YOUTH PARTICIPATION

Purpose:

Young people worldwide are leading cultural change and peaceful global activism and challenging power structures at every level of society. The engagement of youth is particularly important in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, and ISPCAN is committed to including young people in the work we do.

Our objective in developing this new Youth Participation Working Group is to provide a space for youth/ young people (18 years and older) and others – practitioners and professionals working in the field – to connect and contribute ideas and resources on the topic of youth participation. We encourage ISPCAN members as well as nonmembers to subscribe to this page and share ideas or resources with our team. We welcome participants from all disciplines and with varied experiences.

YOUTH FORUMS

ISPCAN also offer young people the opportunity to gather at every regional and international congress, where we we work with our local partner to organize a Youth Forum Day. This event is for young adults ages 18-25 to discuss and address child maltreatment and child protection topics of interest in the region. Information about Youth Forums for specific Congresses is also available under “Congresses” on the ISPCAN home page in the Congress Manual.

The Prague youth created a video that was very powerful way to capture the feeling and message of youth.

Essentially the youth plan the program (it can be a photography exercise, a play, an art project, a discussion forum, video collection of self statements, a poetry slam, etc.).  The topic is chosen by youth, and the action or end product is also their vision (it can be an action plan like in Jamaica, it can be one of the outputs above like a video or artistic display for the city).  The adults who chair the session help to organize the logistics, facilitate the discussion or exercise and keep it a safe space for expression.

KEY REPORTS/RESEARCH

Special Reports on Youth Participation

Youth Participation Videos