Learn how to deliver effective programs to support youth Political Participation

Guidance for Youth Political Participation Programs

NDI has been active in supporting youth political participation for more than 30 years across 70 countries through assistance to civic groups, political parties, and legislatures. During that time, global demographic shifts, the spread of technology and new media, violent conflicts, and other dynamics have generated new challenges and opportunities for today’s young people, who make up more than half of the world’s population. These changes have affected the way that youth communicate with and relate to others, how they perceive and engage with their governments, and how they organize themselves to shape the world around them.

As a result of the study, NDI developed this resource to offer guidance on how to assist young women and men in becoming more politically organized and active. The resource is divided into four main sections. The Context of Youth Development and Political Participation section includes information on the imperative of youth development and participation, contemporary patterns of youth political activism, and how “youth” can be defined. The Unified Theory of Change for Youth Political Participation Programs section introduces and unpacks a unified theory of change for how youth political participation can be strengthened. The Lessons for Structuring Youth Political Participation Programs section lays out guidance for planning and implementing programs that build youth agency and an enabling environment for youth participation, reflecting the unified theory. The Lessons from the Field section features reviews of NDI youth programs in Kosovo and Jordan, describing how they have contributed to the different elements of the unified theory of change. Finally, the site includes information on the Change My Community tool box, which provides practical guidance for young people to lead local-level advocacy campaigns. 

The theory of change "unifies" the various efforts required to ultimately reduce barriers to youth participation and institutionalize youth-inclusive and -responsive political practices. The two primary components that propel this process are the development of youth agency and an enabling environment for their participation. Agency refers to the willingness and capacity of young people to act individually and collectively. Whereas, the enabling environment refers to the political avenues and opportunities that encourage young people to express themselves, interact with power holders and demonstrate their competence.

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Original Source:NDI