CIVICUS Youth
About CIVICUS Youth
CIVICUS Youth connects young activists and spurs youth capacity, innovation and inclusion in civil society. CIVICUS Youth is a committed and dynamic community of members under 30 years old. It comprises over 1,000 organisational and 1,300 individual CIVICUS members in 149 countries.
CIVICUS Youth activities include setting up key strategic inter-generational discussions and actions, strengthening links and peer learning among young activists, fostering the representation of diverse youth in civil society, and making efforts to elevate young people to positions of influence.
CIVICUS Youth is co-facilitated by 10 youth voting members that make up the CIVICUS Youth Action Team (YAT). The YAT has the mandate to provide strategic and informed advice on how youth participation issues can be better mainstreamed in CIVICUS’ programmes. It also looks at how CIVICUS can develop new activities aimed specifically at strengthening youth participation and championing youth engagement in civil society.
Our Priorities
CIVICUS Youth is inspired by a vision where young people play active roles in civil society in a safe, enabling, inclusive and effective way, and contribute to protect and defend civic freedoms for all.
By pressing for diverse representation of youth movements and youth within organisations and decision-making processes, we’re enhancing solidarity across borders, ages, languages, religions and gender, to maximise impact.
We’re working to elevate the voices of youth to positions of influence, essential for reclaiming civic freedoms and democratic values for all. This means collaborating with CIVICUS advocacy channels to work for protecting civic space globally.
We believe we are stronger together. We encourage members to create strong organisational cultures that ensure youth, including marginalised youth, participate meaningfully in all aspects of civil society, from decision making to monitoring and evaluation
Publications by CIVICUS Youth members
Opinion Pieces
- Youth Participation Parkour: mapping seminar in Johannesburg with AGNA, YAT and representatives of youth led organisations - 2018, Elena Ceban
- Young woman panelist at CSW62 side event “Shrinking Civic Space for the feminist movement” - 2018, Nadia Sanchez
- Agenda 2063: Youth taking charge of Africa’s transformation by 2018, Esther Kariuki
- Re-igniting youth participation at CIVICUS - 2016, Youth Action Team
- Best practices in youth engagement in intergovernmental organisations: A case study from the Rio+20 process - 2015 by Ivana Savic, Youth Advisor
- Youth unemployment in Sub-Saharan Africa is cancerous - 2014 by Awa Ndah
- Young people need to get informed - Interview with Esther Agbarakwe
Youth Assembly Declarations
- 2019 Youth Assembly report, Belgrade, Serbia
- 2017 Youth Assembly Recommendations, Suva, Fiji
- 2016 Youth Assembly Statement, Bogota, Colombia
- 2012 A New Social Contract, Montreal, Canada “
- 2007 A Call for Intergenerational Collaboration: Make Change Happen Declaration, Glasgow, Scotland
Youth Day Calls to Action
- Youth Creative Symposium: Reimagining Democracy - 2018 Youth Day
- In a quest to find our generation’s mission - 2017 Youth Day
- Youth at the Forefront of Sustainability - 2016 Youth Day op ed
- Building youth inclusive civil society - 2016
Joint Statements
- CIVICUS Youth Joint Statement - 2016, 33rd UNHRC Session
- Rustlers Youth Retreat Statement - 2014, Free State, South Africa
- Thoughts on youth participation in the post 2015 Agenda - 2013 interview with Ivana Savic, Youth Advisor 2013-2016
Are you interested in sharing your perspective as a young activist? Find out how with this helpful toolkit.
Highlights and Accomplishments
- Consistent youth representation on the Board of Directors: In 2016, the CIVICUS Board of Directors included three youth members
- CIVICUS Youth Assemblies: Since 2008, CIVICUS has ensured a dedicated space before the International Civil Society Week for young people to collaborate, prepare their engagement and coordinate approaches to civil society discussions.
- Youth Symposium: In 2018, CIVICUS hosted it’s first youth creative arts symposium. Allowing youth to have their voices heard through art. This took place on the South African and International youth days respectively.
- Youth Peer-Exchange: with AGNA representatives on good practices to better engage young people in civil society national and regional platforms and organisations.
- Mentorship Programme: During 2017, over 300 CIVICUS members of all ages and from all regions signed up to a six-month pilot mentorship programme which aimed to increase the connections among members of the alliance working in similar areas and enhance skills and knowledge sharing in key areas.
- Youth panel at Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights: Panel on Widening space by young human rights defenders at the Forum on Democracy, Human Rights and Rule of Law organized by the OHCHR in November 2016. (Video here)
Join us!
The Youth Working Group is all about collaboration, inspiration, and information-sharing. We want to work with people who can contribute their individual energies and perspectives, and we want your opinions and big ideas to make civil society stronger. Tell us about the insights you can bring to the Youth Working Group in CIVICUS Youth United! open Facebook group.
To join the Youth Working Group visit www.civicus.org/join
To contribute to the strategic direction of the Youth Working Group stay tuned for coming calls to join as YAT member.