There is a complex set of barriers that exist for young people to meaningfully participate in civil society organizations, varying from lack of access to resources to lack of formal qualification. Meanwhile, some established organizations with little experience in mainstreaming youth might find it challenging to engage young people or implement strategies that directly address youth needs. This platform will be very useful for organisations that want to learn how to:
Meaningfully engage youth to be part of your initiatives
Target and reach youth through your work
Identify opportunities to contribute to young people’s motivation
Mainstream youth in your organization’s work
This platform is a collaboration between national and regional networks and youth activists and organisations to showcase best practices of youth engagement. The toolkit includes case studies from various organizations about the strategies they utilized to address barriers to youth engagement. Its publication has been facilitated by The Affinity Group of National Associations (AGNA) and CIVICUS Youth as part of the project Youth Participation Parkour. As two important networks of national/regional platforms and youth-led organisations within the CIVICUS alliance, AGNA and CIVICUS Youth are uniquely placed to encourage and facilitate the participation of youth in civil society. The platform is broken up into several categories, including engaging, reaching, and mainstreaming youth. It is available in English, Spanish, and French. If you have used this toolbox, we would highly appreciate your feedback or your experience opening the space for young people to participate in civil society organisations. You can write to us at youth@civicus.org or agna@civicus.org.
