Adolescent and Youth Participation

This presentation for the Programming for Adolescents and Youth in the Arab States/MENA Region conference in Istanbul, Turkey (December 3-7 2012) looks at the importance of adolescent and youth participation.

1. The presentation highlights the fact that the right to express views and have them taken seriously is a fundamental human right. It is embodied in Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the international community has re-affirmed recognition of the importance of the right of participation to children and young people in numerous international declarations over the past 20 years. Article 12 is not an isolated principle, but links together with numerous other rights to establish recognition of the young person as a social actor, entitled to play an active part in the exercise of his or her rights in accordance with evolving capacities - for example, rights to freedom of expression, of thought, religion, conscience and of association, rights to information and to privacy, right to due process in law, to education, to health care, and to play, arts, and culture.

2. Participation extends to all aspects of the lives of adolescents and, if implemented fully, builds a culture in which they are recognised and valued throughout society. Young people are entitled to be involved in matters that affect them in the civic and political sphere, but also to issues that concern them in their individual lives such as the right to be heard in civil and criminal proceedings, in health care, the right to access confidential sexual and reproductive advice and services, the right to mechanisms of complaint, redress and appeal when their rights are violated.

3. Participation can be conceptualised at three potential levels of engagement:

• Consultative participation - where adults seek adolescents’ views in order to build knowledge and understanding of their lives and experience.
• Collaborative participation - where there is a greater degree of partnership between adults and adolescents, with the opportunity for active engagement at any stage of a decision, initiative, project or service.
• Youth-led participation - where adolescents are afforded the space and opportunity to initiate activities and advocate for themselves.

4. Respecting the right of adolescent and youth participation contributes to:

• Building capacity for democratic engagement
• Strengthening protection from violence, abuse, and exploitation
• Enhancing skills, knowledge, and self confidence
• Improving decision making and programme outcomes.

5. Although participation is a fundamental right, it is also necessary to strengthen the evidence base of associated outcomes in order both to learn from and share accumulated global experience and to demonstrate the case for political and financial commitment to participation from governments and donors. Measuring participation is needed at the macro and micro levels:
Mapping the environment at the national and local level to evaluate the extent to which it is conducive to respect for adolescents’ right to participate:

• adolescents have legal entitlements to participate;
• adolescents have access to appropriate and necessary information;
• there is widespread awareness of adolescents’ participation rights;
• adolescents are able to influence public agendas; and
• adolescents are able to participate within their local communities.

Measuring the actual experience in specific participation initiatives in which adolescents are involved:

• Scope - what degree of participation has been achieved and at what stages of programme development - in other words - What is being done?
• Quality - to what extent have participatory processes complied with the agreed standards for effective practice - in other words - How is it being done?
• Outcome - what has been the outcome - on young people themselves, on families, on the supporting agency, and on the wider realisation of young people’s rights within families, local communities, and at local and national governmental level - in other words – What has been achieved?

6. In summary, participation is a fundamental human right which must be embedded at all levels of society recognising adolescents as contributors to and creators of their own lives rather than passive recipients. It necessitates profound cultural change in all societies.