Around the world, young people are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with democracy. For many young people, their frustrations lie with poorly functioning governing institutions that aren't delivering policies that meet their economic needs or align with their social values. Likewise, youth often face negative stereotypes and significant barriers to participating in democratic processes based on their identity and other factors, such as social and economic status. Overall, young people are losing faith that democracy is able to solve contemporary problems, with some favoring autocratic leadership styles. As a result, there has been a steady decrease in traditional political participation, including low youth voter turnout, declining youth political party membership, and a pervasive belief that established political leaders fail to prioritize their concerns. In some cases, this youth disaffection leads to alternative means of participation, such as joining violent extremist groups. Research suggests that young people’s beliefs about democracy are rooted in insecurity and exclusion rather than a true rejection of democratic values.

Many young people continue to express optimism about their ability to impact social change and play a role in how their countries are governed through informal forms of participation. Although formal political participation among young people is declining, youth in all their diversity are redefining participation on their terms through youth-led protests and movements and by embracing innovation, challenging established norms and institutions, and addressing socio-political challenges. While the traditional democracy and governance programs delivered by NDI and others focused on increasing youth participation through activities, such as democracy boot camps, debate activities, community organizing, and civic education, they have tended to reach only young people already actively involved in formal civic and political life, often in urban areas. These approaches to youth engagement in democracy and governance programming are supportive in particular contexts. However, in order to engage harder-to-reach and more marginalized groups of young people, different strategies are needed to offer more responsive programming and support. 

In response to growing challenges with young people’s relationship with democracy, NDI is thinking creatively about how to engage young people on the margins. This includes working in partnership with young people on several new and innovative focus areas, including youth inclusion in economic decision-making; countering negative stereotypes, norms and beliefs that limit youth participation; helping young people with diverse identities organize; and using arts-based approaches as an entry point for youth participation. 

Youth and Economic Inclusion

Youth discontent is driven, in part, by economic exclusion, indicated by high youth unemployment and widening economic inequality. This is particularly true for young women and young people of diverse identities, such as youth with disabilities and youth from ethnic and religious minorities. These economic challenges intersect with young people’s lack of political power and opportunities to influence economic policy. Young people’s participation in civic and political life often centers around specific interests or issues that directly impact them. This requires working across development sectors such as health, education, and the private sector to better engage young people on the issues they care about. Cross-sectoral initiatives help young people develop as leaders and increase their impact. Working across sectors helps young people mitigate barriers to decision-making and discover new entry points for political participation. To support young people’s active participation in civic and political life and also address their economic grievances, NDI is implementing a program focused on youth inclusion and economic development with pilot activities in Kenya, Kosovo and Sierra Leone. 

To explore these topics, NDI facilitated an external roundtable with development practitioners and young leaders to discuss how economic priorities can be supported by civic and political participation. Participants agreed on the importance of engaging both the private sector and political stakeholders to create economic opportunities for young people and lend support to livelihood programs. Suggestions included partnerships with the private sector to offer skills-based training and pathways to internship and employment opportunities. They also emphasized the role of government in developing job creation policies and the need for advocacy that reflects young people’s policy preferences. Throughout the discussion, participants underscored the importance of actively and intentionally including young people as leaders in all efforts related to economic development. 

In Sierra Leone, NDI is partnering with the Center for Coordination of Youth Activities to provide young leaders with vocational skills while incorporating training in policy making and collaboration with local councils. NDI partner, Youth Alive! Kenya, will leverage existing partnerships with other youth organizations to provide training on financial literacy, civic education and advocacy. Participants will also engage in roundtable discussions with stakeholders in local government, civil society organizations, and the private sector to discuss economic opportunities for young people. In Kosovo, NDI is facilitating a leadership academy on entrepreneurship, technology and the policy development process. This pilot will help young people gain the skills, networks, and resources to advocate for policy changes within the technology sector that impact employment opportunities for youth.

Countering Youth Stereotypes

Despite decades of youth-focused development assistance, young people are still often unable to access and sustain substantive participation in formal decision-making spaces. The exclusion of youth is often the result of harmful attitudes, perceptions, and stereotypes that adults maintain about young people. Common stereotypes include that youth are lazy, don’t care about politics, lack practical experience and can’t understand the complexity of many policy issues. These negative views have a compounded impact on young people who experience additional barriers to public participation based on identity and other factors. Under a new initiative, NDI is exploring social and behavior change (SBC), an approach rooted in behavioral science that explores how to shift norms and behaviors. SBC interventions directly confront attitudes and beliefs and can help shape social norms to enhance young people’s inclusion. As part of a program to reduce recruitment to violent extremist groups in Niger, NDI and its partners examined entrenched stereotypes and biases held by youth and other actors that reinforced their political marginalization and exclusion. Through community-led processes to design violence prevention and mitigation plans, NDI worked with young leaders and prepared them to work alongside community leaders to conduct research, develop recommendations and recruit and train other youth to engage in violence prevention activities. Specifically, young women and youth from rural areas who are often excluded from decision-making processes. Young leaders had opportunities to discuss internalized beliefs preventing them from taking advantage of political entry points, such as “feeling incapable” or that “their participation does not matter.” In post-program surveys, young people described feeling more included in decision-making processes and motivated to participate on other community issues. 

Building on this work, NDI is conducting similar assessments in Côte d’Ivoire and Kosovo to identify norms and beliefs influencing and preventing young people’s participation in democracy and governance programs and political activities during and after programs. Thematic areas include participant recruitment for democracy and governance programs and whether young people of diverse identities and backgrounds have equitable access; retention rates and barriers preventing young people from remaining engaged for the duration of the program; and whether young people are able to use skills learned during and after workshops and training. This initiative will help NDI and the wider democracy and governance community design more impactful and responsive programs by better understanding the barriers preventing young leaders from active political engagement at different stages of a program and effective SBC strategies to keep young people politically engaged.

Engaging Young People of Diverse Identities

Young people are not a homogenous group. Age intersects with other aspects of their identity, such as ethnicity, disability, migrant or refugee status, religion, sexual orientation, and gender, resulting in intersecting forms of exclusion. Conversely, their intersectional identities also provide a wide array of experiences, skills and networks young people can use as a means of expressing their views and participating in civic and political life. Accounting for this diversity is an important consideration when it comes to designing youth political participation programs that meet young people where they are and ensure a wider segment of the youth population benefits from an intervention.

Younger generations seem to recognize the value and importance of including diverse voices in political processes. For example, young leaders who spoke at the NDI and Foreign Policy event, “Defending Democracy: How Young Changemakers are Demanding Progress,” underscored how many young people, including those with greater political influence and opportunities, recognize the value of engaging traditionally marginalized youth. Given the current challenges of youth exclusion and democratic erosion, there is a critical need to cultivate and inspire young changemakers from a wide variety of identities, backgrounds and sectors. Most importantly, those that are not typically included in democracy and governance programs. 

Under a new initiative to increase the engagement and participation of marginalized youth, NDI will engage a youth advisory group composed of diverse young people from different regions. The advisory group will co-create guidance on strategies to better engage different segments of youth. The advisory group will serve as a leadership opportunity for participants, who will be compensated for their time and effort. The initiative will examine where gaps remain in meeting the needs of diverse youth and explore effective approaches to strengthen the engagement of diverse segments of youth, including young women, young people with disabilities, young LGBTQI+ people, young people from ethnic and religious minorities, Indigenous youth, young people from rural areas, and those with limited access to formal education. 

Advisory group members will also receive funding to design and develop storytelling projects in a medium of their choice. The projects will highlight personal stories linked to democratic participation, barriers they may face based on their identities, or how a particular policy may directly impact their daily lives. Using the entry point of creative storytelling allows for a more inclusive approach, in particular, for those who face literacy and language barriers to participation in traditional political conversations and processes. The use of storytelling can raise awareness, spark conversations and catalyze commitment to action within communities. In addition to providing the space and resources for youth to make their voices heard, storytelling projects will provide a platform to reach wider and more diverse audiences through public dissemination of their work. 

Arts-Based Approaches to Strengthen Youth Inclusion

Recognizing the power and potential of the arts to engage young people, NDI is exploring how arts-based approaches can strengthen youth civic and political participation. Arts-based approaches can provide an inclusive, engaging, and fun entry point for young people and be an effective means of reaching traditionally marginalized youth, including those with limited education or low literacy levels, those who reside in rural areas, disability communities, migrant and refugee communities, LGBTQI+ communities, and Indigenous youth. 

NDI is exploring arts-based approaches and how they can contribute to increased youth participation and strengthen democratic norms and values in several key areas. In particular, arts-based programs can create physical and virtual spaces that are welcoming and approachable for people from different backgrounds, cultures, and regions, where young people from diverse identities can come together to share their views on social and political issues through their own personal expression as well as learn from others. Creative projects that encourage co-creation can break down barriers by emphasizing common goals and shared experiences, which can be applied to civic and political issues. The process of co-creation helps participants to see beyond their differences and work together towards a common objective – a key democratic competency. Arts-based programs can facilitate cultural exchange by showcasing diverse perspectives and traditions, which can help participants appreciate different opinions and encourage them to adopt more inclusive and democratic values. In one longitudinal study, low-socioeconomic students from the U.S. who engaged in the arts were more likely to vote, volunteer, engage in local politics, and keep up with current affairs as adults. Low socioeconomic “arts-rich” students were also more likely to enter the workforce in a professional career. 

The arts can also be a powerful medium to highlight social issues and injustices in ways that are accessible and approachable, opening access points for those who don’t traditionally engage in political conversations. Engaging in such activities and conversations can give young people the confidence to participate in future political activities in more formal settings. Programs that use the arts to raise awareness about issues such as human rights, inequality, and environmental challenges can provide an entry point for difficult or sensitive topics and conversations between groups that may hold opposing views. These experiences may inspire collective action and reinforce democratic values. Engaging with art can also enhance empathy by allowing individuals to experience different perspectives and emotions. Empathy is a soft skill that can play a crucial role in how democratic deliberation functions, which can help build democratic competencies among young people.

Additionally, arts-based programs can provide a platform for marginalized groups to express themselves and share their stories, raising awareness about barriers to political engagement. Art provides a wide range of non-verbal mediums of expression, which can support people with disabilities, those with language barriers, communities with low literacy levels, and ethnic minorities in expressing their political views and opinions. These alternative forms of expression can lead to greater confidence and agency for marginalized groups, supporting them to actively participate in democratic activities and conversations. This can foster greater visibility and influence for these groups, strengthening the overall democratic ecosystem.

Conclusion

Young people are striving to drive change across the globe. However, it’s clear that a new blueprint is needed to counter growing disaffection and inspire a new generation of young democratic leaders. Reversing trends of exclusion and sustaining youth participation will require working across sectors, shifting harmful and limiting social norms, and engaging a different demographic of youth. NDI is meeting youth where they are by identifying opportunities to co-create and collaborate with them as partners and technical experts on issues that matter most to them. This includes integrating civic education and political analysis skills in creative ways that cultivate a deep understanding of power and how it shapes their ability to influence or participate in political processes. While it is easy to fall back on standard approaches, NDI is listening and taking our direction from young people to develop inclusive and localized strategies that help them address their concerns and position them as leaders and champions in the fight for democracy. 

Author: Sara Hoenes, Program Manager, Citizen Participation and Inclusion and Rachel Mims, Program Director, Citizen Participation and Inclusion

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NDI is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization that works in partnership around the world to strengthen and safeguard democratic institutions, processes, norms and values to secure a better quality of life for all. NDI envisions a world where democracy and freedom prevail, with dignity for all.