Young people are coming of age in a period of profound and overlapping change. Economic uncertainty, climate anxiety, rapid technological transformation, shifting social norms and evolving political landscapes are shaping how younger generations experience work, wellbeing, relationships and citizenship.
Young people today are also highly exposed to disinformation and algorithm-driven content which can distort how the world is understood and potentially re-enforce partial or polarized perspectives. This makes engaging young people directly essential, as their views can diverge in unexpected ways from assumed norms of older generations and reveal evolving attitudes shaped by today’s unique social information context.
And young people are far from disengaged or apathetic – they are highly aware of the pressures shaping their futures and hold thoughtful views about the world around them.
As we enter this new era, where young people are acutely affected by the economic, technological and political drivers of change, listening to youth voices is not simply an ethical consideration; it is a strategic necessity. And effective public policy interventions need to include the voices and lived experiences of younger citizens.
We have distilled our work in this space into 6 key principles for engaging youth voices. These reflect our decades of experience supporting governments and multilateral institutions globally with high quality, youth-centred, and evidence-based public policy advice.
Meaningful youth engagement must be built on trusted, sustained partnerships with young people, grounded in transparency, credibility and mutual understanding. When engagement is inclusive and responsive, it builds confidence, agency and a willingness to participate – laying the foundations for more resilient societies over the long term.