In my previous blog, I wrote about why it's important for young people to have a seat at the table in participation processes concerning significant societal changes, and why this is generally (not yet) the case. In this blog, I'll elaborate on what meaningful youth participation entails.

The word ‘meaningful’ is especially important here. For instance, one of the former participants in my work for youth engagement in peace and reconciliation processes told us about an experience. He had won an award for his work as a young peacemaker and was to be the ‘youth ambassador’ for a year. In the year that followed, he felt he wasn't being taken seriously but was instead used as a figurehead at various events and meetings.
In youth participation, the danger lurks that the target group will be involved as a ‘token gesture’ or‘tokenism’. For participation to be meaningful, more is needed. A young person brings different experiences to the table than, for example, a retiree. Throughout the process, young people have different needs that the initiator must take into account. As a result, his motivation and involvement disappeared.

Preparation There's a chance that young people have never participated in a dialogue table, a stakeholder meeting, or any other form of participation before. It's therefore important to lower the barrier to participation by offering good preparation. The preparation covers both content and process. For the content, this mainly concerns the availability of accessible information without heavy jargon or inflated policy language. For the process, it's good for them to know what to expect.

During the process: It is important for young people to experience control and ownership so that they can participate as full partners. At the same time, they are still developing. It is an opportunity to further develop (professional) skills such as listening, asking follow-up questions, expressing oneself, and building a network. In addition, it offers young people the opportunity to discover their own values and interests. Attention and guidance for these aspects also make participation valuable for young people themselves.

Other conditions There are other practical conditions needed for young people to participate meaningfully. Think, for example, of reimbursement of travel expenses, the location, the timing, and commitment to the process. Is the location easily accessible by public transport, for example? Or is online participation possible? Time for commitment to the process is also something that needs to be taken into account. Young people often go to school, have a part-time job, and engage in many social activities; are there possibilities to compensate young people for their time in the form of a fee or, for example, study credits?

Youth participation is extremely valuable for the process, but it requires extra attention, time, and resources to do it in a meaningful way.