“Simply put, meaningful youth participation provides quality and equal opportunities for young people to be involved in decision-making on policies, strategies and programmes that affect them. Young people are an asset and should be treated as co-creators in our developmental processes.”

On Sint Maarten, youth are defined as persons up to 24 years old, which is about 35 per cent of the total population. Although the youth make up a third of the citizens in most countries, their right to participate is often not considered in our society’s development processes, Charles says. “In addition to meaningful youth participation being a children’s right, it also matters greatly because of who they are: innovators.”
“Young people have a propensity for creativity and bringing about transformation. So, the question is: why wouldn’t we involve and encourage them to play an active role in our society?”

Throughout history, young people have been in the driver’s seat of change. Charles grew up surrounded by conversations about apartheid, women’s rights, and decolonisation. In many of these movements, it was young people who were at the forefront, he states.

Roger Hart’s Ladder of Participation is a notable example of the various levels of participation. Tokenism, decoration, and manipulation, at the bottom of this ladder, are ineffective examples of youth participation. However, they are still often used, Charles says. “For example: youth that are invited for ‘photo-ops’ but do not have actual involvement in an initiative. Or when youth are invited to a discussion, but the platform does not allow for them to safely formulate or share opinions. Or when youth provide input but there is no actual follow-up or integration of this information in the final product.”

Youth participation is also essential when you look at child protection matters. “As adults, we can use our expertise, but we are not young people. Involving youth in developing child protection measures helps to make these measures more applicable.”

When we look at the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, there are three broad categories: child protection, survival and development of the child, and a body of rights that speak specifically to participation, Charles explains. “Participation rights are the gateway to improved children’s rights. Without meaningful youth participation, there is a lesser likelihood that children will benefit from the other rights.”

Charles sums up some examples of political entities that are supporting youth participation. The recently elected government of Grenada has proposed the appointment of a young person to sit on all parastatal bodies. The Government of Barbados sought to amend the constitution to facilitate the appointment of an 18-year-old to become a member of the Senate (the upper chamber of parliament). “There are also several examples within the European Union and the Council of Europe.”

Young people are not problems to be fixed or ‘broken vessels’ that cost money to be repaired, Charles emphasises. Never mind if young people have challenges, those can be overcome by providing support and enhancing their role. “With the right enabling environment, young people will become valuable strategic partners. This is the shift of culture we must create.”

“Referencing the bible, remember it is written about ‘new wine and old wineskins’; you cannot put new ideas into old mindsets. You cannot get new results with old behaviours. Adults often underestimate or fear the youth. They do not stop to realise that they themselves might be sitting on the brink of irrelevance.”

Young people know more than you think, and by thinking outside of the box, they rescue us from the status quo, Charles says. “Investing in meaningful youth participation means preventing stagnation in our development as a nation and globally.”

Reflecting on the past decades of youth participation, Charles acknowledges
there have been vibrant youth movements that advocate for social economic justice and discussions on independence. “For example, in several Latin American countries, young people were highly involved in protests and other political movements to dismantle dictatorship.”

Young people participated and applied pressure through grassroots movements. Since then, political parties are becoming more and more aware that young people can be a potent force, Charles says. Due to this pressure, incremental changes are happening.

“However, the involvement of youth through government programs or initiatives still remains largely tokenistic, and this will only change if youth are seen as strategic partners to embrace. In turn, youth have to also choose to commit, and perhaps show greater solidarity in the type of participation they want to have moving forward.”

Angelica: “Including youth in conversations and decision-making that affects them.”

James: “I believe that it also means that we, as youth, take action in our community to make a positive impact and pave the way for the next generation.”

James: “I was invited to attend a focus group. At first, I wondered if this initiative would be another ‘front’, an initiative to act as if youth are involved, but, in actuality, our opinion will not matter. During the focus groups, we spoke about topics such as youth crime and offenders, educational opportunities for people in lower economic households, and youth transitioning to adulthood from foster care. I soon began thinking: ‘Hey, this might work!’”

Angelica: “I had a similar feeling. Some activities seem to be youth-led, but in reality, they are adult-led ideas executed by youth. Our focus group conversations dove into child protection and how to actualise a Youth Sounding Board. Now I do feel that the Youth Sounding Board has the potential to take a step forward in creating youth-relevant policies. Therefore, I also volunteered to help with the terms of reference to help establish it.”

Angelica: “A collaborative setting in which youth are empowered to make final decisions, but with technical support of adults to help them make informed choices. This means providing them with the right information and, when it involves complex matters, adding the necessary explanation.”

James: “Something else to consider is that youth might have difficulty expressing themselves fully, with adults in the room.”

James: “A group of us volunteered to help shape the functioning of the Youth Sounding Board and its members. UNICEF the Netherlands, through Mr. Wilson, a Youth Participation Specialist, provided us with technical support.”

Angelica: “We worked together to outline the framework on how the Youth Sounding Board and its meetings would work, what regulations and provisions will have to be in place, and how the youth members will be selected and supported. I enjoyed being part of this process, and I think we did a good job!”

James: “The Terms of Reference are approved by the Transition Child Protection Working Group and are now in the process, along with the NCPP documentation, of being officially approved by the government. The incoming members will also review these terms and amend them accordingly to keep them current.”

Angelica: “I think the Youth Sounding Board will be well received and generate a lot of interest amongst youth once implemented. Being a member will be empowering in that you can say: ‘I had an influence on this policy.’ It is also a great addition to your resume.”

James: “Imagine influencing and updating policies based on our own experiences and current situations. You will help make a real difference for your peers, and it will help you gain confidence in yourself and your country.”