, and the aftermath of a global pandemic that disproportionately impacted children and young people and exacerbated intergenerational unfairness…

Children and young people across the world have learnt important life lessons from the COVID-19 experience. These focused country reports give insight into their experiences and perceptions of pandemic. This project explores children and young people’s experiences, opinions, and reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic and related government responses.…, The research across the different countries sought to answer two questions: How do children and youth (aged 10–19 years) perceive and experience the COVID-19 situation? How has it affected them? How have they coped with the health crisis and associated measures to contain the pandemic? What are the key issues from their perspective? What are…,   Project map, Gif of descriptive words, Country reports, Children and young people across the world have learnt important life lessons from the COVID-19 experience. These focused country reports give insight into their experiences and perceptions of pandemic., Document cover Canada: It’s Difficult to Grow Up in an Apocalypse (July 2022), According to children and youth in Canada, what were the negative and positive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives? How did they experience changes in their relationships; daily schedule; time at home; use of technology; or feelings of anger, worry, loneliness or gratitude? How were these experienced by marginalized groups, including…, Document cover Chile: The Pandemic Through the Eyes of Children and Adolescents (April 2023), The COVID-19 pandemic led to a crisis at multiple levels, putting at risk children's ability to exercise their rights. The objective of this study was to generate evidence on the experiences, perceptions and opinions of children and adolescents about the pandemic and Chile's response to it. This qualitative study includes the experiences of 102…, Document cover Italy: Life in Colours (November 2021), This report recounts the journeys of a group of adolescents through the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, one of the first countries to be affected by the virus. It is the first product of an in-depth qualitative study that aims to understand the experiences of children and young people from their point of view and through their words. The data for this…, Document cover Lesotho: “It was just a strange life” (May 2023), This participatory study, conducted with youth in Lesotho, provides a profound understanding of their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. It sheds light on how they navigated the challenges and changes brought about by this global crisis, revealing insights into their adaptability, resilience, and the crucial role of community support. The…, Document cover Madagascar: Experiences, perceptions and opinions of children and adolescents on the COVID-19 pandemic (September 2022), The consequences of COVID-19 have been far-reaching, and virtually every country in the world has been affected with varying degrees of severity. Madagascar was no exception. The pandemic had major economic and social downturns, with particular consequences to children and adolescents, considered to be more vulnerable to shocks as significant as…, Methodology, This multi-country project followed a qualitative research methodology and was  underpinned by a series of principles. Gif of principles This Young (COVID) Life is a qualitative research project carried out with children and young people in 6 countries. Each individual country project adopted some or all the following participatory methods:  …, ITS DIFFICULT TO GROW UP INAN APOCALYPSE CHILDREN'S AND ADOLESCENTS' EXPERIENCES, PERCEPTIONS AND OPINIONS ON THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN CANADA https://brocku.ca/ https://www.studentscommission.ca/en https://www.ubishops.ca/ https://www.unicef.ca/en http://www.unicef-irc.org UNICEF OFFICE OF RESEARCH INNOCENTIThe Office of Research Innocenti is…

Our Future Pledge: An agenda for futures by youth is a toolkit and global campaign created by young foresight practitioners from across the globe, in partnership with UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight. The toolkit, a comprehensive resource to build youth foresight capacity, includes: An introduction to youth foresight A…, Join the campaign Our planet is in crisis. Temperatures are rising, sea levels are increasing, and social inequalities are growing.  Young people have the power to solve these challenges and shape the world we live in. But to do this, we need to look beyond the present and imagine the possibilities of tomorrow.   #OurFuturePledge is a campaign by…, Learn more, Watch the #OurFuturePledge campaign launch webinar, Acknowledgements, This project is made possible with funding and enthusiastic support from unglobalpulse.org United Nations Global Pulse and the Ministry of Foreign of Affairs, Finland. We are grateful for their continued partnership and commitment to youth participation and child rights., Contact, For more information please contact Shai Naides, Youth Engagement Manager at UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, using the link below. April 2023, OUR FUTURE PLEDGEAN AGENDA FOR FUTURES BY YOUTH Acknowledgements 4 Welcome 4 Why youth foresight? 4 Introducing the Youth Foresight Fellowship 5 Acknowledgements 6 Report from the future the voice of the collective 7 Dj vu 8 Cries and Crises room 10 Inclusivity and Resilience room 13 The Disruption room 16 My preferred future 18 The Data Shaping…

This Issue Brief focuses on how peace processes can be defining moments for altering or rewriting a (pre)existing social contract. Like other events that test the very foundations of society, such as decolonization processes, anti-apartheid struggles, financial crises, and possibly also the current global pandemic, a peace process can be seen as…

Florence/Toronto, 6 July 2022 – Today’s adolescents will face the consequences of the pandemic throughout their lives, according to reports under a UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti coordinated project.   It’s Difficult to Grow Up in an Apocalypse: Children’s and adolescents’ experiences, perceptions and opinions on the COVID-19 pandemic in…

Recent global upheavals, including the 2008 financial crisis, ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and growing climate crisis, have exposed or exacerbated fractures in the social contract — that is “the partnership between individuals, businesses, civil society and the state to contribute to a system in which there are collective benefits.” The…